218 MISCELLANEOUS FARM SUBJECTS 



tion similar to the perennial clovers. Some of the annual legumes, 

 like crimson clover and vetch, also occupy the soil only during the 

 cooler months of the year, when they do not interfere with the 

 growing of a regular summer crop. Cowpeas are especially valuable 

 because they will produce a fair crop on a much poorer soil than will 

 some of the other legumes and are a much surer catch under various 

 conditions. 



It is noteworthy that the growing of any crop of these four 

 classes reacts upon the soil in a different way from any of the others, 

 and each, except possibly the small grains, serves some particularly 

 desirable purpose in soil improvement not so fully accomplished by 

 any one of the others. It is desirable, therefore, that these different 

 crops be grown in systematic rotation, so that the improving effects 

 of each class may be regularly received and the ill effects of the ex- 

 haustive crops be systematically neutralized. 



In placing the cultivation of the soil-improving grasses and 

 clovers upon a successful 'basis at once the tobacco grower is greatly 

 aided by the fact that his rotation includes a crop of such high com- 

 mercial value as tobacco. There are but few general farm crops that 

 will give profitable returns for applications of such large quantities 

 of commercial fertilizers as will tobacco, and the after effects from this 

 heavy fertilization are materially effective in insuring and increas- 

 ing the success of the wheat, grass, and other crops succeeding the 

 tobacco. 



It is not practicable to attempt to lay out a rotation scheme 

 adaptable to all tobacco sections, nor to all tobacco farms within a 

 given section. The soil and climatic conditions of each section will 

 necessitate modifications of any scheme that might be suggested, 

 and the peculiarities of each farm, as well as the individuality of 

 the farmer, will prove additional modifying factors. The impor- 

 tant point, however, is that each farmer should study out for him- 

 self the best possible rotation for his own farm. So far as possible 

 this rotation should include in systematic sequence all of the stand- 

 ard crops produced; and, under average conditions, the farmer 

 will make a mistake if he does not include in that rotation enough 

 of the soil-improving grass and leguminous crops to furnish a 

 liberal supply of feed for live stock, so as to increase the available 

 supply of barnyard manure and also by the stubble help to maintain 

 the physical condition and bacterial activity of the soil at the max- 

 imum state of efficiency. Leguminous crops should be grown also 

 with sufficient regularity to restore so far as possible the nitrogen 

 removed by the nonleguminous crops. 



Corn is a gross feeder and under the inadequate system usu- 

 ally followed it has not been considered advisable by farmers to grow 

 corn in the same rotation with tobacco, because it so exhausts the 

 soil as to materially injure the all-important tobacco crop. The 

 result is that, except where there are lowlands or river lands un- 

 suited to tobacco, the corn crop has been relegated generally to the 

 poorer parts of the farm, which are thus made still poorer by con- 

 tinuous corn cropping; or, what is little better, corn is made to alter- 



