in their texture by careless or faulty management. In supplying 

 humus, it is better to add small quantities often. Lands which are 

 under constant tillage, in corn, wheat, oats, potatoes, ma}^ be 

 supplied with humus if catch crops are sown with the crop, now 

 and then, late in tlie season. Rye, Canada peas, crimson clover, 

 and the like may be used for this purpose. Plow them under as 

 soon as the land is ready in the spring, even if the plants are 

 not large. 



OVjserve how the forest supplies its humus. Year b}' year the 

 leaves add to the soil cover, slowly passing into vegetable mold 

 or humus. The trunks finally deca>' and pass into the soil. 

 The work is effectively done, but it consumes time ; and man is 

 in a hurry. When the forest is removed, the land is very pro- 

 ductive. It is called "virgin soil," notwithstanding the fact 

 that an enormous crop of trees has just been taken from it. and 

 that it may have grown hundreds of such crops. The real 

 virgin soil is the barren soil. But however rich this forest 

 soil may be when the timber is first removed, it generally 

 soon loses its exhuberant fertility. The pigmy crops of the far- 

 mer seem to be harder on the soil than the gigantic crops of 

 Nature. vSome of this loss of productivity is due to the loss of 

 humus. 



A rotation prevents the exhaustion of plant-food, supplies 

 nitrogen in leguminous crops, one crop leaves the land in better 

 condition for another, the roots and stubble improve the texture 

 of the soil, it keeps weeds in check, provides for continuous 

 labor because stock is kept. 



The rotation should differ with the kind of soil and general 

 style of farming. The Cornell rotation is : 

 Wheat. 



Clover and timothy, i year, 

 Maize (corn), 

 Oats. 

 A good rotation for weed-infested land is : 

 Sod, I year, 

 Maize, 



Potatoes, or some other tilled crop. 

 Oats or barley. 



