REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURIST 81 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



EXPERIMENTS. 



A number of feeding experiments have been conducted during the past year but 



they are as yet unfinished. 



SHALLOW CULTIVATION AND ROTATIONS. 



For many years farmers in Eastern Canada were grain growers merely. Necessity 

 forced the inception of such a system of agriculture. Habit and ignorance prolonged 

 the practice of such farming. The wonderful strength and seemingly inexhaustible 

 fertility of the soil n'lade its long continuance possible. The discovery of the possibil- 

 ities of the north-west and the gradual exhaustion of our fields called a halt. Hence, 

 for some years past change has been in the air. 



Live stock farming, the system making the smallest demands on soil fertility, is 

 rapidly supplementing grain growing. Parts of nearly every farm are now much better 

 in condition than they were a few years ago ; and, further, such is nature's wonderful 

 recuperative power, since the partial cessation of the tremendous drain of grain exporta- 

 tion the average crop returns for Eastern Canada have gone up very considerably. But, 

 as every farmer knows, even live stock farming long continued means a gradual loss of 

 fertility, unless considerable food other than that produced on the farm is fed to stock 

 and the manure properly cared for and utilized. 



This fact has led to a study of the methods for cheaply restoring lost fertility and 

 profitably cultivating soils so that ' improved,' rather than ' impoverished,' may be the 

 annual verdict. 



It is impossible to discuss the subject exhaustively in such an article as this, but 

 one plan of cultivation found to give good results is where the meadow or pasture is 

 ploughed in August, the sod being turned to a depth of 3^ or 4 inches only. Imme- 

 diately after ploughing, if in a dry time, the land is rolled, then harrowed with a light 

 harrow. It is then left untouched until grass and weeds start to grow, when it is again 

 harrowed, care being exercised to prevent the sod being disturbed. The hari-owing or 

 cultivating process is continued at intervals (as the weed seeds germinate) until October, 

 when by means of a (3 plough gang) double mould-board plough the surface soil to a 

 depth of about 4 inches is put into drills about 22 inches apart and 8 to 10 inches high. 

 This is found to be a most satisfactory preparation of the soil for corn, roots or grain. 

 Where grain is sown, the soil is ready for seeding at a considerably earlier date than 

 where late fall ploughing is practised. 



If, along with this system of shallow cultivation, a proper rotation is adopted, most 

 excellent results are sure to follow. As clover is the only crop which while giving a 

 profitable harvest still serves to enrich rather than to impoverish the soil, it is evident 

 that clover should take a prominent place in any rotation in this country. With this 

 fact in mind, a few rotations suitable for the improving of our lands may be ofiered, as 

 follows : — 



(a.) 3 year rotation — 1, grain ; 2, clover hay ; 3, pasture. 



(b.) 3 year rotation — 1, corn and roots ; 2, grain ; 3, clover hay. 



(c.) 4 year rotation — 1, corn, roots, potatoes or pease; 2, grain; 3, clover hay; 

 4, hay or pasture. 



(d.) 5 year rotation — 1, grain, with 10 lbs. clover seed to plough dowu for fertil- 

 izers ; 2, corn, roots, potatoes or pease ; 3, grain ; 4, clover hay ; 5, hay or pasture. 



(e.) 5 year rotation — 1, grain ; Z, clover hay or pasture ; 3, corn, potatoes, roots or 

 pease ; 4, grain ; 5, clover hay or pasture. 



(/') ^ y^^^' rotation — 1, grain ; 2, clover hay or pasture ; 3, corn, roots, potatoes 

 or pease ; 4, grain ; 5, clover hay ; 6, pasture or timothy hay. 



Rotation (a) is one well suited for some remote part of a farm where it is not con- 

 Tenient or practicable to apply manure regularly. 

 16—6 



