Delta chief., 1885-03-25


Some hoed crops will not do well on alkali
soils. But it SO happens that there are some
root crops which require large amount of
soluble salts, and which will not only do re-
markably well on our soils, but will relieve
it of its excess of salts. To this class be-
long beet, carrots, turnips, potatoes, etc. 1t
has been already demonstrated that these
crops do remarkably well here. But if they
are raised, what shall we do with them? We
must have stock and feed our crop TO them.
No money can be made out of farming when
farmers sell their grain and root crops. We
mean, of course, no permanent income can
be made. At times crop OF vegetables or
grain brings good price, but in nine cases
out of ten il brings next to nothing, not
enough to pay for the expense of raising It.
In short time sufficient produce will be
raised here to supply the home market. We
cannot depend on supplying large. booming
mining camps always, although that viii
doubtless soon furnish an outlet for part of
our produce. But We shall be safer IL we are
independent of these things. There is, and
always will be, n sale for good stock. If we
raise our crop and feed them to animals at
home, we make two profts-the farmers
profit on the grain, etc, and the stockman's s
profit on the animals. This is what farming
has become in the Eastern States and this is
what il must become here If We wish to max e
il a paying business.
OF Prof Hilgard's, which we quote: ..The
condition Of preventing evaporation from the
surface is also measurably fulfilled by such
crops as alfalfa, which not only thoroughly
shades the ground, but in addition causes al
most the entire evaporation water to pass up
through its deep roots TO the leaves, so rs not
TO reach the surface at all. Such accumuls-
tion Of alkali in and around the roots, can
occur under such circumstances, is too much
diluted TO hurt the plant. The fact that al
falfa succeeds perfectly on ground too much
charged with alkali to grow grain is motor
ious only care must be taken to prevent in
jury TO the root crowns while the plants do
not yet cover the surface. by timely irriga-
ton. IL circumstances permitted the profit
able cultivation of alfalfa on 50 large a scale,
the alkali districts would perhaps have little
need to look farther"
Many thousand head of cattle can he sup
ported on the immense summer ranges sur
rounding our valley. If the farmers Of the
valley viii settle the question of winter feed.
by raising large amounts of alfalfa, of which
one ton will winter steer and turn him off
in good condition in the spring. At the rate
Of six tons to the per year, and each
ton worth twenty dollars, how can a farmer
make more money than by raising alfalfa
But alfalfa is the coming hog in Colora-
do. In no State in the Union do hogs pay
better than in Colorado; therefore here Is
another method Of turning alfalfa into ready
cash.
But still another and by no means unim-
portant field open to us is the culture of fruits
large and small. These, Prof Hilgard SAYS
both large and small, do well aud bring large
prices. He recommends rsisins and prunes.
There is no doubt that here lies before us an
other vast field for intelligent investigation
and work.
This paper will have been written IN vain
ifany one who reads or hears it shall not
have concluded that there is occasion for
doubt of the ultimate and great success of
our valley in the most important depart
ments of agriculture namely fruit growing
and stock raising.
To sum up in a word what our present
knowledge seems to justify us in concluding
in regard to this soil, we would say at first
that hoed crops should be raised. These
should he often and thoroughly cultivated,
and water should be applied in abundance to
wet the sub-soil and wash out any superflu-
Gus salts which rise to the surface.