CHAPTER XVI 



THE INTER-CROPPING OF CONTINUOUS CROPS 



One of the main objects of Continuous Cropping is 

 the more even distribution of labour throughout the 

 year. Instead of confining practically all the tillage 

 operations and sowing of the crops to spring-time, 

 from 60 to 80% of such labour in a Continuous 

 Cropping rotation is carried out in summer and 

 autumn. 



When Continuous Cropping is carried out on an 

 extensive scale, there is a danger that a farmer may 

 find himself with too much labour on hand at times 

 of the year other than spring, and especially in 

 autumn. Such indeed has been the writer's own 

 experience. To overcome this difficulty, the writer, 

 has devised a system of inter-cropping, by means of 

 which a more even distribution of labour is obtained, 

 or, in other words, the amount of autumn labour is 

 reduced, whilst of equal importance, the land, by 

 inter-cropping, is never idle even for an hour. 



When grass seeds are sown with a corn crop the 

 one forms a " nurse crop " for the succeeding crop. 

 In Continuous Cropping rotations, tares follow corn, 

 and winter greens follow tares. By inter-cropping, 

 the corn will act as a " nurse crop " for the tares, 

 and the tares again will form a " nurse crop ■' for 

 the' winter greens. 



