No. 4.] CROP ROTATION. 89 



possibilities this system of crop rotation offers for "the dairy 

 farm. With one-third of our land in clover, one-third in rye 

 and cloxer or wheat and clover and one-third in corn, we may 

 reasonably expect to harvest 10 tons of clover ensilage, 10 

 tons of rye and 25 tons of corn ensilage per acre. Basing 

 our estimate on 30 acres of tillable land, we find that we can 

 harvest 200 tons of rye and clover ensilage, 250 tons of corn 

 ensilage and 10 to 20 tons of clover rowen, making 400 to 

 450 tons of fine ensilage and from 10 to 20 tons of hay, on 

 our 30 acres. 



A word in regard to growing our hay on the other 20 acres 

 of hay land. We spread with the manure spreader in the fall 

 or winter, as is most convenient, 10 loads of manure to the 

 acre on these grass fields. Early in April we take our cutaway 

 harrows and go over these grass fieMs with the harrow set at 

 a good angle, going in half-lap lengthwise of the field, and 

 then diagonally once or twice, until the field shows some little 

 new dirt. Then, if the sod is getting thin, we sow 3 or 4 

 quarts of alsike clover seed and 1 or 2 quarts of red top, 

 scratch it in with a sulky lO^^ foot weeder, and then roll. If 

 you have never tried this treatment for a grass sod, you will 

 be surprised at the wonderful change which takes place. The 

 lifting action of the cutaway harrow opens up the sod, lets the 

 manure down to the roots of the grass, and also lets in sunlight 

 and air and germinates this new seed. Where one or two 

 blades of grass would grow without this treatment, five or six 

 will now spring up ; and, with the fine new grass at the bottom, 

 a splendid fine hay is produced, which, supplemented by our 

 ensilage, furnishes a feed through the winter and spring equal 

 to June pasturage, keeping the dairy herd on full feed the 

 year round. 



I beg you will not consider this all theory. We are keeping 

 as many as fifty Cows through the year, twenty head of young 

 stock during the seven winter months, and six horses all the 

 year, on 50 acres treated in this way. Of course we have to 

 buy grain to balance the ration. For winter feeding we find 

 100 pounds of wheat bran, 100 pounds of middlings and 100 

 pounds of cotton-seed meal make a very good, economical 

 mixture, analyzing about 20 per cent digestible protein. By 



