The state herald., 1898-04-01

results in the cultivation Of tngar beets,
800 OF which is offered BY ftho county
and $50 by tho Denver Chs1ber OF Com
mercs. This is wise moves
W. N. Byers Of Denver, preeident Of
the Denver Consolidated Trpmway Com
pany, In last Sunday's Denvlr kepubll-
can gives his views in regard to dry
farming in eastern Colorado. lie states
that he agrees in,geueral with the views
OF Ex-Governor Cooper as to the possi-
bililies of dry farming in eastern Colora-
do. Ex-Governor Cooper's views were
gwen In last weeks HERALD. Mr.. By
ers gives an interesting account of the
planting aud cultivatiny OF Stark Bros.
orchards and nursery near Denver lie
says:
"Tbe most interesting experiment in
deep plowing and thorough cultivation
that | have known in Colorado is tie
Stark Bros. orchards aud nursery, near
Littleton. about 10 miles south OF Dem
yer, 1t has been managed from the be-
ginning by Mr. Page and /, has been
s or 10 years since first planted. Stark
Bros. leased 80 acres OF land frcm the
state and prepared to plant i, in fruit
trees. They contracted with the High
lime ditch for water to irrigate and they
were supplied for portion oi the season,
when the water supply failed. They then
tried boring artesian wells, hoping to get
a supply OF water by that means and con
structed large reservoir to hold the wa
ter, and from which they could conduct
it over nearly all their ground.
"rhe wells failed to furnish the water
expected and there was no other means
by which 1t could be obtained. They
then resorted to deep ploEing and thor
ough, persisten, cultivation. Their plant
ing oi trees IN the orchard rows was made
after only ordinary shallow ploslng.
They had plowed narrow strips where
the trees Sonld come and in these had
planted the trees. When they gave up
the nope OF being able TO irrigate, they
immediately proceeded to break ont the
open ground between the rows and sub
soil 1t, thereby stirring the ground to a
depth OF ~ inches, which was followed
by continuons cultivation, GO.
"lf the deep plowiDg had tiesn- under
the rows CT trees also, the effect NO doub
would have been very much moro salts
factory. As 1t was done, the ground un.
der the trees had only shallow plowing
between the rows OF trees it had deep
plowing. They secured by this plan a
good stand Of trees, very lew dying, and
they followed this plan year after year,
during which their trees grew rapidly anu
in time produced large quantitle. Of fruit
"ln one year OF this period, tho rainfall
at Denver Tor the II months was, think,
IA little less than . inches, which is about
one sixth OF the average rainfall in Mis-
sonri. ln this year their trees made u
bout the average growth and produced a
good crop OF fruit, and Mr.. Page told me
that one heavy ram that passed over
Denver and was there measured, did not
touch them nt all, so that their rainfall
was probably about eight inches.
Their method oil cultvatinS the
ground was with disc harrows, and they
were careful not To allow any vegetation
TO grow upon the ground except the trees
"Last year Mr.. Page became convinced
that his trees had grown 10 large and
;ha; tbs Toots bad 30 completely filled
the soil oil over the surffco that both
trees and fruit hud reached that stage
when they lacked moisture aud he again
arranged Tor water from the ditch Ia or
der to increase the yield oi fruit. The
new departure proved very snccossfuI
and the fruit crop proved very large.
Here wac u very successful expert
ment reaching through a number OF Year,
upon u piece OF ground naturally ns dry
us any in the country, aud having ram
in!l us small, probably. ns any part oi
Colorado. The result. to me. wns very
surprising and have boon IN tho habit
OF gong especially to study 1t each yeai
one or more times and aiming to inspect
the orchard ut the most trying times N
it's years history, always found tn.
surface thoroughly pulverized aud IL
much the condition of an ash heap. one
sinking into tho soil ankle deep. Th,
surface wns dry, but by scraping swny
the surface enrth always found Il mois,
at depth Of two or three inchoa.
"Thc trees upon this ground were
planted very close together, being first
rows oI standard trees at about tho or,
dinnry distance apart, aud then between
them, rows Of dwurf trees or Of short lived
lfecs, both Of which litter classes were
expected to die or DO removed within a
lew yeafs, THIS clooe planting moro than
doubled the tax upon tho ground and
more than doubled tho draft upon the
moisture OF the ground.
"Dad the ground been plowed deeply
mud thoroughly subsoled under tho rows
before planting, ns we'll as between tho
trecs, aud tho planting Ind then been
done In accordance with the rules Of
planting mn orchard Of standard trees. at
u dietanco Of % or 30 feet npart In both
directions, have no doubt II might have
been n permanent aud succcssful enter.