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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.



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