416 Bureau of Fakmers' Institutes. 



sample of soil, but as yet, they know of no way to tell whether 

 or not it is available for the use of the plant. So why should 

 we ask the chemist to analyze any of our soils. 



To Mr. Terry. — Would you advise every one to pursue the same rotation 

 of crops you do? 



Answer. — Certainly not. Circumstances differ. Then, if every- 

 body grew clover and wheat, we would soon have a surplus. But 

 you might grow clove", corn, wheat and potatoes. I know of men 

 who practice such a four-year rotation. 



Would corn talie tlie place of potatoes in a clover rotation? 



Mr. Terry. — Yes^ nicely. I have friends who grow clover, corn, 

 potatoes and wheat. Perhaps it is safer to make a four than a 

 three-year rotation. We cannot afford to grow oats alone, but we 

 grow oats and peas to feed, as a hay crop, cut just as the peas are 

 filling. We do not grow oats alone, for the reason that it takes 

 so much water to grow them, which is about 700 pounds for one 

 pound of oats. It is this great drain of moisture that causes a 

 small crop of oats in a dry season; not poor land. 



Is Mr. T. B. Terry's rotation wrong? By substituting beans for pota- 

 toes, would it pay a farmer better than the one recommended by Mr. 

 Converse? 



Mr. Converse. — It will depend on the man and his conditions. 



Every man must answer for himself. With us the rotation I gave 



this morning is best. That was clover, corn or potatoes, oats and 



peas. 



What does it cost to drain, with best tile, per acre? 



Mr. Terry. — That will depend on the cost of making the drains, 

 and that of the tile. It ought not to cost more than $25 per acre. 

 On flat land one should have large tile, say four to five inches, 

 which cost more than do the smaller tiles. We have some drains 

 made by hand that cost |30 per acre; but where the drains can 

 be made by horse-power and smaller tiles are used, the expense 

 ought not to be more than $25 per acre. 



