DIGEST OF STATE REPORTS. 507 



tlie subject of the management and rotation of crops of a farm for 

 mixed husbandry. The writer bases his remarks on the follovriug- prop- 

 ositions: First, to make the earth yield the greatest possible amount 

 and variety of products necessary or desirable for the sustenance and 

 comfort of the human family; and, second, while doing this, to steadily 

 increase the productive powers of the soil, or at least retain them un- 

 diminished. Scarcely .two farms can be found precisely alike in all 

 their conditions, therefore no rules can be laid down which will suit the 

 various peculiarities of each. Peculiar conditions require peculiar 

 treatment ; each farmer must be guided by the requirements of his soil, 

 the position of roads, exposure, currents of water, &:c. In laying off a 

 farm it is desirable, whenever practicable, that the lots be so distributed 

 that each may have access to running water. This being a labor-saving 

 age, the division into lots and the arrangement of the buildings should 

 be made with a proper regard to convenience. Where circumstances 

 will admit, a private road running through the center of the farm, as 

 far as the two most distant lots, with a gate opening into it from each 

 field, will be found desirable. The usual size for farms in the Western 

 States is a quarter-section, or IGO acres of land. Allowing 20 acres of 

 this amount for timber-land, and 10 more for farm-buildings, yards, 

 calf and hog pastures, and lanes, there would remain 120 acres to be 

 specially devoted to crop culture and rotation. These 120 acres the 

 writer would divide into six lots, containing 20 acres each; three 

 should be kept constantly in clover, or clover and timothy; one in pas- 

 ture in connection with the timber-lot; the other two, grass-lots to be 

 cut for hay. Of these the oldest seeded may be used for fall pasture, 

 and the other mowed for a second crop of hay or grass-seed. The lot 

 used for summer pasture having been in grass for three years, should 

 be broken up in the spring following for a crop of corn, potatoes, and 

 other hoed crops. This is the writers i)lan for restoring exhausted, 

 overworked soils. Of course, virgin soils require no rotation of crops; 

 but the raising of grain should invariably be conducted with the view 

 to the future introduction and cultivation of the grasses and to a regu- 

 lar system of rotation of crops. W^hethcr stock-raising, dairying, 

 or the raising of grain is to predominate, or whether, as appears 

 preferable, all these are carried on in fair proportions, successful farm- 

 ing must have for its basis the raising in a large measure of the culti- 

 vated grasses, and more particularly that of clover. This, then, would 

 be the proper rotation: the first and second years in clover, or clover 

 and timothy mixed; the third year in pasture; the fourth in corn and 

 hoed crojis, and the fifth in wheat. With laud of ordinary quality, 

 treated in this manner, the yield of wheat will usually average about 

 25 bushels per acre. There remains one more season to complete the 

 course. For this, plow the wheat stubble under as soon as possible. 

 If there is manure to spare, after putting enough on the pasture-lot, 

 spread it on that which is to be sown with the light grains, oats, barley, 

 &c., and seed down. The writer prefers to sow grass-seed before the 

 last dragging of the field, and states that he never met with a failure 

 when sown in this way. Seeding immediately after the last dragging 

 is also a good method, ])roviding no heavy rain intervenes to pack the 

 ground before it is done. Grass-seed cannot be buried as deep as other 

 gTains; as a general rule the larger the seed the deeper covering it re- 

 quires ; for this reason he does not approve of mixing grass-seed with 

 the grain in the drilling machine or the broadcast sower, as much of it 

 must be covered so deep as to never come up. The same system of ro- 

 tation is repeated for another term of six years. If the proper division 



