488 FIELD CROPS 



Other conditions it should be appHed to the field as soon as 

 possible, because there is less waste than in rotted manure, 

 and the active rotting of fresh manure in the soil warms 

 it and aids bacterial and chemical action. Manure may be 

 appHed to meadows at any time except during a few weeks 

 before hajdng, while it may be spread on pastures through- 



Wmm 





I'igure 156.— The manure spreader distributed tlie laauure evenly over the soil 

 so that it can be plowed under without trouble and placed where it will be 

 most easily reached by crops. The easiest way to handle manure is to load 

 it directly into the spreader from the stable. 



out the year, though it is usually best to apply it to them 

 during the winter. In the South, where a perennial grass crop 

 is not often grown, manure is usually put on the land before 

 planting the principal crop, which is generally cotton or corn. 



669. Length of the Rotation. The length of the rotation 

 depends on the crops which it includes and the system of 

 farming which is followed. It may be a 2-year, 3-year, or 

 4-year rotation, or it may be planned for a much longer period. 

 The most common rotations are 8-year, 4-year, and 5-year ones. 



SOME SUGGESTIVE ROTATIONS 



670. Rotations for Various Sections. It is not possible 

 to outline a single rotation or even several rotations which 

 will fit all cases, for that matter must be left to the needs, 



