20 FIELD CROPS 



furnish food for man indirectly by being fed to animals, to 

 be transformed into meat, butter, and milk. Corn, oats, 

 barley, rye, and the grasses and clovers are the important 

 food crops for the domestic animals which do useful work for 

 man or furnish him with food. Some crops maintain or add 

 to the fertility of the soil, by supplying the vegetable matter 

 necessary for the continuance of plant growth. Others, 

 by providing a soil cover which prevents washing, leaching, 

 and other natural losses, help to retain the fertility for the 

 production of useful crops. 



Fig. 4. By far the largest part of the corn crop is fed on the farm 

 and marketed in the concentrated form of animal products. 



16. The Right Crops to Grow. The choice of field crops 

 for a given farm or locality depends to some extent on the 

 climate and soil conditions, the kind of farming, and the 

 proximity of the market. Climate limits the production of 

 some crops. Cotton, for instance, can be grown profitably 

 only where the summers are long and hot. Winter wheat 

 may thrive where spring wheat is wholly unprofitable. 

 Some crops grow best on a sandy soil, others on clay. We 

 can materially change the nature of a soil by tillage, drainage, 

 and the application of fertilizers, so as to make it suitable for 



