Show ROTATION RO TAnON ESSENTIAL FOR GOOD FARMING it C 1 by thomas L martin agronomist brigham young university men in days gone by have occasionally sio nally become discouraged with conditions because soils would not produce us as they should writers would tend to nullify this discouragement by ridiculing the idea of I 1 the lands ever wearing out some old rowan senator quoted on one it la Is neither just nor true to lo think that the material ot of tho the ground which tho creator of the universe endowed with perpetual fecundity Is effected with barrenness nor does docs it become a man to believe that the earth with a definite and everlasting youth bestowed upon it and called the common parent of all things should grow old like a woman such comments as aa this no doubt stirred tho the farmer to renewed efforts he would follow instructions and pro duce results the same condition prevails now there are a of things one can do to improve tho the situation suppose rotation la Is practiced more vigour sly better yields would bo be produced the diseases so common to fields cannot develop it if crops aro are changed beets should not be grown more than three years in succession beets for two years followed ly by grain as a nurse crop for alfalfa then alfalfa grown five years and plowed up and the land planted to corn and potatoes followed by beets beeta again will so change the bhe land that it will take on renewed vigor manure should bo be applied to the alfalfa corn potatoes and sugar beets the land boulb need to be plowed but wee three years out ot of the ten year rotation it has been learned that continual cultivation breaks down the structure of the soil and makes it possible for uio tho vigorous winds eb common here to carry away the surface layers but reducing the numbers of pl owings over the ten year prevents this tendency to wind erosion in addition to th the above benefits from rotation it will be found that diseases are ara better controlled the plant food supply Is ia equalized equal lud less labor Is ia needed and it la is better distributed through the season the soil increases in fertility it la is also easier to work and above all ille the discouraging features of a poor soil are eliminated tuie the growing loy and parents too will begin to feel that after all farming Is not so BO bad and a new spirit in agriculture will permeate the community largely because tola this fine system of permanent soil sell fertility will have taken hold again |