8 



BULLETIN 748, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



CROP ROTATION. 



A fairly definite rotation of crops was found in each district 

 visited, depending on local conditions and the crops best adapted to 

 the region. Following is an outline of the typical rotations followed : 



Caro and Alma areas: 



Clover and timothy 1 



to 3 years. 

 Com 1 year or beans 1 



year. 

 Sugar beets 1 year. 

 Grain 1 year. 



Reseed to clover 

 and timothy. 



Grand Rapids area: 



Clover and timothy 1 



to 3 years. 

 Corn 1 year. 

 Sugar beets 1 year. 

 Grain 1 year. 



Reseed to clover 

 and timothy. 



Northwestern Ohio area: 

 Clover and timothy 1 



to 2 years. 

 Sugar beets or corn 1 



year. 

 Grain 1 year. 

 Reseed to clover and 



timothy. 



The Caro and Alma records were combined in the study of crop 

 rotation, because the conditions in these two districts were very 

 similar. The chief difference noted was that in the Alma district 

 the general practice was to follow timothy and clover with corn, 

 while in the Caro district beets or beans are often substituted for 

 corn as the crop to follow timothy and clover. 



In the Caro district sugar beets and beans are the two most im- 

 portant competing cash crops. For the year 1915 the sugar-beet 

 and bean acreage was about equally divided. An average of about 

 15 acres per farm was devoted to each crop. Approximately 9 acres 

 per farm was planted to corn. On 30 per cent of the farms in this 

 district beans followed clover and timothy and preceded sugar beets. 

 On 17 per cent, corn followed clover and timothy and preceded the 

 sugar beet. On 10 per cent, beans were planted after corn and were 

 followed by sugar beets. 



Beans did not occupy so prominent a place in the cropping system 

 of the Alma district. However, on those farms where beans were 

 grown the average acreage per farm was 13, while that of sugar beets 

 was 10. An average of 13 acres per farm was devoted to corn. The 

 sugar beet followed corn on 57 per cent of the farms visited ; on 25 

 per cent sugar beets followed beans. 



In the Grand Rapids area, where 36 farms were visited, beans 

 were reported on 19 farms and corn on all farms, the average corn 

 acreage being 17. Sugar beets followed corn on 24 farms and beans 

 on 2 farms. The average acreage per farm of beans was 9, while 

 that of sugar beets was 6. 



In northwestern Ohio beans were not included in any of the rota- 

 tions mentioned. Corn appeared in the rotation on every farm and 

 preceded sugar beets on 28 per cent of the farms in this district. 

 (Sec fig. 3.) The average acreage of corn per farm was 33. The 

 average acreage devoted to sugar beets was 16. On 39 per cent of 



