The Story-Book of the Fields 



But it will not be to our interest to ask the 

 ground to produce another crop of wheat in 

 the third year. Exhausted by the crop that 

 it has just produced the ground would give a 

 poor result, unless fresh loads of manure were 

 added, which would entail too great an expense. 

 So the third year is devoted to the cultivation 

 of a restorative plant — clover, for instance. 

 After being used as fodder the last cutting of 

 the clover is buried, and all its remains — roots, 

 stalks and leaves — converted into humus 

 prepare the ground for receiving wheat again 

 in the fourth year. The same reasons will 

 necessitate the use of another restorative 

 plant in the fifth year. This restorative 

 plant may be sainfoin, which will be followed 

 by the last crop of cereals, possibly oats. 

 This will complete the rotation, when the same 

 series will begin again. 



The succession of crops may be varied to 

 any extent and the rotation may extend over 

 a longer or shorter period. But one rule must 

 always be followed, namely, that every crop 

 of cereals must be preceded by that of a 

 restorative plant. 



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