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Show BENEFITS OF CROP ROTATION By Alternating Oats, Corn and Wheat Better Results Follow Than From Any One Kind. (By D. W. FRKAR. COLORADO AGRICULTURAL AGRI-CULTURAL COLLEGE.) Almost all farmers change the crops on some of their fields every year, but comparatively lew use a system based on the latest knowledge of the handling of soils, crops, stock and plant diseases and insects. It is only when this knowledge Is made use of in the planning of a cropping system that the greatest net return per acre may be expected. When there Is a regular arrangement arrange-ment of crops on a farm in such a manner that the soil fertility is maintained and there ia a large average aver-age net return for a long series ol years, the arrangement is spoken ot as a crop rotation. No two crops have Just the sam effect on the soil, the same development develop-ment of root system, nor take the same amount of food elementa from the soil. Several classifications are made of Held cropa based on the characters of the plants, their effect on the soil and the method of rais ing them. One classification is according ac-cording to the length of the root system. sys-tem. Alfalfa, clover and some of the root crops and native prairie grasses have long, deep-penetrating root sys-tenia sys-tenia which enable them to get food and moisture from the subsoil much below the reach of ordinary root systems. When such plants become established they are able aa a rule to withstand considerably mora drought than the shallower rooted plants. Crops like barley, mllo, turnips and many of the cultivated grasses are shallow rooted. On this account they often decrease the fertility and moisture content of the surface soli much faster than the deeper rooted crops. In spite of its shallow root system, milo is able to withstand severe se-vere drought This is due largely to its great ability to make use of what water there is in the soil and it will reduce the water content lower than will other field crops. It is also able to remain dormant for long periods pe-riods of time, and will start In and grow as soon as It gets moisture. Among the moderately deep rooted plants are oats, corn, wheat and some of the cultivated grasses. By alternating these three classes of crops on the land much better ee-sults ee-sults will follow than by raising one kind continuously, since the combined com-bined root systems of the three will penetrate a larger area of the soil which results in a more economical utilization of plant food and soil moisture. The soil will be left in better physical and chemical condition and the crop yields be larger. |