PLANNING A CROPPING SYSTEM. 29 



From the proccdins: table it is seen that the following acreages are 

 required: Cum, 14.0 + 2.43 = 17.03; hav. 45; pasture, 40; and rape, 

 0.52: a total of 102.55 acres. The problem now is to arrange these 

 acreages into suitable rotations. 



The fact that the cows need 25 acres of pasture suggests one rota- 

 tion on fields of 25 acres each. A part of one of these fiekls may also 

 furnish pasture for the horses. The further fact that the hogs require 

 5 acres of clover pasture suggests another rotation on 5-acre fields. 

 Since the necessary acreage is practically the whole of the arable land 

 it will be necessary to double-crop a few acres in order to secmv space 

 for the farmstead. No estimate of pasture for young stock is inchuleil 

 in the table. Since it is desirable to keep about half as numy of these 

 as there are mature cows, in order to nuiintain a high degree of effi- 

 ciency in the herd, it happens that the tract of 1 1 .77 acres of wot)dland 

 pasture north of the road just about sufiices for the young stock. 



THE ROTATIONS ADOPTED. 



A careful consideration of the conditions specified and of the many 

 different possible rotations led to the adoi)tit)n of one three-year rota- 

 tion as follows: First year. 7 acres of corn and IS acres of peas anil 

 oats; second year, timothy and clover; thirtl year, timothy and 

 clover. 



This rotation requires that timothy and cUiver be sown in the 7 

 acres of corn at the last cultivation, a conunon practice in New 

 Fngland and a successful practice on several farms in Iowa, Missouri, 

 and other Western States. Timothy and clover are also to be sown 

 either with the peas anil oats, or immediately after the latter are 

 harvested for hay. The third year of this rotation furnishes the 

 necessary pastiu'e for the cows; the second year furnishes the required 

 10 acres of pasture for the horses and 15 acres for hay. This will 

 require a temporary fence, which, however, is entirely feasible. 



In case the seeding of grass fails, rye may be sown after the corn in 

 the fall, to be followed by soy beans for hay the next summer. If 

 the seeding of grass after the peas and oats fails, winter wheat sliould 

 be sown on the land needed for horse pasture. Tliis will fm-nish good 

 pasture throughout the summer, as the wheat will not stool until late 

 in the fall or early the next spring. The remainder of the pea and 

 oat land may very properly be planted to sorghum for hay. The 

 next year the whole 25 acres may be sowti in winter wheat m the 

 spring, to be used by the cows for pasture during the summer. 



To secure the 5 acres of clover for the hogs, in a rotation in which 

 the remainmg crops are useful, the following three-year rotation was 

 arranged: First year, com, in which clover is sown at the last culti- 

 vation; second year, clover; third year, peas and oats for hay, fol- 

 lowed by rape sown in midsummer. 



102—111 



