CHAPTER XX 

 ROTATION OF CROPS 



The Need for Rotation. 



ROTATION is spoken less of now than it used to be, but it 

 has nevertheless its value, and is not to be ignored. It is 

 a fallacy to say that the same crop cannot occupy land 

 profitably for several years in succession. Innumerable 

 instances can be pointed out where this does occur, as 

 in the case of a great number of cottage gardens, where 

 potatoes are grown on the same ground year after year. 

 Let it be clearly understood that I do not advocate this 

 course. I do not consider it wise to continually draw one 

 kind of food only from the soil, for there must of necessity 

 be other plant food which must waste or get into a state 

 which will render the soil sour. Although it is not impos- 

 sible to continually crop a land with the same subject, it is 

 unwise to do so for too long a time. In fact it can only 

 be done successfully when good tillage obtains. Good 

 tillage is the great corrective of sourness, and in proportion 

 as a soil is well tilled so is the possibility of its becoming 

 sour decreased. Hence we infer that good cultivation 

 lessens the need for rotation, though it certainly does not 

 do away with it altogether. The fallacy has been in placing 

 too much reliance on the cultural value of rotation, whereas 

 its economic value should commend it to practitioners of 

 the twentieth century. 



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