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titieSj — in some plants more than in others ; bnt are to almost all, 

 in a certain measure, absolutely essential. Now these may be 

 artificially supplied, either in a crude form or in combination 

 with other substances ; or they will be gradually supplied by 

 the disintegration or waste of the rocks, under the common 

 influences of the elements, where the soil is suffered to lie at 

 rest or fallow. 



These general principles, appertaining to the art of culture, 

 suggest the reasons for a rotation or change of crops. The 

 custom formerly was, to recruit the soil by suffering it to re- 

 main idle, or, as it is termed, fallow and unused. An improved 

 husbandry has discovered that this is not necessary ; but as 

 different crops require different elements or take different sub- 

 stances from the soil, it is only necessary to substitute such a 

 crop as does not demand what the crop immediately preceding 

 has taken, and thus the land, without injury or impoverish- 

 ment, under a judicious rotation, may be kept under a contin- 

 ual cultivation. 



The rotation of crops in Franklin county is very limited, as 

 the crops cultivated' are few. In Buckland, the first year the 

 land is broken up corn is planted and manured ; the second 

 year, oats are sowed without manure, and the land laid down 

 tO- grass. It is continued in grass five years and then broken 

 up, and the same course repeated. The first year of grass the 

 produce is about two tons per acre, and when it yields not 

 more than fifteen hundred pounds it is considered proper to 

 break it up again. In Shelburne, on one of the best farms in the 

 State, the course is, first year, Indian corn on green-sward, ma- 

 nured ; second year, spring wheat, and laid down to grass; — the 

 grass seed sowed with the wheat ; one peck of herdsgrass and 

 one of red-top to the acre. The land remains in grass ordinarily 

 five years. The average yield of grass is estimated at three 

 tons to the acre, which I think must be an over estimate, and 

 the cost of getting the hay at two dollars per ton. For spring 

 wheat, in the second year of the course is sometimes substi- 

 tuted, rye, or oats, or oats and pease, or oats and wheat. 



