ROTATIONS INTRODUCE SYSTEM 509 



666. Rotations Distribute Farm Labor. Growing a 

 single crop or a single class of crops limits the seasons at 

 which farm work can be done. The growing of small grains 

 requires a rush of work during a few weeks while the land is 

 being prepared and the crops seeded, and again during har- 

 vest, with little employment during the remainder of the 

 year. Cultivated crops in general are planted later than the 

 small grains and most of the work of cultivation is done 

 before grain harvest, while they are not ready to gather until 

 the grain crops are safely housed. Hay crops require little 

 labor except at the haying season, which usually comes when 

 other crops do not require much attention, except that it may 

 sometimes conflict with the harvest of small grains, or the 

 cultivation of intertilled crops. The harvest of such crops 

 as alfalfa, which yield several cuttings during the season, 

 may conflict with the handling of other crops, but such con- 

 flicts can hardly be avoided. A diversity of crops usually 

 encourages the keeping of more live stock than single-crop 

 farming, and live stock usually requires more attention dur- 

 ing the season when the crops require least care, thus dis- 

 tributing labor throughout the year. The system of farming 

 which provides employment for the farm labor throughout 

 the greater part of the year is the one which is most likely 

 to prove stable and profitable, other things being equal. 



667. Rotations Systematize Farm Operations. A rota- 

 tion implies a definite system of operations. The following 

 of a rotation allows the farmer to plan his work more defi- 

 nitely during the season and to figure more definitely on 

 crop yields and income. Rotations tend to the division of 

 the farm into regular units of uniform size, and decrease 

 rather than increase the number of fields on most farms. By 

 effecting a more uniform distribution of farm labor through- 

 out the season, a smaller and much more permanent force is 



