Vi CONTENTS. 



successful tillage Benefits occasionally derived from mixing the subsoil with the surface or agri 

 cultural soil An instance given Clay soils, heavy loams, etc., best pulverized by plowing when 

 dry or nearly so Use of the harrow Its use for any purpose most effectual when the soil is dry 

 Best implements required Various harrows and clod crushers described and illustrated The use 

 of the Roller Benefits derived from pressing the soil upon the seed Exterminating noxious weeds. 



86 



What Crops to Raise. 



A judicious choice of crops essential to success Crops that can find a ready market to be cultivated 

 Principle always to be regarded Choice modified by the character of the soil, etc. Relative cost 

 and value of different crops. 104 



Rotation of Crops. 



Benefits of a judicious rotation of crops Theories relative to the cause of failure or depreciation of the 

 same kind of crops produced continuously from the same soil Nature follows a course of rotation 

 This strikingly illustrated in the succession of different forest trees &quot; Clover sick &quot; lands A 

 scheme of rotation to be so formed as to cultivate the same or similar crops on the same ground at 

 intervals as remote as practicable The English practice called the &quot;Four-field or Norfolk Sys 

 tem &quot; Rotation in Agriculture in Italy Various methods of rotation adopted in this country 

 Rotation of crops in the Southern States Rotation for the worn lands of the South Grass Pas 

 turage Whatever the rotation, good crops cannot be produced in any section without proper man 

 agement, and a sufficient supply of manure to the soil. 107 



Irrigation. 



Water one of the sources of supply of plant food The benefits derived from irrigation Various meth 

 ods of irrigating lands Use of the windmill in irrigation When irrigation is injurious An excess 

 detrimental When irrigation should begin in the spring Should always be adapted to the charac 

 ter of the soil and the kind of crops cultivated. 117 



Drainage. 



Various methods Benefits to be derived from drainage Difference in temperature of drained and un- 

 drained soils Drainage tends to render soils warm and more friable Enables the farmer to plant 

 earlier in the spring Tends to prevent injury to crops from excess of moisture To prevent 

 drought To prevent surface washing and winter killing of grain Tends to an earlier harvest 

 Renders a location more healthful Drainage system at the South Reclaiming the Everglades of 

 Florida by draining Lake Okeechobee The drainage system two hundred years ago Partial drain 

 age Average amount of rain-fall What lands require drainage Location of drains Necessity of 

 drains being properly constructed and the work well done Tile draining the best method Care 

 ful planning of location of drains necessary to secure the best results How to dig the trenches 

 Depth of drains How to lay the main drains How to lay the tributaries Protection against sand 

 . and other obstructions entering at the joints Filling the trenches Stone drains Plank drains 

 Turf Brush, etc. The mole plow Open ditches Furrow draining or ridge cultivation Tile 

 draining the most effectual, permanent, generally satisfactory, and eventually the most economical. 



127 



AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. 



Grasses and Forage Plants. 



Great importance of the grass product Varieties Description of more than one hundred varieties of 

 grasses Their cultivation Forage plants Varieties Cultivation Indian Millet Common Millet 

 German or Golden Millet Pearl Millet Indian Corn as a forage plant Japan Clover Mexican 

 Clover Red Clover Time of cutting and method of curing clover Conditions favorable to fer 

 mentation in clover hay Cultivating clover seed Harvesting clover seed Clover as a fertilizer 

 &quot;Clover sickness&quot; of lands Alsike clover and its cultivation White clover Crimson clover 

 Alfalfa or Lucerne Value as a forage plant Cultivation Sainfoin Cultivation Vetch Spurry 

 The Cow or field pea Lupine Prickly Comfrcy List of grasses and forage plants, with their 

 common and botanical names, their time of blossoming, whether wild or cultivated, and the kind of 

 soil adapted to their growth Glossary of terms used in describing grasses Grouping of grasses 

 Nutritive value of grasses Analyses of different varieties Tables for the mixture of seeds for the 

 following lands Mowing lands, Permanent pastures, Hay and pasture combined Rotation and 

 improvement of soil Meadow lands Summer pastures Winter pastures Permanent pastures 



