The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-10-25
The Value Of Irrigation.

"
ing extract from the article of Mr.. Will
liams.
Agriculture in this portion Of ColOra-
do would never be q success without ir. |
rigation. Although enough water has |
fallen this year from the sky to supply |
all the needs of growing crops, yet last |
year it was so dry that many fields
were actually famishing for want OF
moisture, ard the Old irrigating ditches
were not half full. But it is surprising |
to zee what wonderful results are &C
complished if there is plenty of water
at hand at any time. Last year l saw
here field of wheat which under irri-
CATION yielded 40 bushels per acre.
Think of this, We 10 bushels per acre
farmers in the East! And such plump
round, handsome, golden looking grain
would do your heart good to see, also.
Colorado wheat-the very best in the
United s a.es-makes the finest bread
ever seen. Ifever you visit the AmHr-
ica1 Hnuse, at Denver, the first thing
which will meet your notice on the
dining table is the splendid looking
biscuit and corn bread. 1t is of the
brightest golden. yellow color, and
crisp ard delicate i'm taste.
BY the use irrigating bitches and a
constant supply of water there have
been ascertained many curious facts
never known before.
LIST. 1t has been found by the farmer
that wheat fie. DIS under irrigation can
be made to ripen the crop any time he
likes. He can hasten the rlpening or
retard it. If he turns off the water, the
grain will at once begin Iipening and
be fit to cut in two weeks. But as long
as he keeps water on the field the crop
Keeps green and continues to grow.
1t will be seen that the farmer can
so systematic matters as never to be
caught in q hurried moment; be can
so arrange his fields that he can ripen
the grain regularly, and one piece be
fit for cutting at about the time he
finishes work i'm previous one. This
will be a comfort to farmers who have
hitherto been in the greatest anxiety
because their crops all ripen at one
time and they were unable to manage
them.
ID. Irrigatian is equal to manure
| and doubles the crops. Perhaps no
crop so well shows this as the beet.
AS high as so tOus have been raised un-
der irrigation, although 10 to Is are the
ordinary average. No crop is raised
, so easily under irrigation as grass.
There is always a great demand in all
parts OF the territory for hay. At times
it is very costly aud briggs very high
| prices, and in the mining districts has
sometimes risen as high as 500 per ton
while always at Denver 1. is worth S25
! to $50 i'm summer and is higher in win.
ter. Under irrigation its produce per
acre is really doubled and quadrupied,
with no application of manure or fer
tilizers. At Colorado Springs, upon
| the new Colony land, which already
abounds in natural grasses, there Is
even no attempt made to sow the lard
With seed, although Timothy grows
| finely. The cattle are kept off and it is
| retired from grazing purposes. The
water ia turned on two or three times a
week, the prairie grass starts up a Wig.
orous growth, and the first year a ton
and hall can be easily be gathered to
the acre. This sells for ct least $40 per
| ton, or gives an income of $50 per acre
| on land now Selling at SIS.
No easier and prettier business could
be devised that to take up 100 or 200
acres of this land suitable for irrigation,
1 uSNOtc ouC ldli ~ SES1SS anu OllC h6ll
TO wheat or grain, and an income of
of SD per acre could be relied on year
/ ly. | base my estimate not on conjec-
! lures, hut on facts. Thirty bushels Of
wheat to the acre is considered q very
ordinary crop here, and prices range
/ from 50 to Sc per 100 lbs. Usually 8
bushel Of wheat will average 81. Among
( the other Industries which gather
around such a place as this would be
the raising of the vegetables for the no.
tells and boarding-hOuses. New York
| prices could easily be obtained for any,
thing. Next, god investments could
be rnade in cattle. 1T is said that a
capital of So, 900 invested in cattle here
or sheep will bring in steady income
of $1,000 per annum, or 40 per cent.
upon the principal. This should be
qualified somewhat, by adding after
the third year.
Breeding Fast Walking Horses.
Ii is often said, in defence of the heavy
premiums given to trotting horses at fairs,
that speed is legitimate part of agricultu-
raj improvement. Granting that this is so
we ought to encourage fast walking as well
as fast troiting; for, of the Two, horse
Z "hiIh Will ScI ONCl lhc vi
walk is much more valuable animal on
farm than the one which will go its mile
in 2:40. There is no greater proof of the
humbug of the excuse given for the great
encouragement fast horses receive at fairs
than the utter ignoring Of premiums for
good walking horses. As one of the holi-
day adjuncts to a fair We have never had
objections to speed trials that some have;
] l,,+ al, h.
terests of agriculture served as well as TO
have few days of frolic, and the encour-
agement of fast-walking horsetiesh would
do this
In connection with this oversight on the
part of agricultural committees, the follow
ing remarks of contemporary on the
breeding or good walkers will not be inap-
propriate.
TIE best gait horse has is the fast walk.
a slow walking horse is an abomination.
Who has patience with such horse? If
you ride him or drive him he exhausts
your patience. If he is used to plough, to
harrow, or go on the road, he moves along
at a snails pace. He does only about half
the work of the rapid walker If time il
money, you make money, because you
save time, by having horse that walks
fast. Breeders should pay attention to this
matter In selecting stallion to breed
from, by all means select one that can walk
fast. A slow walking stallion will general
ly be likely to get slow walking colts
while the stallion chat has long, rapid,
spirited stride, will be likely to beget colts
with a similar action. Then there is a
great deal in breeding to horse with spir-
it and ambition. These cold-blooded
horses will beget cold-blooded colts The
nearer you can approach the thorough
bred, even for obtaining fast walker, the
better. There is game there, and spirit,
and endurance, and stamina, and style
There are the neat, bony heads and promi-
nent eyes, the small ears, the capacious
nostrils, the large lungs and chests, the
well-developed muscles, the bones as dense
as ivory Even for walkers, then, get the
nearest to thoroughbred as possible, and
the same for trotters, and of course the
same for runners. You have then horses
fit for any company, and for any purpose
TO haul the plough, or buggy, or carriage,
or to carry you upon their backs Breed
large, fine mares to thoroughbred horses,
and you will get colts that you will not be
ashamed to have your friends see.
To Preserve Green Corn.
The Mobile Register tells how to
keep corn as fresh and good as when |
first taken from the stalk. Shave the |
corn from the cob and pack it away i'm
q common stone jar, with salt in al |