170 



THE FARMERS REGISTER. 



The addition of this 100 acres permitted Mr. Sel- 

 den to plan the adding a fiHh field and crop, to his 

 belbre well known four-field rotation. But subse- 

 quent circumstances required him to abandon or 

 postpone the intention of that change, belbre it 

 was commenced; and now, as before, his rotation 

 is the Ibur-field, of three grain crops and one of 

 clover, which has become so celebrated by its 

 successful practice at Curies' Neck, Shirley, and 

 VVestover, and which has been so ably advocated 

 by the published opinions and arguments, as well 

 as the successful practice, of Mr. Hill Carter and 

 Mr. Selden. The latter seems to have returned 

 from his meditated partial abandonment, to his 

 " old love" of the four-shift rotation, with even in- 

 creased ardor and confidence. And though I have 

 heretofore objected to this rotation, as loo scourg- 

 ing, and as contrary to the sound principles of ro- 

 tation (in the three consecutive grain crops,) and 

 though still holding to these opinions, as to lands 

 in general ; still it must be admitted, if the ques- 

 tion is to be judged of by practical results, that it 

 i*i scarcely possible to imagine a better rotation for 

 combining profit and improvement, than Mr. Sel- 

 den's, on his good land, and with his good man- 

 agement. The rotation (as has often been s'aied 

 in this publication) is Ist, wheat en clover (allowj 

 2d, corn ;3d, wheal (and oats,) with clover sown, 

 and 4th clover, to be turned in by a deep and well 

 executed ploughing in August and September, 

 then to recommence the course with wheal again. 

 The designed alteration was to introduce a green 

 manure crop of broad-cast field (or Indian) peas 

 the year after corn, to be turned in for wheat ; 

 making the rotation, 1st, wheat, 2d corn, 3d, peas, 

 4th, wheat, and 5th, clover. And this, on light- 

 er or fouler lands than Webtover, I still deem a 

 much preferable rotation. 



At this season of the year, of course, there is 

 nothing to be seen of crops, except young wheat 

 and young clover. The oats werejust being sown, 

 and the land for corn not yet harrowed lor plant- 

 ing, but remaining as left by the deep and ex- 

 cellent ploughing done early in the winter. But 

 even at this early season, the fields of both clover 

 and wheat were beautiful. The wheat following 

 corn, (which was on the richest field,) promised 

 better than any 1 had before seen in that always 

 objectionable succession ; indeed, if judged by the 

 growth only, I should have supposed it to be fal- 

 low wheat. That however on clover lay, was of 

 course much belter. 



There are five kinds ofwheat growing, and it was 

 remarkable to see such different manner of growth 

 of different kinds, exhibited so early. One object 

 of having so many kinds was to compare their 

 characters and products ; and aa it is hoped that 

 the results will be noted and reported hereaf- 

 ter by Mr. Selden himself, no more will be here 

 said of the difference of present appearance, or of 

 what he supposes of their qualities. The bulk of 

 the crop is of the Turkey wheat, a kind which 

 he began to raise from a very small slock, 19 or 20 

 years ago, and which he has continued lo prefer, 

 and sow, ever since. He uses great care in fan- 

 ning his seed wheat, to get rid of all the lighterand 

 smaller grains. This he deems essential to the 

 preserving of a good slock ; but wiih this care 

 used, he does not believe in any wheat degenera- 

 ting by»being continually sown on the same farm. 

 In this, he and his neighbor, Mr. Hill Carter, hold 



opposite opinions, as stated in a recent communi- 

 cation by the latter to the Farmers' Register. 



The clover field was completely covered with 

 green, and nothing but clover to be seen. The 

 remarkable cleanness of the land, and the entire 

 possession that each desired crop has of all the 

 ground given to it, is one of the most striking be- 

 nefits of his rotation. 



Mr. Selden however thinks that one cleansing, 

 or tilled crop, in each rotation, is essential to pre- 

 serve cleann' ss, and to obtain a well set crop of 

 clover; though the rotation with clover fallow ia 

 more cleansing than without it, even though the 

 one hoed cross (corn) should recur as often, or of- 

 tener, as in the three-shift rotation. In proof of 

 the latter opinion, he adduced the fact that wire- 

 grass, which was very troublesome on some parts 

 of his fields, when he commenced his rotation, has 

 been very much diminished, and almost subdued 

 by the present rotation, without any other special 

 care or labor directed to eradicate that pest. He 

 showed me a striking proof of the truth of the 

 opinion, that it is essential to the having of a well- 

 set and clean clover field, that it should be preced- 

 ed by the hoed or cleansing crop as recently aa 

 in his present rotation. Jn his field which is else- 

 where thickly covered by clover, there is scarcely 

 any to be seen on a part bounded by an exact line. 

 The only difference of treatment was, that this 

 part, by some previous difl^erence of cultivation, or 

 change of arrangement of the fields, had remain- 

 ed at rest the year after wheat, instead of being in 

 corn with the balance of the field. During that 

 year of rest it was pretty well covered by a growth 

 of volunteer clover (none being sown on the wheat 

 preceding corn,) and was fallowed and put in 

 wheat with the corn-land of the balance of the 

 field. All alike was sown in clover on the wheat 

 the next February, (1841 ;) and the result is, that 

 while all the balance of the field of wheat after 

 corn, is completely set in clover, this part has 

 scarcely any clover fjfanding. 



Mr. Selden thinks that the best time to sow 

 clover seed is as strictly limited in duration, as the 

 best time to sow wheat ; and that that time is 

 generally the last week in February. If sown 

 much earlier, and a warm spell occurs, the seed 

 is apt to sprout, and the plants be killed by suc- 

 ceedinc severe cold. If sown much later, and the 

 season be not very favorable, much of the seed 

 may not sprout at all, in time, or the growth be in 

 danger from the summer's drought. But of 

 course it is not possible to come always with- 

 in this best and short time, and never when sow- 

 ing after oate — which was going on then — the 

 oat seeding not being finished (March 25th,) and 

 which (contrary to general opinion,) Mr. Selden 

 thought not at all too late for the best prospect of 

 that crop. The clover seed was easily and ascu- 

 rately sown from a seed- box, the advantage of 

 which plan is so great and manifest, that it is 

 strange that any fijrmer who sees the process can 

 fail to follow the example. The beds being 11 

 feet wide, the box is made 10 fijet long to suit, and 

 is about 4 inches deep, and 3 in width ; it is open 

 at top like a trough, and is divided into 10 equal 

 compartments, by cross partilions. In the bottom 

 at every distance of 6 inches, there is bored a hole, 

 (say half an inch in diameter,) each of which is 

 covered by a card or piece of paste- board, through 

 which is burnt, by a heated wire, a hole about the 



