1 S37] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



185 



scoiirjxe, nor by the killing freeze in November, 

 and all later inllictions by cold weather and drought. 

 Much ol" the crop on the riciiest parts 13 now 

 lodged, in consecjuence ol" the recent heav}'' rains 

 and winds, and cainiot again rise. The prepara- 

 tion l()r this crop of the rotation, that is the plough- 

 ing in the whole growth of clover, as well as 

 all the year's large supply of farmyard and stable 

 manure, seems to enable the wheat to withstand 

 all attacks, and sources of great damage, usual to 

 the crop elsewhere, except the evils produced by 

 luxuriance ol' growth. Thus the loss, in labor, if 

 not in grain, from lodiring, will be considerable 

 this year, and is suliered, more or less, every year: 

 and rust, coming on just belbre the ripening of 

 crops of the highest promise, has repeatedly 

 caused great losses here, when the. poorer lands 

 elsewhere generally were but little hurt. It seems 

 to me that it would be much better to give as 

 much as possible of the manure to the other field, 

 on which wheat is to follow corn, whicli always is 

 so inferior in product — or still better, to give it in 

 the spring in top-dressing to the clover, which 

 would cause an increased growth of that grass, 

 andgive thatgrowth asa morefixed, though slower 

 acting manure, to the soil. Accordintr to Flem- 

 ish practice, and to the sound theoreiical princi- 

 ples of agriculture, it is best always to <rive our 

 farmyard and stable manures to crops of which 

 we wish to increase the general bulk, and not to 

 grain crops, or such as are valuable solely or prin- 

 cipally for their seeds. The modern discovery of 

 the economy oftop-dressingyoung clover, or other 

 grasses, is most important, to enable us to attend to 

 this rule. Mr. Carter is satisfied that the better 

 application of his manure would be in the spring, 

 on young clover, instead of in August and Septem- 

 ber, on the same, to be covered by the ploughing 

 for wheat. But he is still compelled to pursue the 

 latter practice, because his rotation and general 

 «ystem require so much labor in the spring, that 

 he has none to spare lor carrying out his manure 

 at the time he would prefer. This then is certain- 

 ly 07ie serious objection to his systeaa, however ad- 

 mirable it may be in other respects. I doubt much 

 whether his manure does not serve to increase the 

 •product of straw in a far greater proportion than 

 -of grain — and while it increases the risk of rust 

 ■and of lodging, and the labors of harvest, and of 

 thrashing, this increase of straw is of no value, 

 except as increasing the materials for manure. 

 This is certainly an important use; but an increase 

 ■of the previous clover crop would be more manage- 

 able and profitable, and v/ould still more be an 

 increase of manure to the soil. 



Mr. Carter still pursues, and with unabated con- 

 fidence, his four-shift rotation, with three grain 

 crops in the four years, and the general system of 

 management described in his communication at 

 page 132, vol. i. of Farmers' Register, and in the 

 notes of "A Gleaner" at page 105, vol. i. The 

 rotation then was 1, wheat, on clover fallow — 2, 

 oats — 3, wheat — and 4, clover, to be ploughed un- 

 der in August and September for wheat again. 

 The only general and important change is, that 

 corn now is mostly substituted for the oat crop — 

 and this change was rendered necessary, not only 

 by the loss of the diked marsh, which before yield- 

 ed the whole crop of corn, but also by the want of 

 a hoed crop in the rotation, to clean the land, which 

 was getting foul with blue grass and other weeds. 

 Vol. V— 24 



Enough of oats for a large home consumption is 

 yiit made — and this crop at first occupied a part of 

 the shift which i)reviously had been all given to 

 oats— but latterly it has been found better to give 

 to oats part of the shift which was formerly in 

 wheat after oats, and now after corn. 



Much has been said, by dillerent contributors to 

 the Farmers' Register, and much more might be 

 said, both for and against this very productive and 

 very scourging Ibur-shilt rotation. Continued suc- 

 cess, shown in increasing amnjal products, and 

 also increased fertility of the soil, both of which 

 Mr. Carter is confident he has attained, are cer- 

 tainly strong evidences of the value of the system, 

 or general plan. But 1 think, that the success is 

 still more u proof that the plan, whether good or 

 otherwise, is carried through in the best manner, 

 in regard to good execution, and economy of labor, 

 and other means. Three grain crops, in succes- 

 sion, constitute a feature contrary to all received 

 opinions on proper rotations of crops; and be- 

 sides, three grain or exhausting crops, with only 

 one grass or meliorating crop, make necessarily a 

 severely scourging course. Admit that — by every 

 tillage process being well executed, and in proper 

 time, by nearly all the clover being given to the 

 land, and by all offld of the other crops being con- 

 verted to manure — the profits and fertility are still 

 kept on the increase — and still it may be true that 

 a milder rotation, and more grass, or other succu- 

 lent and meliorating crops in the rotation, would 

 much more increase fertility and profits, and lessen 

 the present heavy demands for labor. The de- 

 mands of this system for labor, at particular times, 

 are so heavy, as to leave no choice but to omit 

 other labors confessedly of great importance to 

 improvement — and the great toil of the clover 

 fiillow may be doubled by the uncertain, but not 

 rare occurrence of drought, and consequent hard- 

 ness of the soil. And as perfect as the tillage 

 seems under this rotation, when tue/Z executed, 

 and as clean and heavy as may be the crops, it will 

 not bear neglect, or defective work of any kind, 

 {mperfectly executed, the rotation would be a 

 wretched one, both lor annual profits and for im- 

 provement of^ the land. Neither can I believe 

 that any but a very fine soil, having depth and 

 good constitution, and not merely recently acquired 

 richness, can bear up under the severe draughts 

 made on it by this rotation. Mr. Carter, however, 

 thinks otherwise — and that any land after being 

 once brought to the point of producing good clo- 

 ver, to be turned under for the wheat, and with 

 equal attention to manure and tillage, will improve 

 under the rotation he fbllows. 



Until within a week, the land here, as generally 

 inthispartof the country was sufiijring under severe 

 and long-continued drought. In consequence, the 

 oats areinierior, and cannot be made afair crop, tho' 

 they will be greatly improved by the late heavy 

 rains. The clover is very poor — scarcely more 

 than a foot high even on the best spots. But nei- 

 ther crop shows as badly as the corn at Shirley, 

 which, in general, is worse, compared to the pro- 

 ducing power of the land, than any well tilled 

 field I ever saw at this time of the year. It has 

 been subjected to two difl'erent and destructive vi- 

 sitations of insects — and the first, if not the last, is 

 certainly owing to the part of the system but just 

 abandoned— that is of there being no hoed or 

 cleaning crop in the course. The field in corn has 



