VOL. LXVII
INDIANAPOLIS, MAY 25, 1912.
NO. 21
Why We Rotate Crops
Rotation of Wheat, Clover
and Corn Has Many
Advantages.
met:
HODS   OF   SUPPLYING   NITROGEN, CONTROLLING INSECTS,
DISEASES AND  WEEDS.
By O.  M. Hayes.
Every up-to-date farmer knows that
the only practical system of farming is
the rotation plan, and to a greater or
less degree every farmer practices this
.system, but to obtain the best results
it is necessary to know why rotation
is necessary. It is often said at farmer's Institutes that the value of rotation
lies In the fact that different crops use
different plant food elements, but this
is  entirely  misleading.
In the first place rotation gives good
results because the different crops
grown have different plant food requirements. Nearly all crops require
the .same plant food elements, but in
different proportions. The rotation
system must consist of crops, such that
if It Is a three course rotation, every
three years a crop that requires a
large amount of a certain element will
tie grown. This allows two, years for
the soil to recuperate in preparation
for the next crop of the same kind.
Meanwhile crops must be grown that
help supply the much needed element.
If nitrogen is lacking grow a legume
crop once in three or four years or of-
tener to supply that element. In
many cases it is necessary to supply
potash and phosphorus as commercial
fertilizer in order to keep the supply
of these elements constant In the soil.
Do not think that because a legume
adds nltrosen to the soil that It does
not use up plant food; in fact, leguminous crops use more potash and phosphorous than most any of the grain
crops. ■ A large amount of nitrogen Is
also used, but it is taken from the
air and ln addition an extra amount
Is stored up in the soil.
Getting and Using Nitrogen.
Every practical rotation must contain crops that use nitrogen and crops
that gather it. For example, in the
common rotation of corn, wheat and
clover, the first two use nitrogen and
the third gathers it. In fact clover is
a user and a gatherer of nitrogen. In
the use of clover or any legume there
is one practice which is very common,
but nevertheless bad, namely, cutting
the crop for hay, later cutting it for
8*ed, threshing and returning nothing
to the soil, and perhaps also pasturing
It during a portion of the latter part
of the season. Any legume should be
raised primarily as a soil improving
crop and not for the money it will
bring. plan the rotation so that two
t'ropg out of three bring ln money, but
the third year let the legume be wholly
for a soil Improver. If this legume
°an be so used as to bring in money,
"id still act as a soli improver, this
"f course is a point to be considered.
This may be  done to some extent by
feeding the  legume and returning the
manure to the soil.
Variety in Kinds of Roots.
The type of crops included in a
.riven ration must be considered from
another standpoint,—the different
types of root systems. Take for example the three plants, clover, corn
and wheat. Of these, clover is the
deepest feeding plant. Its root system consists principally of one long
tap root extending  six or eight   feet   be-
of the soil is not used up in one year.
The wheat plant has no deep roots,
consequently all its food must be obtained from the upper eight inches of
soil. Combining these three crops in
a three year rotation gives about the
best possible diversification in the
root system. Every three years plant
food is taken from a different place,
allowing the remainder of the soil to
rest.
Disease and W<?eds Remedied.
Another of the fundamental reasons
for changing the crops grown each
year is that to some extent this method
aids in the control of plant diseases
and    insects.      If a    certain    crop    is
Vetch, an Annual Legume, may be Sown   to   Secure   Nitrogen   and   Humus   if
Clover Fails.
low the surface. These roots bring
phosphorus and potash from the subsoil to the upper soil at the same time
the leaves are taking in nitrogen from
the air. Corn has many roots in the
surface six or eight inches of soil and
likewise many roots that extend three
or four feet into the soil. The roots
are scattered and for this reason all
the  plant food  in  one particular area
grown year after year on the same
piece of ground the diseases and insects common to that crop will continually increase, until after a few
years it becomes unprofitable to grow-
that crop. The wheat smut is an example of a disease that remains in the
soil from year to year. The Hessian
fly and chinch bug are Insects that remain  In  the same locality  year  after
year and migrate only to a slight extent. An insect usually has a particular crop that it feeds upon and
unless starved, will not eat any other
plant. If there is an intermission of
three or four years between crops
these insect enemies have probably disappeared. The potato scab is a disease
that remains in the soil from one year
to the next as a fungus and If potatoes
are grown consecutive years on the
same soil the disease must necessarily
increase.
As a means of controlling weeds, rotation of crops is about the only practical method known. If wheat is grown
continuously on the same soil, weed
seed introduced into that soil will grow
and multiply greatly, if of the hardy
nature, until the weed is as common
as the wheat itself. In the northwestern wheat fields mustard has become a great pest, simply because rotation has not been practiced. This
shows the necessity of having a cleaning crop. Any cultivated crop is to a
greater or less degree a cleansing crop,
but by far the most common one is
corn.
Rotate Many Crops.
The selecting of the crops to be used
.in the rotation rests with the individual farmer. Everyone should select the
crops for a rotation according as they
are adapted to the climate, market,
soil, cheapness of production and the
use to be made of them. Everyone
has individual desires and problems
that no one except himself can work
out, and certainly the matter of rotation    is one of them.
llrietly stated we practice rotation
in order to grow crops that have different plant food requirements; to supply nitrogen to the soil for plant use;
to get the maximum efficiency from
the soil due to different types of plant
root systems, and to control insects,
diseases and  weeds.
Cowpeas ln Corn adds Nitrogen to  the Soil and Forage to the Crop.
THE  FARMERS   AND   OTHER   PEOPLE.
The total population of Indiana according to our last census report is
2,700,876, of which number 1,557,041
are farmers. That is a little over 57
per cent of our population belongs on
the farm, and the farmer holds the
balance of power politically. If he
cares to use this power he can have
such legislation as he wishes. It is
for the farmer to say, for instance,
what kind of roads he will have, and
how they shall be built, i. e. whether
by Government, thru a commissioner
of roads, or as at present thru County supervisors. And so of other matters In which the rural population is
interested.
A. M. Ten Eyck, of the Kansas Station points out the fact that the farmers can well afford to give more attention to the matter of quality in hay
and to this end it is important to know
not only what hay plants are best
adapted to a given locality and the
best method of seeding them, but it
Is equally important to harvest and
save the hay in such a manner as to
secure the largest amount and best
quality of product. "Good quality,
as Indicated by the bright green color
of well-preserved hay," he says, "will
readily add a dollar or two per ton to
the selling price."