Show Ci Crof o Rotation Most Valuable Increases Productivity of Soils as Effectively as Fertilizers Prepared 1 by the tho United State Stain l t of Agriculture Crop rotation Is a farm aria practice e ma may be bo used by lIy the farmer fanner to Increase the productivity of or his Ills as effectively as the use of or manure m 01 commercial fertilizers says the Unit Unit- United United ed States Dt of Agriculture Furthermore crop rotation as ordinarily ordinarily practiced does docs not entail may any extra cost nH The extra yield due to tills practice Is therefore a u profit that hint may maybe be credited to the farmers farmer's managerial ability Rotation Effective A study of ot the We long continued long continued soil Mil t oll fertility experiments of ot this country and of England made mude h by the depart depart- department department ment went has brought out some sonic important facts about crop rotation In Its rela rela- relation rela- rela relation relation tion to soil Koll productivity These are discussed In Farmers Bulletin 1175 1 I 1475 Just Issued In general crop rotation has been found to t be practically Dj 93 per pr cent as effective e as farm furm manure manuro or complete fertilizers In the yields of wheat corn and ants and about 90 DO per cent as effective as these fertilizers In Increasing the yields of these three major crops The beneficial effects of or crop rotatIon do not Impair the derIved from the use of fertilizers so EO that when hen these two farm practices are the lie one practice adds to the benefits l en of oC the other oilier toI I For lor example corn at the MissourI experiment station yielded I bush bush- bushels bushels bushels els per acre from cultivation alone When corn was the yield was Increased by Ly bushels or to bushels per acre when It was grown In rotation with other oilier crops the yield was increased by bush bush- bushels bushels els cis or to 3 bushels per acre How lIow However ever when both and rota rota- rotation rotation rotation tion were practiced the acre yield was ns Increased b by or to a total of H bushels per acre Trials at Urbana Even en more striking results than the above were recorded In III trials trial at nt Ur- Ur Urbana Ur Urbana bana Ili III In these experiments the use of fertilizers consisting of puh pulver pulverized er- er zed limestone farm and anti manure manuro phosphate phate was compared with a n rotation or of corn oats and clover The average n yield of corn obtained without the use of either cither rotation or fertilizers on this prairie soil In la Illinois was 4 bushels per acre The gain ef- ef effected ef cf effected by rotation alone was practically practically cn cally II 3 three times that obtained from rout the use of fertilizers and lime iliac or VJ bushels due to rotation and anti only D 92 due to the fertilizers The total In- In IncreaSe increase In Increase crease from the tie use of both fertilizers and rotation was 44 bushels per acre or 72 2 bushels greater than the sum or of theIr separate Increases es While rotations in different sections In a given locality or even on a single farm lIIa may differ there are arc certain fundamental principles of crop rota rota- rotation rotation tion which have general application The These e must be understood by lIy the tho farmer If It lie lae Is t to put himself In a po position to utilize the Hie results that have havo been Leen worked out by Ly state experIment stations for his Ills locality The purpose e of this bulletin Is to acquaint the farmer with the basic principles ot of crop rotation and to stress the lime Importance Entice tance of the practice In relation to farming A copy of or the bulletin may be maybe obtained as lon long as the lasts by writing to the United States Department of Agriculture Washing Washington Washington ton D C |