ROTATION OF CROPS. 



101 



section), hoe crops — corn for silage, rape, potatoes, 

 mangel wurzel, etc., the balance in peas; fourth 

 year (No. 4 section), grain, cereal crops, such as 

 wheat, barley and oats, all of which should be seeded 

 down with the following mixture: Red clover seed, 

 seven pounds; alsike clover seed, three pounds; 

 timothy seed, four pounds per acre, mixed. 



In this four years' rotation several variations 

 may be made. If more grain is required and less 

 meadow and pasture, a portion of No. 2 section may 

 be plowed shallow after the grass is cut, or pastured, 

 early in August, then rolled and harrowed im- 

 mediately. 



The harrowing should be done thoroughly, as it 

 is by having a line tilth on the surface that moisture 

 is conserved in dry weather, and this is one of the 

 most important essentials in rotting sod quickly. 



Many farmers do not appear to understand the 

 proper mode of harrowing; when harrowing twice 

 in a place they invariably return in the same track 

 instead of half-lapping so that all the land may be 

 harrowed evenly. 



The three essentials to decompose vegetable 

 matter quickly and form humus are heat, air and 

 moisture, and these are supplied by plowing in July 

 and August when the weather is warm for heat, 

 shallow plowing will let in the air, and the moisture 

 can be conserv'ed in the sod by first compacting it 

 with a hea\y roller, thus drawing the moisture from 

 below by capillary attraction, then harrowing to 

 prevent evaporation from the surface. 



Under this treatment sod will rot quickly, and, 

 if cultivated with the wide points on the cultivator, 

 and harrowed alternately until the fall, the land will 

 be cleaned of weeds, and a large amoiuit of plant food 

 will be made available for fall wheat or spring grain. 



Variation of 

 Rotation to 

 Meet 

 Requirements. 



Harrow Sod 

 Thoroughly to 

 Conserve 

 Moisture. 



Harrowing- 

 Half-Lapping. 



How to Rot 

 Sod Quickly. 



Cultivate and 



Harrow 



Alternately. 



