52 How THE FARM PAYS. 



CHAPTEE IV. 



ROTATION OF CROPS. 



Q. When we begin cultivation of land that has not been pre- 

 viously cropped, whether in the natural meadow or in brush or wood- 

 land, the first operation is to get the land in condition for tillage. 

 Will you please state, Mr. Crozier, what has been your plan of oper- 

 ating on lands of this kind ? 



A. My method has been to prepare the land for the plow (if brush 

 land) by first removing the brush by the use of brush scythes or 

 brush hooks and burning it on the land. If there are many roots,. 

 I put three horses abreast on a heavy plow and turn the soil eight or 

 nine inches deep; I then spread on manure according to the neces- 

 sities of the land; harrow it in thoroughly; mark both ways with a 

 plow, three and a half feet, ready for corn. I plant my corn in hills, 

 cover it with a hoe, and run a heavy roller over the whole surface. 

 As soon as the young corn appears I keep the cultivators moving 

 through it both ways until the corn gets too high to cultivate. I do- 

 not hill it up, as I prefer flat culture for this crop. 



Q. On such land how much manure per acre do you use ? 



A. It would be difficult to name a specific quantity, as so much 

 would depend upon the necessities of the soil upon how much 

 leaf mould there might be on it. I would say, however, that in my 

 operations here on such soils I have used about twenty-five two-horse 

 loads to the acre. I have actually produced (by measurement of a 

 committee from the New York Farmers' Club) 240 bushels of ears of 

 corn, per acre, from virgin soil. Continuing my method of culture: 

 in the fall, after the corn is taken off the field, the land is again thor- 

 oughly plowed and left through the winter. In the spring it is har- 

 rowed and plowed again and sowed with oats and peas, sowing part 

 in oats, and part in oats and peas mixed, which we use as a soiling 

 crop. The third year I plant with roots and fodder corn, thoroughly 

 manured. The fourth year, seed down to grass with oats. 



Q. What variety of corn was it you refer to as producing 240 

 bushels of ears to the acre ? 



A. It was a large yellow flint corn. The ears were twelve rowed and 

 very long, and filled out to the end, and the cob was small. Although 



