An Old Succession Of Crops
Categories:
CROP-ROTATIONS
In the corn belt of the northern states
some time-honored crop-rotations have been formed by corn, oats, wheat,
clover, and timothy. The number of years devoted to the grain and to
the sod has varied with the soil and the desire of its owner. A common
succession is corn one year, oats one year, wheat one year, clover and
timothy one year, timothy one year--a five years' rotation that has
much substantial success behind
it. Such a rotation is wholly
reasonable and in accord with the nature of things. Every year
furnishes some organic matter for the soil in roots and stubble, and
all the produce of four years out of the five may be fed on the farm.
There is one cash crop, or two if the price of the clear timothy hay
justifies sale.
The manure may be hauled upon the sod when other work does not press,
and it goes where the crop is one that prefers fresh manure, be that
the grass or the corn. There is plenty of time after the corn to
prepare for oats, and after the oats to prepare for wheat. The
preparation for the wheat is sufficient for the clover and timothy. The
seedings come only in the spring and the fall, when rainfall is more
abundant and effective than in mid-summer. The danger of failure in
case of this rotation is relatively small.