The Rotation of Farm Crops 162 i 



one is practiced. It is lengthened by taking four or five successive hay- 

 crops from the same fields. 



In the alfalfa-growing regions a suitable rotation must be as long as 

 six or seven years. Alfalfa being a perennial plant and requiring two or 

 three years to become well established, it is not desirable to plow this 

 crop under very frequently. If plowed down at the end of five years 

 a fine crop of com can usually be produced. In many fields there will 

 be some parts where the alfalfa plants have died out because of un- 

 favorable conditions. Rotation with other crops furnishes the right 

 opportunity for reseeding successfully. 



A seven-years rotation for an alfalfa and stock farm 



1. Corn, well manured 



2. Oats or barley, with alfalfa seeding 



3 to 7. Alfalfa hay, with manure top-dressings after the second year 



Objection will be made to the difficulty of plowing under alfalfa sod 



five years of age. It is a real difficulty, but it is outweighed by the better 



stand of alfalfa obtained on reseeding and the fine corn crops on 



alfalfa sod. Thin seedings of oats and barley are best in this rotation. 



A rotation without intertilled crops 



Where buckwheat is grown it may follow an early crop of peas the 

 same year, or a crop of clover hay. On soils that are not dry enough 

 for early tillage, buckwheat may be planted on sod to which manure 

 has been applied. The' propensity of buckwheat to smother weeds and 

 render soil mellow makes it a fair substitute for an intertilled crop such 

 as corn or potatoes. For sections in the hilly counties where corn does 

 not thrive, the following rotation can be practiced: 



1. Buckwheat, manured 



2. Oats or barley, seeded with timothy and clover 



3. Mixed hay 



4. Mixed hay 



5. Hay or pasture 



DIVISION OF FIELDS FOR ROTATION 



In a systematic rotation of crops the most nearly uniform results will 

 always be obtained by dividing the land into as many nearly equal parts 

 as there are courses in the rotation. If there are more fields or less fields 

 to be used than there are courses in the rotation, then large ones may be 

 divided and small ones combined for rotation purposes. About the same 

 number of acres should be provided each year for each course. It should 



