Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-05-15
CROPS FOR. THE OVERLOOKED DIS
TRICTS.

TRICTS.
Since the settlement and cultivation of the
Sacramento valley we do not remember of SO
unfavorable prospect in the middle of May
as is this year presented to the farmers Of
the immediate river bottoms of the Sacra-
mento river. We have had in years past
higher water earlier in the season, and high
water for greater length of time than we
have had this season. In 1862 5 our high
water commenced in November, and on the
first of June following the water was still
high, or nearly upto the natural banks of the
river. In 1861 the water came up in the
fore part of December and was high all win
ter, and was only within the banks on
the LIST of june In 1877 -S-though the
water did not get to its highest till
the goth of February, it did not
fall SO as to be within the banks till June
LIST. Still we are quite sure the prospect of
crops on the overlooked districts this season
is less favorable than was the realization in
any of the seasons named. This year farmers
on these lands were led to believe, from the
shape of the weather in the fore part of the
season, that dry or medium season would
be experienced They therefore prepared for
an early and favorable spring. Those who
had alfalfa lands turned their stock off of
them early, in hopes to make early crops of
hay, and when the water came over these
lands in April, it covered and destroyed very
nearly full-grown crops of alfalfa hay. Had
the weather turned out as they hoped, all
these crops would before the first of
the present month have been gath
cred and stored away, and a sec
ond crop of hay would have been
in forward stage of growth. As it is, at
least six-tenths of all this first crop of hay
was destroyed by the overflow, and the other
four tenths has been either pastured down or
moved and fed out to stock in order to keep
them alive up to this time. Wherever the
first crop of alfalfa has been destroyed by
water, the same water has or Will kill the
roots of the clover, and thus the prospect of
any more hay from the six-tenths of the orig
inal amount OF alfalfa meadows is entirely
SOnG iOI bLIC S6dStA. W a4CAG NAC AalA MS ak
well stocked with cattle their owners will do
well if they can manage to keep them
through the summer and fall ON the natural
produce of the soil, to say nothing of provid-
ing food for the next winter. Under these
circumstances it becomes an import |
ant question whether crops may be
planted and grown after the waters
recede, sufficient to supply winter |
food for stock for the next winter. A ques-
ton of equal importance is, what kind Of
crop can the greatest amount of stock feed be
realized from under the circumstances. The
most commonly grown grain on these lands is
barley, but barley will not produce much of a
crop of either hay or grain if sown even as late
as the middle of May, and it is not probable
that the water will go off these bottoms SO
that barley can be sown earlier than the mid
die of June, and it will remain over much of
them till the first of July, so that the hope of
making crops of barley, or even barley hay,
may be abandoned. Corn will not mature if
planted later than the middle of June, and as
a rule it is unsafe to depend on its maturing
when planted so late as that date
The most that can be expected of these
lands this season is to produce something
sthat will do for stock feed, in a green or IN
ripened state. Common corn, planted in
drills or sown broadcast and cut at the proper
stage, will probably produce more stock
feed to the acre than anything else that,
under the circumstances, can be planted.
BY starting the pillow as soon as possible
when the soil is in condition to work,
and following the water down with blowing
and planting, a pretty good crop of corn tod
der may yet be produced on most of the land
now under water. To realize the greatest
benefits from this course of cultivation we
would suggest that those who have dairy cows
to feed during the summer ON what alfalfa
they have left should not pasture them on
the clover, but NOW and feed it to them green
till the corn, planted as suggested, will do to
begin to cut. Then when the st-planted
corn is in tassel commence to cut and feed it,
and leave the alfalfa meadows to produce
hay. Thus perhaps one good crop of alfalfa
hay, and msybe two, can be secured after
the commencement to feed corn fodder. BY
following up the idea here suggested, and
taking advantage of such others as the season
and circumstances may suggest by actual ex-
perience in each case, We believe that COM
parative success may be achieved by many
farmer on the overlooked lands where almost
absolute failure now seems the only thing to
be expected. To those who have light sandy
made lands-made from the accumulation of
sandy deposits-we would suggest the plant
ing of Egyptian corn, instead of Indian corn.
From experiments we have seen made and
which we have made ourselves with this kind
of corn Oh this class of land, we are con
WINGED better results may be secured from late
planting.