DITISIOK OF FIELD EV SB AN DRY 



145 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



The following table sunnnarizes in a form convenient for reference, the cost of 

 production of mangels, corn, oat« and hay as given in detail above: — 



Cost of Production of Field Crops, Central Farm, 1913. 



Crop. 



Mangels 



En.siiage corn. 



Oats 



Oat straw 



Hay 



Area. 



Cost to proddcb. 



Yield per acre. 



Per acre. Per ton. 



Acres. 



200 

 18-00 

 35- 00 



33-5 



Tons. 



17 

 12 



116 

 2 



Bush. 

 584 



52 



$ cts. 



36 35 

 22 03 

 15 96 



11 78 



$ cts. 



2 14 



1 84 



14 30 



5 89 



Per 



bushel. 



Cents. 

 6-22 



21-3 



EOTATION OF CROPS. 



That certain crops do better when following after certain other crops, has long 

 been known. Farm practice, however, seldom keeps pace with knowledge in such 

 matters, and to this particular phase of crop management work especially, too little 

 consideration is usually given. 



For the past ten years experiments have been carried on at this Farm to deter- 

 mine the relative value of different rotations suitable for live stock purposes. Before 

 presenting the results of this work in detail we may briefly answer the following 

 questions that naturally ari.se in a consideration of this subject: — 



What is meant hy a systematic rotation of crops? 



It is a certain regular succession of crops so arranged that, after each, the land 

 is left in the best possible condition to receive the crop which follows. 



Willi (toes the order in which crops fotloio each other make a great difference in the 

 yields from year to year? 

 1. Because different plants have different manurial requirements. 

 1 2. Because plants vary in their power to abstract certain foods from the soil. 



3. Because all plants do not feed to the same depth in the soil. 



4. Because all plants are not alike in the residues they leave behind. 



5. ^Because some plants tend to produce better tilth than others. 



6. Because plants vary in their resistance power to bacterial and fungus disc;ises 

 and to insect enemies. 



What are the requirements of any rotation before it may he considered suiiahle? 



1. It must supply the crops needed in the proper proportions. 



2. It must be so constituted that weeds can be kept under control. 



3. It must yield a reasonable net profit. 



4. It must, under properly regulated treatment, maintain soil fertility. 



Why should every farmer place his farm under some definite system of cropping, nr, 

 in other words, adopt a rotation of cropsf 

 • 1. Because it will increase crop yields and net profits. 

 2. Because the cost of fencing, on farms where live stock is kept, would be 

 materially reduced, since it would be necessary to fence off only three, four or five 

 fields instead of ten or twelve, as is often done. 



Ott.wva. 

 16—10 



