122 [Senate 



We give still another example, in which the course is for four years 

 without fallow ; and it will be seen that in this, which is certainly a 

 most profitable course, there is ultimately no exhaustion of the soil. 

 The calculations are for a farm of 142 acres; of course about 35 J 

 acres will be in each crop named in rotation : 



Crop. Product in bushels. 



Indian corn, 1 ,750 



Barley, 845 



Clover, 140,000 lbs. 



Wheat, 762bushls. 



The manure returned to the soil will consist of the clover, the corn 

 stalks, and the wheat and barley straw, which make a total of 3,620 

 cwt. for the course. The weight of the grain taken off, is 1,759 cwt. 

 leaving a deficiency of 1,861 cwt., or 93 tons to be supplied; but 

 this is much more than added by the decayed clover leaves, stems 

 and the clover roots plowed up for the wheat crop. This course 

 shows at a glance, that fallowing may be dispensed with, and yet no 

 exhaustion of the soil take place. We wish farmers to pay particu- 

 lar attention to this course and its results, as it forms a most impor. 

 tant lesson in the art of good husbandry. It is true we would prefer 

 gi\dng the clover another year, either as pasture, or meadow, previous 

 to breaking up for wheat, thus requiring five years instead of four for 

 the course, not because the first would not secure against exhaustion, 

 but because by allowing another year to the clover, a greater amount 

 of roots and decayed matter would be gained, more animals could be 

 kept on the farm, and the more rapid promotion of fertility be se- 

 cured to the soil. On every grain farm, animals enough should be 

 kept, to use the straw, clover, stalks, &c., either as food or litter, and 

 thus commence the conversion of these materials into manure. If 

 fed out in the usual manner, a large part of the coarser parts of the 

 food will not be eaten, but it is trampled upon, broken and rendered 

 fine, and thus fitted to absorb and retain much of the urine and the 

 valuable materials contained in the fluid part of other animal excre- 

 ments. It is clear the farm must be made to support its own labor, 

 feed its own teams, &c., and any course which does not make ample 

 provision for this, must be considered as radically defective. The 

 course here recommended, while it prevents the possibility of ex- 

 haustion, secures the proper supply of food for the laboring animals. 



