3G4 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



June 1, 1831. 



SYSTEMATIC ALTEKNATIONS OF CROPS- 

 In llie ciiliivation of ihe groiiiid, either in 

 farming or garilening, n proper altentioii to the 

 regular rotation of crops I'orins cue of the fir.it 

 and principal featnres of good manageirient, al- 

 tliongh its beneficial influence has not yet heen 

 fully accounted for hy chemists. The rationale of 

 rotation is tliiis given by Sir Humphry Davy : — 

 ' It is a great advantage in tlie converli'ile systems 

 of cullivaiion, that tlje wlmle of the manin-e be 

 employed ; and that tliose parts of it, which are not 

 fitted for one crop, remain as notirislimenl for 

 another. Thus, if tlie turnip be the first in order 

 of succession, this crop tnaiiured with recent dung 

 immediately finds sufficient soluble matter for its 

 nourislinient, a:id the heat ])roiluced liy fermenta- 

 tion assists the germination of the seed, and the 

 growth of the plant. If after turnips, barley with 

 grass-seed he so.vn, then the land little exhausted 

 by the turnip crop, afforiis the soluble parts of the 

 decomposing manure to the grain. The grasses, 

 rye-gras-i, and clover remain, which derive a stnall 

 part only of their organized matter from the soil, 

 and prubaldy consume the gy|isum in tlie iiiamu'e, 

 which would he useless to othererops ; these plants, 

 likewise, by their large ..system of leaves, absorb a 

 considerable quantity of nourishment from the. 

 atmosphere, ami when ploughed in, at the end of 

 two years, the decay of thc^ir roots and leaves af- 

 ford inamire for the wheat crop; and at this 

 period of the com-se, the woody fibre of the farm- 

 yard manure, which contains the phosphate of 

 lime,and the other difficult scduble parts, arc broken 

 down, and as soon as the most exhausting crop 

 is taken, recent manure is again applied.' 



G'rdeners slnmlil pay particular attention to 

 rotation of crops, as far as the nature of the thing 

 will admit of; a good practice is to sow down 

 part of the garden every season in grass, clover, 

 and barley, which may be used as green food for 

 horses and cows. The barley sliould be sown 

 with tlie clover, and cut down, not being allowed 

 to ripen ; thus it acts as a nurse and a shade to the 

 clover. But in all cases where this is done, let 

 the ground be laid down in as good condition as 

 ])ossible, and the manure laid on will not be lost. — 

 Land thus laid down should continue so for two 

 years, or if for three, the greater will be the benefit. 

 However, this is generally regulated by the quantity 

 of ground which can be spared fiom crops, for 

 the time when the ground is wanted. The crop 

 of grass, if dug in, but not too deep, for reasons 

 given already, will materially improve the soil; but 

 on no occasion whatever trench it in, as is too often 

 the case. This pra"ticR, although exccHent, can 

 however only be apjilied to ganlens on a laraecx- 

 tent; for its adoption w ould not be attended with the 

 same advantage in'ihe general run of our gardens. 

 .By a rotation of the pereimial crops, fiich as 

 quartering out currants, gooseberries, and rasp- 

 berries, &c, the ground will not only be renewed, 

 but also rested, or at least very nnich improved. 

 None of those crops need occupy the ground 

 above twelve years, and not less than three ; this, 

 together with trenching for the principal crops of 

 autumn-planted brassica will keep the ground in 

 fresh order, and be attended with no lo.«s of space; 

 for in all large gardens, and the generality of small 

 ones, new plantations of these things should be 

 made to acorlaiii extentannunlly, which will throw 

 H certain proportion of ground into regular rotation. 



In cropping .all gardens, as far as it can be render- 

 ed practicable, rotation should be aimed at, and 

 thus, by keeping all the legumes, aspeasand beans, 

 the brassica or cabbage kinds, the bulbinis or 

 onion kinds, and lighter crops, as salads, &c, by 

 themselves, each following in regular succession, 

 the garden would not only look better, but would 

 to a certain degree, produce the rotation required. 

 In no case should any of the brassica tribe follow 

 another upon the same piece of ground, neither 

 should peas follow peas, nor beans, beans ; on- 

 ions are probably, the only exception in garden 

 culture. A jimriud, or plan of the gtudeu should 

 be kept, and the ground divided into portions, each 

 of which shoiihl be numbered and a careful record 

 kept of all crops, maiiuriugs, trenchiiigs, &c. 



The necessity of rotation is piiir.ted out to us 

 by nature ; for all perennial herbaceous plants 

 have a tendein'y to extend their circumference, 

 and to rot and decay at their centre, where others 

 of a difterent kind, spring up and succeed them. 

 This is particularly exemplified in the strawl)erry, 

 and all such stoloniferous growing plants ; inusli- 

 rooms are said never to rise two successive years 

 on the same spot. The production of the phenom- 

 enon, called fairy rings, has been ascribe. I to the 

 ))ower of the peculiar fungus, (J)g-iiricus orcadts,) 

 which forms it, of exhausting 'he soil of the 

 nuiriment necessary for the growth of the species. 

 — The consequence of which is, that the ring ex. 

 tends itself annually, as no seeds will grow where 

 their parents gresv before tlfin ; at the same time, 

 that the interior of the circle has been exhausted 

 by succeeding cro])s; but in those places, where the 

 fungus has died, grass has grown luxuriantly, 

 nourishment being thus left for the support of 

 gra.ss and other plants, after the agaricus has 

 exhausted all that was destined by nature for 

 its support. 



All crops fir a few years thrive well on newly 

 turned up virgin mould, but in a few years they 

 degenerate and require a fresh soil. Land, in the 

 course of years, often ceases to produce the most 

 common vegetables, and fields wliii.h are well laid 

 down with cultivated grasses, lose every one of 

 them in a few years ; ihcy become, as ic were, tired 

 of them, but the truth is, that they have exhaust- 

 ed the nourishment proper for their respective 

 sorts, and consequently die, and give place to 

 others. This fact is frequently experienced by 

 botanists to their regret, for a plant is often found 

 in abundance for years, in one field or wood, 

 and in course o( time wliolly disappears. 



From the general richness of garden-ground, 

 and much manure being constantly employed in 

 the rtiising of garden-crops, much less attention 

 has perhaps been paid to the courses of cropping 

 in the garden, than in the field. It is, however, 

 equally necessary in one case as in the other, and 

 the same principles are applicable to both. 



A variety of circumstances, however, conspire, 

 to prevent its being so effectually accomplished in 

 the garden as in the farm ; such as the smallness 

 of the portions of ground generally allotted to this 

 use ; the vast number of articles which are to be 

 grown, and thpir £Treat similarity and relation to 

 each other. The following classification may be 

 considereil the most projier : — 



Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and savoys ; 



Common beans, French beans, and peas ; 



Carrots, beets, and parsnips; 



Turnips, early potatoes, onions, leeks, eschalots, 

 &c ; 



Celery, endive, lettuce, &<•, &c ; 



It is found in practice that celery constitutes an 

 excellent preparation (or asparagus, oiiioii.s and 

 caulirtowers. 



Turnips or potatoes are a good prei)aration for 

 cabbages or greens. 



Broccoli or cabbages are a proper preparation 

 for bea ns or peas. 



Cauliflowers prepare well for onions, leeks, or 

 turnips. 



Old asparagus l.ind affords a good preparation 

 for potatoes or carrits. 



The strawberry, currant, gooseberry, and rasp- 

 berry, for the saini;. 



Turnips give a suitable preparation for celery 

 or endive ; and peas, when well manured, are a 

 good preparation for spinach, &c. 



By properly attending to all these difiercnt 

 points of managem.'^nt, crops of almost all descrip- 

 tions may be put into the soil, so as to succeed; 

 with much greater certainty, and in a niiich jnore; 

 perfect manner, than is ustnd in the ordinary meth. 

 oils of putting them into the ground. — English 

 Practical Gardener. 



.MANURE. ■ 



Farmers should make it a point to get as much' 

 manure as possible in the ground in the spring. 

 They thus save a great deal that is lost by evapora^' 

 tion when the niamire is left in the yard until sum-' 

 mer tind then carted out into the fields. The de- 

 coiiipo.sition, too, is more gradual in the spring, 

 aflording food to the plants according to their in- 

 creasing wants. 



Fattening Hogs. — A writer in the Genesee 

 Farmer, remarking on the article on this subject 

 in the last New England Farmer, by a ' Scientific 

 Farmer,' gives the following directions. 



' In the spring as .soon as the grass has attained a- 

 sufficient growth to afford a good bile, Ihe hogs are 

 let out of the pen and put upon pasture (clover is thei 

 best) in which there is plenty of running water, andi 

 fed regularly about two quarts of corn meal to each, 

 hog, per day — kept well salted, and, occasionally' 

 mix with the feed a little sul|)hur, s dt petre, &c, as^ 

 preventives against disease, .lliout the first ofj 

 Oi tober, they are again shut ii)) and fed high a few; 

 weeks upon boiled potatoes and corn, until the 

 weather is cool enough for butchering. .Since 

 adopting this method, I have always realized from, 

 a hundred to a hundred and fifty pounds more pork^ 

 with the same expense than I could get from a hogj 

 of the same quality (in the spring) treated in the 

 usual manner of pasturing during the summer, and 

 fatieniug in the fall upon raw corn and colil water., 



I have never been able to make bogs grow very; 

 rapidly upon grass alone, but with the aid of a littlft. 

 grain they may be made to thrive and grow miiclii 

 faster than one wmild suppose, who has not tried;f 

 it ; and when fed in such small quantities, whilarf 

 running to grass, they will thoroughly digest it' 

 without boiling. There are other advantages der,i 

 rived from fattening hogs during the summer — thejij 

 are always peaceable and coiileiited ; your pork isJ 

 ready for ihe fall market, and the trouble is out of) 

 the way bcfire cold weather comes on. ,, 



Those who keep a dairy, and feed their whcyi) 

 and buttermilk to bogs would find it much to theif* 

 advantage, I think, to mix with it a little meal, acii 

 ho!;s fatten much faster and easier in warm than/ 

 cold weather. 



