SIXTH ANNUAL YEAR BOOK — PART Till. 813 



Seeding is done while cultivating the corn crop. The corn crop is 

 benefitted by the finer tillage done in covering the seed. The young 

 <;iover plants form a low gentle covering for the ground among the 

 corn and do not draw heavily on the supply of moisture In the ground 

 as weeds do but rather prevent evaporation by their close leafiness. 

 Rape is often so rank by husking time that it is very unpleasant to 

 work in the field, especially if wet or frosted. The clover is low and 

 there is no inconvenience whatever. Lambs will feed in a clover corn- 

 field before the corn crop is gathered and not interfere with the corn, 

 so they can be turned in to feed before and while husking the corn 

 crop. It furnishes fall and winter pasture for sheep and lambs. In 

 pasturing they eat some husks along with the clover and when the 

 ground becomes covered with snow they betake themselves to the corn 

 leaves and husks. All spring seeding is avoided and time can be used 

 to attend to young stock that is coming at that season. It allows mares 

 that are having foals a better time and more suitable feed. The crop 

 is ready to harvest as soon as a fall wheat crop would have been and 

 much surer. There is no twine bill to pay and no threshing machine 

 to follow. A second crop can be harvested in the fall that can be used as 

 a seed crop. The second season this can be used as a pasture until time 

 to break up in April for a corn crop again. 



Thus you see the rotation: In corn from April to October; pasture 

 October to April; hay two crops, one for feed and one for seed; then 

 pasture until broken up for corn the second spring thereafter, making 

 a rotation for three years of six months to grow a corn crop, fall and 

 winter pasture for sheep, one summer for hay and 18 months for pas- 

 lure, or as much of that 18 months as stock can be allowed on it. 

 Only one t:eason's cultivation is necessary and one seeding in three 

 years. A constant enrichment cf the soil results. Increased yields of 

 corn are secured. Decreased labor and incraesed returns follow. 



At first thought one would think that with such inducements so 

 many would turn to this line of farming that it would soon be overdone. 

 But when I consider the conditions I am forced to conclude otherwise. 

 To do this a farm must be managed as a stock farm exclusively. A man 

 must have a liking for and an adaptability to stock raising or he can 

 not make it a success. If he lives in town away from the farm he must 

 have a competent man to attend to it. There is an uncertainty of 

 letaining competent hired help. A renter cannot do it unless he leases 

 for a number of years, belter not less than 10. Few men having farms 

 to rent would be willing to take into consideration the increased enrich- 

 ing of the land as a part of their returns but it is there and cannot ' 

 be taken awa,v by che renter when he leaves. The number of farms 

 rented is increasing annually; most of them are on yearly lease and 

 under these conditions a three years' rotation would be impossible, so 

 to those who can do this and are willing to stand by it there is an 

 opportunity that will have only limited competition. 



