LESSONS FROM EXPERIENCE 315 



260. Summerfallowing. — Summerfallowing is practised 

 very little. Successful crops are frequently produced 

 on summerfallow, but on account of the loss of the in- 

 come from the land for a season incident to this practice, 

 it has never become a common one in the state. When 

 summerfallowing is practised the land is plowed 5 or 6 

 inches deep in June, disked three or four times during 

 the summer to keep the weeds down and usually sown to 

 winter rye during the latter part of August. This prac- 

 tice gives good results and could be more generally adop- 

 ted in the western two-thirds of the state. 



261. Crop Eotation. — 'Crop rotation is a very important 

 factor, not only in insuring safe crop production, but 

 also in increasing the yield and improving the quality 

 of the crops. Fortunately, it is possible for the farmer 

 here to rotate his crops to the best advantage of the land 

 and at the same time produce crops that are profitable. 

 Among the cultivated crops corn is easily first. In fact 

 it is the most important cereal crop of the state. Pota- 

 toes, amber sorghum, navy beans and soy beans may also 

 be grown as cultivated crops. Oats, barley, spring wheat, 

 emmer, spring rye and winter rye as well as proso and 

 millet furnish wide choice among the small grain crops. 

 Sweet clover is the leading biennial legume. It is hardy 

 so far as we know in all parts of the state and it is easier 

 to secure a stand of sweet clover than any of the other 

 small seeded legume crops. Red clover can be grown in 

 the southeastern and eastern sections, but it is very dif- 

 ficult to obtain a stand in the drier parts of the state 

 with this kind of clover. Canadian field peas and oats 

 are sometimes grown together as hog pastures or as a 

 temporary hay crop. Soy beans are occasionally mixed 

 with corn for silage. Alfalfa succeeds in nearly all parts 



