200 RULES AND SUGGESTIONS IN FARMING. 



20. It has been laid down as a sound rule in farming, 

 that two white, or grain, or culmiferous crops, should not 

 be made to succeed each other in the same field ; but that 

 each of these should be alternated with, or preceded and 

 followed by, a green, a grass, a root, or a leguminous crop. 



21. Where the soil of a farm will admit of it, a good 

 course is to alternate, — 1. roots or Indian corn, with 

 long manure upon the sod ; 2. grain, with grass-seeds ; 

 3. grass for two years ; or, grass one year ; 4. grain and 

 grass-seeds upon the first furrow ; and, 5. and 6. meadow 

 and pasture. The poorer, or more sandy the soil, the 

 oftener should it be returned to grass, particularly to clo- 

 ver and pasture. 



22. Geologists refer to three distinct formations, as 

 constituting the crust of the earth — the primitive^ as con- 

 taining little lime and no organic remains ; the transition, 

 containing lime and organic remains ; and the secondary, 

 abounding extensively in both these elements of fertility. 

 Their natural relative fertility is in the reverse order in 

 which they are named, the secondary being best, and em- 

 bracing most of the great basin of the Mississippi, and the 

 country drained by its tributary streams. We say noth- 

 ing of alluvial formations, made by the ocean and rivers. 

 These deposits partake of the character of the country 

 from whence they are brought, and are more or less fer- 

 tile, according to the fertility of the districts from which 

 their soil is derived, and the force of the currents by which 

 the deposits have been made, — a rapid current leaving 

 only the coarser and heavier materials, while the finer and 

 richer matters subside where the current is slow and less 

 agitated. 



23. The three great formations which we have men- 

 tioned, possess, it is well known, characteristics differing 

 from each other. They grow, naturally, many plants 

 peculiar to each, and they are adapted to difi^erent branch- 

 es of husbandry, and to different farm-crops. The 

 primitive will not generally grow good wheat ; but is 

 suited to grass, oats, potatoes, &c. The transition is 

 adapted to natural grasses, and to most of the arable 

 crops, particularly to the cereal class ; and the secondary 



