172 



Rotation of Crops. — Live Stock. 



Vol. VL 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Rotation of Crops. 



Mr. Editor, — Perhaps there ia nothing 

 that has received less of the American Far- 

 mer's consideration than a rotation of crops — 

 a term, indeed, whose very meanintj is un- 

 known to some of my neighbours, while there 

 are still fewer who understand its importance ; 

 but to this want of consideration on a matter 

 of the greatest moment, I am inclined to at- 

 tribute much of the ill success which so often 

 attends us in our labours, confessing, however, 

 that until very lately I thought as little about 

 it as any of my friends. And this conviction 

 is not the only advantage that I have derived 

 from the perusal of the Cabinet, for from its 

 pages have I treasured up a stock of know- 

 ledge and wisdom, that has richly repaid my 

 subscription-price, ten times told. But from 

 those who have so freely received, it is but 

 reasonable to expect that they should as 

 freely give ; and having drawn for myself a 

 rotation of crops from its instructive pages, 

 I am desirous of presenting the following 

 scheme to your notice, and of detailing a plan 

 of operations which will, I conceive, tend 

 very much to the profit and advantage of 

 those who are concerned in cultivating crops 

 of grain. The simplicity of the course will 

 strike every one at first sight, and must re- 

 commend itself to notice by its perfect feasi- 

 bility ; here it is: 



1. Corn and turnips. 2. Oats. 3. Clover. 

 4. Wheat and turnips, or buckwheat. 



1st. The land designed for corn, to be bro- 

 ken up in the autumn by m.eans of a deep 

 furrow, and to be manured for, planted and 

 dressed in the usual manner; and at the last 

 cleaning of the corn, the land to be sown with 

 early turnips, broadcast, and the head-lands 

 ploughed and worked fine and sown with the 

 same. The crop of corn to be removed as 

 soon as cut, to give space for the growth of 

 the turnip?, the largest of the roots to be 

 pulled and housed for winter use, the smaller 

 to remain in the field, and be fed by sheep or 

 young cattle during the autumn and the open 

 weather of winter. 2d. Oats sown thickly, 

 and seeded with red clover alone, with a large 

 allowance of seed. 3d. Clover, heavily top 

 dressed during winter and early spring, with 

 compost of all kinds, and two crops of hay to 

 be taken. 4th. Wheat, the clover lay turned 

 deep with a small furrow for an early sowing. 

 A large quantity of seed, but no manure; and 

 so soon as the wheat is carried, plough up the 

 land and sow buckwheat, or turnips or beets, 

 for winter cattle food ; and the next year be- 

 gin again the rotation; corn, &c. 



Now, sir, I should be glad to be told in 

 what this rotation would be found defective. 

 Here are three crops of grain, two crops of 



turnips, and two of clover for hay, in four 

 years, with two heavy dressings of manure in 

 that time, which would be found amply suffi- 

 cient for the support of the land. It need not 

 be added, the two dressings of manure ought 

 to be the heaviest that can be adminis- 

 tered, and if the turnips were sprinkled with 

 plaster, it would no doubt be the means of 

 doubling the crop; but no dressing of any 

 kind must be given either to the oats or the 

 wheat; then a larger portion of seed might be 

 sown, and a proportionably larger crop of grain 

 may be reaped at harvest, and of much finer 

 quality, with no fear of the crop lo<Iging. By 

 this rotation, three important objects are ob- 

 tained : 1st, The weeds are most effectually 

 kept under; 2d, A very large provision is 

 made for the support of live stock ; 3d, No 

 two exhausting crops succeed each other; 

 and 4th, No crop, except the corn, requires 

 more than one preparatory ploughing; while 

 the most ample resources are provided for 

 the renovation of the soil. And all this is 

 accomplished merely by substituting the oat 

 crop for the wheat, to form a seed-bed for the 

 clover! A small point of difference, truly, 

 but upon which will be found to turn a differ- 

 ence of about 50 per cent, in our farming ope- 

 rations. 



T. Mellar. 



Live Stock. 



Too much attention cannot be paid by the 

 farmer to the improvement of his live-stock. 

 In this country nothing is more shamefully 

 neglected. This utter neglect may be seen 

 in almost every horse, cow, and hog, we find 

 on the farms in this district. A good horse 

 will cost no more than a scrcib. It requires 

 as much to raise a " tackey," as it does a colt 

 of " better blood." The one will not sell for 

 more than fifty or sixty dollars at three years 

 old, whilst the other may be sold for one, two, 

 or three hundred dollars. The same may be 

 said in regard to milch cows. It is the habit 

 of most farmers, not only to have the smallest 

 kind, but to keep three times as many as they 

 ought. One good cow, well fed, will give 

 more milk than four such as we generally 

 see. Instead of keeping hogs two or three 

 years, half perished all the time, it would be 

 a great saving to give them the same food in 

 one year. Hogs should never be kept more 

 than one winter. Every farmer knows that 

 some hogs are more thrifty than others. Let 

 him improve his breed by selecting such. — 

 Am. Far. 



The farmer is identified in a peculiar man- 

 ner with the earth that he cultivates — when 

 that is poor, he is poor ; when that is rich, he 

 is rich, also. 



