17OL. LXIII
MAY 221908
INDIANAPOLIS,   MAY 23, 1908.
NO. 21
in tlie raisiig of live stock; and corn and
sssils are required to carry out tbis plan.
Clover adds nitrogen to the soil, and the
feeding of the stock and putting the prod-
us-ts back, in the shape of manure, greatly increases its fertility.        And potatoes
%xpzvleucz §&p%vttuitnt
CROP  ROTA I UN.
Clover Is the Key.
1st Premium.—The best plan for crop
rotation depends very much on tbe nature
aji the soil, the location of the farm and
various other matters. Where one is
located near a city, it is often more profitable to raise crops for which there is
but little demand in more isolated districts.
Where dairying is engaged iu, the chief
crops raised are those that furnish feed
for the dairy herd, and this does not admit of such rotation as is possible in general farming. And tbere are some soils
that are adopted only to certain crops and
on which a general rotation cannot be
maintained. Muck, for instance, is not
i.lsipted to the raising of wheat, oats or
clover, ani its productiveness must be
maintained by fertilizers or barnyard manure. Therefore, iu instituting a crop rotation it is understood that it is on such
soils as are adapted to general farming,
and where it is the desire to raise the
usual staple crops.
The rotation practiced by the writer's
fs.ther was corn, oats, wheat and clover.
Wheat, at that time, was considered one
of the surest as well as one of the most
I rsifitable crops, but in his rotation clover held an equally important place. It
vas the hub about which all other crops
revolved. Clover always followed wheat
and the ground became so well inoculated
that it never failed to "catch." T iday
v. heat is not so generally raised here, but
it is sown as a nurse crop for clover.
Clover is probably the most profitable crop
that can be raised. It is pTofitable not
ohly for the hay and seed, but also .for
the pasture that is so much required, as
wll as for the increased productiveness of
the soil that results from its growth.
By growing plenty of clover it is possible to raise all kinds of live stock, and
this is, without doubt, the most profitable method of farming at present. It
furnishes both pasture and roughage for
'he stock, besides putting the ground in
Use best possible condition for getting the
manure back on the fields, the indirect
profits from the crop may be nearly as
-reat as the immediate return. Where-
enough stock is kept to consume every-
fhing raised, the rotation above mentioned is a very good one. However, I
bave found that one of the most'profitable
crops to raise, following clover, is pota-
'"fs. It seems that clover leaves the
soil in ideal condition for this crop, and
^ hen a good crop is secured it is one of the
most profitable that can be raised. I
>>ave been so well pleased with the result
°f raisiny potatoes on clover sod that for
several years the acreage has been increased and will be more than doubled this sea-
son-       The potatoes may be followed by
II heat or rye and again sown to clover, or
oats may be sown the following spring.
yA clover. Sometimes it may be desirable to follow the oats with wheat and
en *ow clover.       It will thus be seen
'»t, in ourplan, clover is the maindepend-
eDe.e'      ^ery effort should be directed to
'initaining  a  proper  proportion  of  this
rr°P,   and it should be followed either by
J?"1  or Potatoes,   and  gotten  back   into
""•er every third or fourth year.
In showing where the profit comes in, I
then bfcomes very hard for fall plowing
and breaks up in large chunks and is thus
hard to pulverize.
I put my oats ground into wheat, hauling the strawy manure upon it, aud also
home-made during the summer,   because 1
Farm Home of Samuel Bechdol, Cass County.
will
direct
*»y  that  with   this  plan   it  is  both
Oi* indirect. Clover in  itself is
ntable,   and especially so when utilized
live acre field. This does not pay. You
scarcely get started uiuil you are compelled to stop, and when you drive over
a field it leaves a cloddy strip, takes out
the soil vitality and lets tbe nitrogen escape. I never drive through a field unless compelled to and it is dry. My success in farming aud my greatest profit is
by raising more corn and feeding it up to
hogs. Also feed all the corn stover to
cattle. I generally have from three t«
four head of steers and have these fat
enough to turn off the following June or
.luly, getting more according, and with
less work, for my fourteen months old
steer than for one three years old.
For a farmer who specializes in dairying I would advocate but little oats or
wheat, sowing rye instead which can be
pastured both in the fall and spring and
does not need the fertilizer that wheat
does. I never sell any hay, corn stover
or straw. I use all the straw I possibly
can, and haul manure from town.
I have a field of muck land which I
bave in grass because I can realize more
profit from this and it is a surer crop than
corn which will likely either freeze or be
drowned ont.
For the farmer who lives near a city
I would advise him to specialize in truck
farming and berry growing. It will pay
better than general farming. But for
the one who lives five or six miles from
even a large town general farming will
pay best.
My best success in this crop rotation
plan is that nature aids me in combating
the insect foes. I am never bothered
with the Hessian fly. White grubs and
cutworms are not troublesome, even
though I turn down clover sod. I am a
friend of the birds and never harm them,
but put up boxes for wrens and bluebirds
and feed them in the winter; then I also
protect my orchard. The secret of it all
is, have your ground so rich that it will
force your crop in spite of insects. It
is generally the sickly stalks that are attacked first. Rich soil means profit and
spells the acme of success in general farming. H. A. L.
Mr. Bechdol's Convenient Barn.
being a profitable crop, an immediate return is realized from their production.
Clover, live stock and potatoes should be
the chief aim, and the proportion of other
crops should be dependent on these requirements. Vhis is a matter that cannot be definitely outlined before hand but
must be met as conditions arise.
H.
Make the Soil  Rich
2d Premium.—To be a succesful farmer
you must understand crop rotation thoroughly. If you have a practical way of
your own, so much the better, because
you can realize the most profit by your
own way. I will give you my plan, which
is that of a general farmer.
I first turn down clover or timothy sod,
tbat has stood but two years, having hauled the manure the second season directly
upon it. I plow it as soon as I can in
the spring, after I have my oats out, or
before if the oats ground is too wet to
plow. I put last year's corn stubble into oats. The best method I bave found
is to plow the ground, harrow it well, and
then drill the oats. Many practice spring-
tt oth harrowing or cultivation upon a
slubble and sowing broadcast, but I do not
like it sown this way,   because the ground
think it will do the most good down below
rnd will not wash away so fast; also on
day hills it will sink deeper and loosen np
Ihe soil more than by top dressing, and
besides will furnish good nutriton for the
following crop of grass. I plow the oats
stubble just as soon ns possible after the
oats is off. I either harrow or float
down what I have plowed during the day
before 1 stop for the evening. This retains the soil moisture and breaks up the
clods. If I have any real fine manure
I put it on top, using a good manure
spreader, because tbis insures an even distribution of the manure over the gr.uind.
I pulverize the ground as fine as possible,
preparing a very good seed bed, because
this is the basis of the next hay crop—the
clover will catch better. When drilling I also use some potash and phosphoric acid,
which will hasten the growth and make a
catch of clover more sure.
I always sow my wbeat ground to clover
or timothy. I prefer clover, but sometimes I will sow a field to timothy, drilling it in with the wheat, as it will catch
better that way. This brings us back
to where we started, ready for another
corn crop.
I never patch up my fields. By this
I mean growing three or four crops in a
Don't Kill tbe Farm
3d Premium.—I will give a brief outline
of my system of farming, and at the same
endeavor to explain where the profit comes
in. We will begin in the spring with
corn. For this crop I like a clover and
timothy sod. I like to give this sod a
dressing of manure, all that I possibly
can. I plow as early as circumstances
will permit. This will give the sod time
to rot and ample time to prepare a seed
bed, both quite essential for a good corn
crop.
The corn stubble will be for oats the
following year. I do not like to grow
corn more than one year at a time, as
torn is a heavy nitrogen feeder. It is
best to plow this corn stubble in the fall.
Just as soon as the oats is out of the field
I plow the oats stubble and put in wheat.
I think it best to harrow each day as
1 lowed, as this will pulverize all clods and
get a more compact seed bed. Wheat
will not do well on a fresh plowed loose
seed bed. The ground should be plowed as long before seeding as possible, then
harrowed and floated until a firm, fine,
compact seed bed bas been obtained. I
prefer a disk drill, for several reasons too
numerous to mention here. Sow about
1% bnshels per acre. The time of seeding must be governed somewhat by the
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