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THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



THREE FIELD SYSTEM AND STANDING 

 PASTURE, 



With a view to the Destruction of Joint Worm, the 

 Extirpation of Wire Grass, Garlic, Bushes, i\-c. 



The cultivation of the soil, seems at this 

 timypj to have awakened a new interest in the 

 agricultural community, arising ao doubt 

 from the enhanced value of the products of 

 the earth, from the farmers profession (for it 

 may now be termed a profession) having im- 

 proved, rapidly in importance, and being 

 emphatically at the present prices of bread- 

 stuffs "a money making business ;-'#nd but for 

 the impediments in the rearing of crops, 

 arising from joint worm, and other innumera- 

 ble animaleulse with which the soil is replete, 

 the farmer would at this time be at rest with 

 the world and u the rest of %.ankiwl. r: Hav- 

 ing noticed • the rapid progress of this much 

 talked of joint worm, and being introduced to 

 it by practical illustration in my own crop of 

 wheat, as well as having read much upon the I 

 subject by correspondents, I have determined' 

 to give my system of rotation of crops, as the 

 best at this time for their destruction, as well 

 as the suppression (if not eradication) of wire- 

 grass, garlick, bushes, &c. 



1 would premise that this system of rota- 

 tion is based upon the supposition that the 

 land has been thoroughly limed or marled, or 

 that it is sufficiently calcareous, in order that 

 it may decompose the vegetable matter which 

 may be added to the soil. This rotation J 

 which I have adopted this year, after some 

 deliberation — (having relinquished the five 

 field system) has been preferred from the fact 

 I had often noticed the growth of wheat after 

 corn, and the great labor and difficulty of 

 putting in a crop of wheat after corn ; the 

 cutting down of the corn and its removal from 

 the field, occupied so long a time, that it was 

 impossible to get the wheat in the land in 

 time, added to the fact that I had never seen 

 a crop of wheat succeeding corn produce as 

 much as the land would have done under 

 other circumstances. Another reason why I 

 nave abandoned the fi ve field system of rota- 

 tion is the innumerable quantities of briars, 

 garlick and wire-grass, which are constantly 

 springing up on the land, causing too much 

 labor to remove them before cultivation, as 

 well as the great difficulty of getting a stand 

 of corn, arising from the undecayed vegeta 



t ie matter which remains in the soil, and from 

 the length of time which has elapsed since the 

 field had been m a hoed crop. And still 

 another objection to the five field system 



arises from the fact there is only one-fifth of 



the land in corn, a crop much more certain 

 than the wheat crop. 



The rotation consists of having land divided 

 in three equal fields, with a small portion of 

 swamp land or the enclosure of woodland, 

 (with a small portion of open land attached if 

 necessary) for the purpose of grazing cattle, 

 until the wheat is removed from the wheat 

 field, when they can be turned into it, for the 

 purpose of grazing and trampling the land 

 for the succeeding crop of corn. By this 

 rotation, one field is in wheat, another plough- 

 ed in the spring after planting corn, and 

 sowed in peas in June, and the third in corn. 

 The farmer adopting this system would the 

 first year follow his wheat crop with corn, and 

 his intended next years' field for corn would 

 be fallowed up this summer for wheat, and 

 his present corn field would remain until next 

 spring for the purpose of fallowing it up for 

 peas. There may be many objections urged, 

 against this rotation, such as ploughing the 

 field for peas, (which I conceive the greatest) 

 but it can be done at a time the farmer can 

 easily spare the time, say immediately after 

 planting corn, when two or three weeks can be 

 appropriated to fallowing the land for peas, 

 and if the land is light it may be done with 

 single ploughs. And although the farmer 

 may by this system require a good plough 

 team, yet this spring ploughing affords him a 

 better opportunity of getting in his wheat by 

 at least the middle of October and of gather- 

 ing his corn some six or eight weeks before the 

 end of the year, which time can be devoted 

 to manuring his corn land, and of accelerating 

 his crop in order that he may be ready to 

 commence his fallow for peas. This rotation 

 consists of wheat, corn, peas : the wheat fol- 

 lowing the peas which are fallowed in the land 

 for the benefit of the wheat and land. 



The great advantage gained by this rotation 

 is not only the fallow of peas for the wheat, 

 which I consider the very best vegetable mat- 

 ter that can be given to the land, but the 

 advantage gained on the early sseeding of the 

 wheat crop, by which the ravages of the joint 

 worm can the more easily be overcome, and the 

 early maturing of the wheat, by which the 

 rust and other diseases of the crop may be 

 avoided. That this rotation will suppress, 

 (if not entirely eradicate) wire-grass, garlick 

 and bushes, there cannot be a doubt as it is 

 admitted that any crop which will effectually 

 shade the land for any length of time must 

 suppress the growth of wire-grass, and the 

 crop of peas and the wheat . crop, being both 

 shading crops, its suppression must be the* 

 consequence. And the third crop being a 



