Rocky Ford enterprise., 1895-03-07
WESTERN FARM NOTES.
lFrom Field and Farm.l

]. A. Betcher of New Windsor, Weld
county, sent six carloads Of alfalfa-fed
lambs on to Chicago last week and hit
the market lowering around cents.
The market is not quite so good as the
Colorado feeders would like to see, and
they only hope 1t will not get any
lower.
We cannot understand why the
chestnut tree Is not more fully under.
stood and appreciated here in the
Rocky mountain region. 1t seems to
prefer soil formed of disintegrated
granite, gneiss or mica, slate or sand
stone. 1t may succeed in a deep soil
of light siliciOus character, but all at
tempts to grow It in a calcerous soil
will result in failure. A fine grove of
seedlings near Denver, with each tree
thirty feet high. is a living argument
that the Pennsylvania chestnut is at
home here.
Colorado Is taking on a new popula-
tlon this spring that is very encourag-
ing. The trains from the East are
loaded with settlers, all headed toward
the land of the lofty peaks, and large
majority Of these people are locating
in the sunny valleys of the western
slope, where Pomona and Flora are
setting up Kingdoms and are engaged
in the real estate business. The land
Of the big red apple will soon be 10
Gated in the heart of our great noun
tains and the world outside will soon
be looking on us In open-eyed wonder
ment.
A deal has been consummated undel
which X. L. Jennings Of Salt Lake
City and some associates have pur
chased the Ridenbaugh canal and some
5000 acres of land near Boise City,
Idaho. The price paid is in the neigh
borhood of $35O,OOO. The canal irri-
gates a large section of country below
Boise, including lands in the vicinity
Of Nampa. 1t is understood that au
extensive colonization project Is part
of the new owners scheme, to be fol
lowed by the erection Of extensive
beet-sugar works. Mr.. Jennings Is
prominently identified with the Utah
Sugar Company. This Is the way to
go at things. One man like this will
do more than thousand men belong
Ing to a commission such as a hOtbed
politician is now endeavorlng to fois.
upon the unsuspecting people of Colo
RADIO.
Press dispatches are being sent out
from Denver to the effect that the
farmers of Kansas have got a new idea
into their heads-that of irrigation by
|
emanate from some city man who is
way behind the times, for the farmers
Of Kansas have been dealing with that
lquestion for years. Some Of them have
been irrigating from five to fifteen
ncres. But the dispatcher In question
Informs the public that there is no
reason why every farmer should not
have windmill pumping apparatus,
since 1t would only cost $3.50, and
I
settles the question off-hand. Wind
mill irrigation is a coming feature Of
farming, but large reservoirs, say 10Ox
so feet, are necessary in addition to the
pumping machines, II even a few acres
are to be watered.
A man who has had much experience
In growing the Bartlett pear, and who
has great faith in this as one of the
coming crops in western Colorado,
writes: '"rhe tree is long-livsd one
and becomes more prolific as 1t grows
older, providing the polarization Of Its
blossoms is aided by placing stand or
two Of bees in the orchard during the
Towering period. 1t is a fact now
thoroughly established that the Bart
lett pear blossom does not pollenize its
own flowers, but must be aided by
bees The bark of the Bartlett pear
tree in Its young stage IL as quickly
subjected to sunburn as the prune, and
1t must be protected by a wash Of
whale-oil soap, water and whiting. In
pruning the Bartlett when the tree is
growing, pinch Off the terminal buds
on such limbs us 1t Is desired to branch.
do this on only about half Of
them at one time. 1t Is desirable to
keep the tree growing, and not stunt 1t
In any way. This is all the pruning
necessary. During the winter, when
the tree is dormant, I take out the
suckers from the middle of the tree,
and dig up the sprouts that come from
the roots"
Navy beans can be grown on almost
any soil, although they do best on mod
erntely light lOam and, Of course, the
richer the soil the larger the yield.
While the average yield in the East
Is but twenty bushels to the acre, ]. c..
Bowman of this city says the yield
round about Denver Is commonly $500
pounds to the acre, which is more than
double the Eastern average. Beans
sell in Denver at 21a cents pound the
year around, and they can be cultivat-
ed without the use of a team, a man.
weight garden cultivator with the
proper shoes is all the implement that
is needed. This machine costs only
$3.50 The city OF Denver uses sixty
carloads OF white navy beans annually,
and of these not more than one-third
is produced at home. In fact the entire
receipts on the Denver market last
year of Colorado grown beans was less
than twenty carloads.
Last fall when some samples Of Colo
RADIO apples were sent to Joseph Spies,
leading fruit dealer on South Water
street In Chicago, he replied as fol
lows: 81 never saw finer Jonathans
anywhere, and certainly nothing that
would begin to compare with them this
season. Such apples would have
brought So n barrel here at any time
since October 1, and II placed in cold
storage until just before the holidays
1t would hardly be safe to say how
much-certainly a very extravagant
price. The Winesap was certainly
very fine in appearance, and this Is an
apple that has been sadly neglected by
ample raisers. 1t is one Of the longest
keeping apples grown. almost as good
in this respect as Ben Davis, and supe-
rior in quality. 1t comes into market
naturally after Jonathan is out Of the
way, and when carefully selected and
,,o ,l,od it will sell eQIally aS well as