16 ALLOTMENT GAKDENS 



EOTATION CROPPING 



A change of ground is considered for some crops, such 

 as potatoes, cabbages, and winter greens, to be abso- 

 lutely necessary. But since trenching or deep and 

 thorough cultivation is so frequently done, and the use 

 of chemical manures has become more common, it is 

 not considered so necessary for onions, peas, and other 

 crops. 



For those allotment holders who wish to adopt rotation 

 cropping the following guiding rules may prove helpful : 



Rule 1. Plants of the same kind or belonging to the 

 same family should not be grown for two or more years 

 in succession on the same piece of ground. 



Rule 2. Plants of the same habit of growth, or having 

 the same part of the plant edible, should have a change 

 of ground each year. 



Rule 3. Plants requiring the same method of cultiva- 

 tion should have new ground each year. 



Rule 4. Plants requiring the same ' dominant ' foods 

 should be changed. 



Rule 5. Plants subject to the same insects and diseases 

 should not be grown two years running on the same 

 piece of ground. 



Rule 6. First year, plant potatoes ; second year, 

 grow peas and beans ; third year, grow cabbages and 

 other green crops ; fourth year, grow onions, leeks, 

 and shallots ; fifth year, beet, carrots, parsnips, and 

 turnips ; sixth year, light crops, such as herbs, salads, 

 and seedlings. 



If celery is grown, the trench may be made early and 

 used as a seed bed before the celery plants are large 

 enough to put out. 



