184 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



could imittite the rotative system of foreign coun 

 tries, but in Indian corn ■we have something 

 much better. The principle of rotation is, that 

 one kind of plant takes certain properties from 

 the soil, and another, different qualities — as corn 

 one kind, potatoes another, barley another, &c. ; 

 and thus one piece of land will supply ingredients 

 for several dill'erent crops. From this fact comes 

 the system of rotation, by which good crops are 

 obtained with but little manure, much less than 

 is now wasted in top-dressing. One great ad- 

 vantage of rotation with potatoes or turnips is, 

 that, after they get leaved out they shade the 

 land and protect it from drought, and draw the 

 most of their sustenance from the atmosphere, 

 leaving the ground rich, with the bulk of the 

 manure applied yet in the soil, to operate upon 

 the succeeding crop. Another advantage of 

 root crops is, that a crop which is ripened in the 

 ground, as a wheat crop, exhausts the soil much 

 more than when taken from the ground and ma- 

 tured like the root crops. The potato is not an ex- 

 hausting crop, and leaves the land in excellent 

 tilth. The only rotation which he thought could 

 be generally adopted in this country, was. the fol 

 lowing a ten years course. Suppose a farm of one 

 hundred acres divided into ten parts, one-tenth 

 in grass the first year ; the next year maize, a 

 good crop of which can be cultivated, under 

 proper management, and without exhausting the 

 soil. Or commence with turnips, and follow 

 with corn or potatoes ; then follow with the 

 other crop, then again reversing it, and then go 

 back to grass in five years ; and, by pursuing the 

 rotation on each section of the farm, grass may 

 remain as long as it continues profitable. By 

 beginning with a root crop, bringing the land 

 under high cultivation, the farmer will find that 

 his manure is not lost. Turnips should never be 

 followed by any crop which requires to be plant- 

 ed in the autumn. 



Mr. Dodge, of Sutton, was next called up by 

 the Chairman. He gave it as his opinion that a 

 system of rotation of crops would pay farmers 

 much better than the old system. He thought 

 the suggestion of the Chairman, in regard to con- 

 centrating the droppings of cattle in pastures, 

 worthy of consideration. The pasture lands of 

 the Commonwealth have depreciated exceedingly 

 during the last thirty years. The rotation of 

 crops is not understood in this country. Corn, 

 potatoes, turnips and grass, are the most profit- 

 able crops for us to raise. He had plowed grass 

 and turnip seed in together and the result was 

 very gratifying. The grass was much more luxu- 

 riant than when planted alone and 500 bushels of 

 turnips were obtained to the acre, which, at the 



equal to three or four crops of hay . Turnips are 

 the things with which to enrich a farm ; the 

 fai-mer, however, should not carry them to market 

 but keep stock to consume them on the premises. 

 Carrots, also, should be one crop, because they 

 require deep and rich culture. If corn followed 

 carrots, grass would grow seven years and yield 

 two tons to the acre with very little manuring. 



Mr. Brooks, of Princeton, thought the rotation 

 of crops should be different under different cir- 

 cumstances. Potatoes, corn, wheat, and then 

 eight years in grass, is the most profitable on his 

 soil. lie was not so sanguine about turnips aB 

 some. He had raised them and they are an ex- 

 cellent crop but they are also uncertain. He 

 could not reckon upon them oftener than once in 

 two years. They do not start easy and are very 

 sensitive to a hot sun and dry weather. If they 

 lack rain for a few days in Spring they are pretty 

 sure to wilt down and die. They need a moist 

 climate. The same objections also exist against 

 carrots. In dry seasons, too, turnips are more 

 corky. He had succeeded best with flat turnips. 

 Cabbages might be a good rotative crop to plant 

 in rows with corn. He had known the experi- 

 ment to be tried with much profit. He did not 

 think, however, that rotation of crops could be 

 gone into so largely as some gentlemen think. 

 Gentlemen had spoken about keeping pastures 

 verdant the year round ; he did not believe that 

 it could be done on account of our severe drouths. 

 Could it have been accomplished last season ? As 

 for cultivating pastures and occupying but little 

 surface it will not pay while land is so cheap as 

 it is in this country. We must run over a great 

 deal of land because labor is too high to make 

 extensive farming profitable. 



Mr. McLelland, of Sutton, coincided in the re- 

 marks of Mr. Brooks and thought the remarks of 

 the Chairman would apply rather to market farm- 

 ing, not being practicable in the legitimate farm- 

 ing of the State. He described the method pur- 

 sued at the South, which is to let large portions 

 of a plantation lay idle for a number of years, 

 in order to give it rest and time to recuperate its 

 energies. 



Mr. Emerson, of Boston, inquired what kind of 

 grass was the best to stock a pasture with. He 

 had a pasture which he had allowed to "recupe- 

 rate" for ten years and the result was nothing 

 but moss, briars, and mongrel grass. He was 

 going to disturb it and did not mean to let it rest 

 so long again. 



Mr. McLelland, of Sutton, replied that he con- 

 sidered a variety called the Rhode Island "bent" 

 to be the best. It is lighter and a little different 

 from red top. In regard to the uncertainty of 



estimate of Mr. Fay, that four tons of turnips turnip and carrot crops, alleged by Mr. Brooks, 

 are equal to one of hay, would make this crop he said that in his neighborhood turnips were re- 



