The silver star., 1897-09-09
WESTERN FArM NOTES.
(From Field and Farmo

sA~6 shaoC ~ tAC lSuttOuS
There is something of renewal In
Jersey interest In Colorado and a nun.
Der OF very good herds are being gath
cred together again after the slump
three or four years ago.
The Gulf Railroad Company has buill
extensive sheep dipping watts at Clay.
ton, New Mexico, no that all sheep In
that section that are shipped north can
be dipped before loading.
A. A. Knott has sold 23OOO lambs to
the farmers near Berthoud, Larimer
county, and has engaged 5000 more
The contractors are Offering to place
lambs among the farmers Of Larimer
county at 81 a head with freight paid
to the river.
The National Cattle Convention will
be held in Denver on the dates Of Jan
uary 20, 21 and %, 1898, or there
abouts. There had been some work on q
plan to hold the meeting during the
Festival of Mountain and Plain, but
this proposition has been given up ow
Ing to many good and sufficient reas
ons. Dates are now claimed in Janu
ary, and the time will then be ripe for
a rousing meeting.
The people of Canon City are making
an unusual effort individually and
collectively for the success of the state
fruit show, which Is to be held there
on the dates of September 10 and 10.
In most of the horticultural counties
an agent is at work collecting fruit for
the show, and cold storage plant at
Pueblo Is keeping 1t on ice until the
show is ready for 1t. A large pavilion
is being erected at Canon City for the
exhibition and it promises to be one
Of the best general fruit shows ever
given under one canvas in Colorado. 1t
Will certainly be n greater success than
the one held In Denver last fall.
William Churches, one of the Oldest
settlers In Jefferson county, is of the
opinion that the farmers of northern
Colorado have got to come to a better
understanding with themselves regard
Ing the advantages of sheep husbandry.
They must adopt the domestic type of
sheep us regular crop. Then they
must have portable fences. change the
sheep from one portion of pasture to
another, grow rape, turnips and alfalfa
and in this way they will get more
money of their acreage than they are
now receiving and they will become
better farmers in every way.
Quite good many fruit growers are
complaining of too much fruit--over-
production. Now this despairing cry
has some foundation, when the prOtlllc-
tiOn us whole is considered, but when
the higher grades of all kinds of fruits
are considered there IL no OverprOduc-
tlOn. Thousands of fruit growers are
slow to learn that 1t does not pay to
produce inferior fruit of any kind. In
other words. there is room and n re-
munerative price for all the really
choice or fancy fruit that can be pro-
duced. The excellent fruit districts over
on the Western slope ought to make a
speciality of producing most excellent
fruit, but, alas! the most of the grow
and are throwing away golden oppor-
tunities.
The threshing season is well on in
northern Colorado and the farmers
who are 80 fortunate as to have wheat
to thresh are the busiest men In the
country. At Eaton. Weld county, the
case OF one farmer will serve as an H.
lustrntiOn to show what others are do
ing. Il. X. Packard's wheat averaged
about forty-seven bushels an acre for
his entire crop. Fifteen acres of De
fiance yielded at the rate of fifty-five
bushels an acre. Oats on the same farm
averaged tifty-eight bushels an acre. AS
these returns are much larger than the
estimates, 1t Is thought that the whole
wheat crop will also he greater than
previously reported. The estimate for
the country tributary to Eaton is placed
at $3OOOOO or $iOO.OOO bushels.
There Is n big crop of apples In Mis-
souri, and the eastern part OF Kansas
this year. and the packing Of early
kinds has been going on very actively
of late. One packer In LeavenwOrth
has sent east forty carloads. One firm
In AtchIsOn county has sold it's crop
on 135 acres mt $4,000. A dispatch
from Kansas City says: Reports
from the apple districts Of Southwest
Missouri indicate that this will be
most prosperous year for the apple
growers. Buyers from New York and
contracting for apples In carload lots.
There Ii shortage In the Michigan
crop. and New York has not enough
apples for Its own use. Local commits
sion men say that the crop will start
to move at - n barrel. and they expect
prices to advance rapidly to $2.25 and
$3.50. and perhaps higher. The Mis-
souri, yield will he enormous and
thousands Of barrels will be shipped
to other stntes.''
The Utah station has been trying a
series OF irrigation experiments with
fall wheat and the results are peculiar
to say the least. Fail irrigation one sea-
son when rain brought the wheat up
was detrimental to both the yield OF
grain and straw. while In the succeed
Ing fall. when there was not rain
enough to bring the grain up until late,
the fall irrigation was beneficial. the
average being little In favor of fall
irrigation. The Increase over no irri.
CATION was not enough to Justify the
expense Of irrigation. II would appear.
too. that two irrigatlons In the spring
IL about the proper amount OF water to
give fnll grain on exceedingly dry
ground. The first season the third irrI.
CATION had no effect on tho yield. while
In the second the third irrigation was
but slightly beneficial. The straw. how.
ever. Increased with the third lrrlga.
tlon. hut only to II slight extent.
Corn nt present prices. sold by the
bushel. brings "a to 81 an acre. Grain