Clover and 



Farmyard 



Manure. 



Make Vege- 

 table Matter 

 Available. 



A Four Years' 

 Course. 



Dividing Farm 

 into Sections. 



CHAPTER X. 

 Rotation of Crops. 



To secure the best results from the farm, certain 

 principles must be adhered to in order that the 

 fertility of the soil may not only be retained but 

 increased, and that at the least possible cost. In 

 order to do this one of the first steps to be taken is 

 to adopt a system of rotation which will be best 

 suited to the circumstances. Location must be 

 considered as well as the kinds of soil and the number 

 and kinds of animals to be provided for. 



It is essential that a crop of clov^er sod be plowed 

 under every three or four years, in addition to all 

 the manure made on the farm, in order to supply 

 the amount of vegetable matter required for the 

 proper growth of cereal and other crops. 



It is not only necessary to fill the soil with 

 vegetable and animal matter, but these must be 

 made available for plant food before the crops can 

 derive any benefit from them. This is accomplished 

 by thorough cultivation in warm weather, as vege- 

 table matter will not decompose when cold. 



The following rotation is the best for mixed 

 farming, and was followed with marked success by 

 the writer for a number of years on his own farm, 

 and during the six years he was farm superintendent 

 at the Ontario Agricultural College. 



The farm proper is divided into four sections 

 (see Diagram 54) instead of many small fields, as is 

 the usual custom, and is cropped as follows: — 



First and second years (Nos. 1 and 2 sections), 

 grass, including hay and pasture; third year (No. 3 



