190 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



April 



to return to feed in the same place, till the 

 last one is slain. 



Once or twice a year our cellar is invaded 

 bv a posse comitahis of these rebels in grey. 

 As soon as their entrance is known, I am after 

 them with all imaginable devices of traps, one 

 after another, seldom catching more than one 

 in the same trap, until after the lapse of some 

 weeks. A tilting cover, on which is sprinkled 

 a little meal, over a barrel partly tilled with 

 water, has been my most successful trap, and 

 many a rampant blade entering in anticipation 

 of high feast and revelry, has found like Shake- 

 speare's Ophelia, "too much water." Some- 

 times all the traps are insufficient, and poison 

 must be employed. Parson & Co.'s prep.ara- 

 tion of phosphorus, or "vermin exterminator" 

 will generally silence them ; though I have re- 

 cently had some visitors who refused this medi- 

 camentimi, and would not leave till I fed them 

 with arsenical liread and liutter, not in the cel- 

 lar, but in their retired walks about the out- 

 buildings, wlusre there was ^^raall danger of its 

 beinir mingled with food of man or domestic 

 annnal. 



It has been said that the oil of rhodium has, 

 to rats, such a fascination and irresistible at- 

 traction, that by its use they may be induced 

 to enter any sort of a trap or eat any medicat- 

 ed preparation. My experience does not veri- 

 fy the dictum. As to the various devices for 

 frightening the rascally rodents away, few are 

 reliable — none infallible ; and when successful, 

 only relieve us at the expense of our neighbors. 

 I. B. Hartwell. 



Willcinsonville, Mass., 1867. 



For the Neio England Farmer. 

 ROTATION OF CROPS IN ENGLAND. 



Having been requested by some of my neigh- 

 bors to write to them again through the New 

 England Far:\ier, I have thought that, as 

 the smallest ilower does not live to itself, but 

 sends forth its fragrance and smiles upon every 

 passer by, so it is the duty of every man to do 

 all he can to benefit, cheer and encourage his 

 fellow man, and to exercise feelings of gratitude 

 that we are endowed with reasoning iaculties, 

 and possess the power to communicate one 

 with anotln'r. If I can benefit any one with 

 my limited ideas, I shall feel amply paid for 

 my trouble in writing. 



I have a numl)er of "extracts" on file in my 

 memor}' about the English farms and modes of 

 farming, that may benefit some one in this 

 country ; but to be benefited we nuist lean 

 one towards another, and give up our stiff- 

 necked notions and prejudices. I have one 

 thing to say, Mr. Editor, that since I came to 

 this country, I have been greatly benefited by 

 the ideas advanced by your numerous corres- 

 pondents, and as long as T am able to pay for 

 your paper, I shall not throw it up because 

 you print "every body's ideas." I will say to 

 my brother farmers, let our ideas be stated, no 



matter though rather vague. Some one may 

 be benefited. But enough of this for the 

 present. 



I herewith send you a rotation of crops suit- 

 able for the different soils in England. Per- 

 haps they may suit the soils in this country. 

 If any one wishes to experiment upon them I 

 should be glad to hear the result. 



A variety of circumstances conspire to ren- 

 der the alternation of different crops an indis- 

 pensable part of successful husbandry. Some 

 crops appear to draw from the soil such liberal 

 supplies of certain principles which can only 

 be slowly restored to it again, that the soil 

 is, Avith respect to such produce, exhausted ; 

 and the unintermitted succession of it would 

 be unprofitable. Manure might renew the fer- 

 tility of the soil, but it is interdicted by the 

 expense of supplying the quantity required. 

 A summer-fallow would prepare it for another 

 crop, but this involves the expense of plowing 

 while the land is unproductive. The most ef- 

 fectual means, therefore, of relieving a soil, 

 and of obtaining from It the maximum pro- 

 duce, consists In a rotation of crops, which 

 draw from the soil different principles, or 

 difTerent proportions of the same principles. 

 Thus, white crops, viz : wheat, oats, &c., are 

 extremely exhausting, but afterwards the soil 

 will bear a good crop of beans, turnips, or 

 tares. Probably the difference in the nourish- 

 ment required by these fallow crops is far from 

 being the whole advantage that results. The 

 hoeing and harrowing they receive may enable 

 the soil to replenish Itself from the atmosphere, 

 while their shade and the extirpation of weeds 

 attending their culture prevents waste. 



The following rotation of crops has been 

 adopted by experienced agriculturists ; but as 

 time rolls on, change takes place, new experi- 

 ments are tried, and new things take the place 

 of the old. 



Clay. Clatet Loams. 



1st yr., turnips or cabbages. Turnips or cabbages. 



2d " oats. Oats. 



3d " beans aud clover. Clover. 



4th " wheat. Wheat. 



5th*' turnips or cabbages. Turnips or cabbages. 



6th " o.-vts. Barley. 



7th " beans or vetches. Beans. 



Stb " wheat. Wheat. 



Rich 



Istyr 

 '2d " 

 3d " 

 4th " 



nth " 



6tli " 

 7lh" 

 8th " 



and Sandy Loams. Rich and Sandy Loams, 



turnips and potatoes. Turnips, 



barley. Barley, 



clover. Clover. 



wheat. Wheat, 



beans. Potatoes, 



barley. Barley, 



peas. Peas, 



wheat. Wheat. 



Peat Earth. 



1st year, turnips. 



1 



3(1 

 4th 

 5lh 

 flth 

 7th 

 8th 



barley. 



clover. 



wheat. 



potatoes. 



l)arley. 



peas. 



wheat. 



Light Land. 

 Turnips. 

 Barley. 



Clover and rye grass. 

 Clover and rye grass. 

 Clover and rye grass. 

 Peas. 



Wheat or rye. 

 Wheat. 



For soils that have a chalky substratum, and 

 for gravels, the same course as above given for 

 peat earth, is recommended. 



