A Three Years' Rotation
Categories:
CROP-ROTATIONS
Farm conditions may require that certain
fields in the farm go under a crop-rotation covering three years. In
the winter wheat belt this may be clover, corn, and wheat, or clover,
potatoes, and wheat. It is an excellent rotation when early planted
potatoes or silage corn follows the sod, favoring the wheat in which
the clover again is seeded. The ground is plowed only once in three
years. The clover furnishes hay for t
e farm, and organic matter with
nitrogen for the land. There are two cash crops in the rotation when
potatoes are grown, and that makes a heavy draft upon fertility.
Experience has demonstrated that commercial fertilizers or manure
become necessary as a supplement to clover in a three years' rotation
embracing potatoes. This rotation gives good control of most weeds and
insect enemies.
Where wheat is unprofitable, the oat crop is used in its stead. If
mixed hay is wanted, timothy is sown with the clover. This is poor
practice from the standpoint of soil fertility because the draft upon
humus is heavy in a close rotation embracing a tilled crop and small
grain. The sod should be chiefly clover, or manure should be used in
connection with commercial fertilizer.