8 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



over Britain is the necessity which there exi=^ts lor 

 a whole year ol' rent being lost, once in five or six 

 years at most, while the heavy labors ol' a com- 

 plete summer lalknv are execuled, to precede 

 wheat. The moisture of the climate there, which 

 encourages the growth of weeds, and the want of 

 a great tillage crop, liUe our Inilian corn, to help to 

 eradicate them, causes the necessity lor summer 

 fallow there ; and the contrary circumstances otier 

 no inducement or excuse lor it here. For our sum- 

 mer fallow (so called,) is a totally different opera- 

 tion, and has benefits and elfecis altogeiher dilfer- 

 enf. Now, lor example, (and not to recommend 

 tlie particular succession,) su[)pose that turnips 

 were to Ibllow wheat, as part of a rotation in Eng- 

 land, (as they do in some good larming districts 

 there,) and also in this country, let us see what 

 could be the difference of manner. 



In Et)gland, in four years there could be made 

 but three crops, thus : 



1st year, clover, (or last year of any grass) — 

 2nd" " no cro[), the land being ploughed from 

 winter or sprinii, arul throuch sum- 

 mer, for lalknv, and wheat sown 

 in autumn — 

 3rd " wheat — 

 4th " turnips — 



In Virginia, the same succession and number of 

 crops n>ight be had in two years only, antl ihe 

 heavy and expensive labor of summer fallow be 

 rendered unnecessary. Thus: 



1st year, clover — ploughed under in August or 

 September, and wheat sown in Oc- 

 tober — 

 2nd '• wheat, followed by turnips, matured 



the same year. 

 This immense advantage which our climate 

 offers, in rearing secondary crops, has never been 

 profiled by, and indeed has scarcely been thought 

 of as a source of benefit. Being relieved of the 

 necessity of naked or summer fallowing, we might 

 keep our lands always producing or bearing some 

 crop, except during the short times necessary for 

 preparing lor their seeding. And the more con- 

 tinually the land is thus kept occupied, not only is 

 there the more of crops to feed and to sell, but, if 

 properly managed, also the more of manure, the 

 more complete the extirpation of weeds and insects, 

 and f)y the absence of weeds, as well as by the 

 frequent thorough plougliing, the better the tilth 

 and the easier the tillage of the land. 



Every person who has read extensively on the 

 subject of rotations, and with the view of finding 

 precepts to direct his own practice, has probably 

 been disappointed in not meeting with any particu- 

 lar scheme of rotation suited to his own circum- 

 stances. The cause of this deficiency is most 

 apparent, and the preliminary dilTIruIties of sup- 

 plying it would be perhaps the greatest to liim 

 who had most studied the subject. !t is very diffi- 

 cult, if not impossible, to have any regular succes- 

 sion of crops on even a particular farm, which 

 shall not be very faulty in some respects, or which 

 shall not violate some of the important principles 

 which have been laid down in the foregoing num- 

 bers. And even if that could be done lor a par- 

 ticular farm, with full knoiviedge of its soil, cli- 

 mate, locality, markets, &c., it is manifestly 

 impossible to prescribe any plan of succession of 

 crops which shall be suitable generally. All that 



can be done is to lay down the theoretical princi- 

 ples, which ought to be adhered to in practice aa 

 nearly as circumstances may permit — and to pre- 

 sent examples of different rotations in practical 

 operation, and point out their delects, as well as 

 their advantaires. Fun her — even if a scheme of 

 rotation should appear before trial to be perfect, 

 (lor any certain locality and circutnstances,) still, 

 when tried, unlbrcseen objections might and pro- 

 bably would be Ibund in iis most desired and im- 

 portant parts. This is so certain, that it would be 

 a sufficient ol)jeciion to any new scheme of rota- 

 tion, that its parts, which might be Ibund objec- 

 tionable, could nor. be changed, without a new 

 arrangement of fields, or a general change of plan, 

 which would cause great difficulty, and require 

 years to bring about. 



With these remarks, and excuses for errors in 

 advance, I will presume to submit some schemes 

 of rotations, which, though altogether untried in 

 practice, seem to be free from the greatest objec- 

 tions to existing rotations, and to permit the opera- 

 tions of the benefits now deficient and required ; and 

 also, to be capable of being changed in particular 

 parts, without necessarily changing the general 

 plan, or arrangement of fields. The schemes 

 being merely supposed, or suggested for experi- 

 ment, I shall not refrain from naming particular 

 crops, or i)iocesses. vvhich are as yet altogeiher 

 untried and of doubtful value, because in any such 

 case, a substitute may be ado[)ted if preferred. 



Suppose, for example, a farm containincr any 

 certain quantity of arable land, besides a suflicient 

 standing pasture on the most hill}', or wet, or poor 

 parts of the fi^rm. The soil of the fields of me- 

 dium texiure, not too light for wheat, nor too stiff 

 lor corn ; eiiher naturally well constituted, and 

 thereby fitted to receive and retain improvement 

 of fertility, from vegetable or other putrescent 

 matters, or rendered thus fit artificially, by the 

 application of calcareous manures. 



if the plan of sowing clover among corn can be 

 made as certain as this crop is as usually sown, 

 then it would furnish a basis for a most admirable 

 three-shift course, as follows : 



1st year, 1, corn — clover sown in June, just 



after last ploughing. 

 2nd " 2. clover — first crop mown, except 

 where top-dressed, and there 

 grazed by hogs — 

 3. clover — second crop ploughed un- 

 der in August or September for 

 wheat,which sown in October— 

 3rd '•' 4. wheat— 



.5. secondary crop, peas, sown broad- 

 cast in July — to be followed 

 next year by the recommence- 

 ment with corn. 

 This gives five crops in three years. 

 The following substitutes would be permitted in 

 this rotation: 1. If the clover, even though cer- 

 tain enough in ireneral, (and upon this proviso en- 

 tirely depends this scheme,) should sometimes fail 

 in part, or altogether, (as sometimes will happen, 

 even on wheat,) peas might be sown, and even be 

 preceded by rye or some other green crop ; so that 

 the main object and benefit of a green manuring 

 crop being interposed between the corn and wheat 

 would still be perfectly secured, though at addi- 

 tional cost of seed and labor. 2. The pea crop of 

 the third year might be made cither a forage or a 



