MAINTAINING SOIL FERTILITY 305 



and better help, and to give his stock a greater 

 variety of foods. There is, furthermore, a con- 

 siderable advantage in having the money for crops 

 coming in at different seasons of the year. It is 

 better for the average man to have $3,000 in in- 

 stalments during the year than $4,000 in a lump. 

 The extent to which crop rotation is practised 

 is a reliable index to the development of the agri- 

 culture of a region. As farming becomes more 

 intensive, specialised and refined, rotations in- 

 crease. In some of the Western States a systematic 

 rotation of crops is now almost unknown. 



CHOOSING CROPS FOR A ROTATION 



One could plan an ideal rotation, so far as main- 

 taining the fertility of the soil is concerned, which 

 it would be utter folly to put into operation 

 because of economic conditions the demands 

 of the market, the amount of help available, 

 and similar factors. Few rotations meet all the 

 requirements, both of the soil and of farm economy. 

 It is usually a question of adopting the rotation 

 that gives the most gain and the least loss; so the 

 planning of a rotation is largely a local and personal 

 matter. There are, however, some general prin- 

 ciples that ought to be considered. 



1. A rotation should contain as many years as 

 is practicable of the crop that pays the greatest 

 profit per acre. The "money crop" should dic- 

 tate the rotation. The less profitable crops should 

 be subservient to the money crop, and should make 

 the soil congenial to it. If cotton is the money crop, 

 and the soil is well adapted for growing it, build 

 the rotation around cotton and let the other crops 

 bolster it up. If hay is the money crop, and me 



