The peas may be left on the ground to turn under in the spring at cotton planting time, or they may be plowed under in the early fall and a crimson clover or vetch cover crop planted, which will be plowed under for the cotton.
These same facts will be true of each of the three fields. The humus and, therefore, texture will be taken care of; ventilation, soil temperature and plant food will be controlled to advantage.
Each of the crops will be represented on the farm each year and the yields of each crop will be better than if grown continuously alone. The quality and therefore the market value will be greater. Insects and disease will be easier kept in control, and stock will be more economically furnished with a variety of foods.
BENEFITS DERIVED FROM ROTATION OF CROPS
Rotation of crops economizes the natural plant food of the soil and also that which is applied in the form of manure and fertilizer. This is because:
Crops take food from the soil in different amounts and different proportions.
Crops differ in their feeding powers.
Crops differ in the extent and depth to which they send their roots into the soil in search of food and water.
Crops differ in the time of year at which they make their best growths.
Rotation helps to maintain or improve the texture of the soil because the amount of humus in the soil is maintained or increased by turning under green manure and cover crops which should occur in every well-planned rotation.