84 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



2 GEORGE V., A. 1912 



The variety of crops grown and the varying areas under each crop each year, 

 make it quite difficult to make a comparison of the returns of the different years, so 

 to simplify matters I would suggest that a fixed valuation be put upon the products 

 and the return of each year valued accordingly. 



Fixing prices as follows : — Grain, $1 per 100 lbs. ; roots and ensilage, $2 per ton ; 

 hay, $7 per ton; summering cattle, $8 per season, and an area used as pasture for pigs, 

 $15 per acre, the returns from the ' 200-acre farm ' for the years mentioned may 

 be said to have been worth $2,776.66 in 1899, $4,110.21 in 1900, $4,434.72 in 1901, 

 $4,787.14 in 1902, $4,148.19 in 1903, $4,741.09 in 1904, $5,714.32 in 1905, $4,669.16 in 

 1906, $4,931.94 in 1907, $4,631.33 in 1908, $5,502.15 in 1909 and $5,761.28 in 1910. 



REMARKS ON ROTATION EXPERIMENTS. 



The true farmer will ever have two objects in view when managing his farm : 

 to so manage as to increase gradually but surely the margin of profit and, at the same 

 time, render his farm more productive. Many factors will necessarily unite to produce 

 such desirable results, but of one feature we may be certain, there will be followed 

 on such a farmer's farm a regular rotation of crops, for no other single practice 

 in farm management can compare with this in importance. The rotation or rota- 

 tions adopted will, of course, depend upon the line of farming followed, and to some 

 extent upon the character of the soil and the physical peculiarities of the farm as 

 a unit, but a rotation there will be. 



Crop rotation means a certain succession of crops which regularly repeats itself 

 each time the course is run. It really means further that the crops follow e-ach other 

 in such order as to insure each having such supplies of plant food of such a char- 

 acter as to aid in securing good returns from each particular crop. 



Hence, in arranging a rotation, it is very necessary to have some knowledge of 

 the food requirements of different crops and to know something of the values of the 

 residues from the different crops included. Certain forage crops, such as corn, roots, 

 potatoes and hay require an immense amount of food for stem, leaf and root produc- 

 tion — that is an abundance of nitrates as is found in clover or other sod turned 

 down and in well-manured lands. Other crops, such as cereals, can get along best 

 with a lighter supply of nitrates, but need more phosphates, hence do well after some 

 forage crop has taken up the superabundance of free nitrates found after sod. It is 

 evident, therefore, that a good rotation will include (1) meadow or pasture, (2) roots 

 or corn, and (3) some cereal crop. 



Various combinations of these three classes are possible, and the natural aim of 

 experimental work will be to determine (1) the comparative values of rotations as 

 soil improvers, and (2) their relative suitability for different lines of farming. 



Five or six years experience with a rotation of five years' duration showed such 

 remarkable results here, that, in 1904, it was decided to begin an experiment that 

 would include a variety of rotations. 



Rotation 'A.' 



First year. — Land ploughed in August, well worked, ribbed in October; seeded 

 next spring to oats, and 10 lbs. clover sown per acre; allowed to grow one year and 

 turned under as fertilizer for corn. 



Second year. — Corn, manure applied in winter or spring, 25 tons per acre; 

 shallow ploughed, corn planted. 



Third year. — Grain, seeded down, 8 lbs. red clover, 2 lbs. alsike, 10 to 12 lbs. 

 timothy per acre. 



Fourth year. — Clover hay, two crops expected. 



Fifth year. — Timothy hay. 



