La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1898-09-03
WESTERN FARM NOTES.
From Field and FARM

The executive committee OF the Utah
Wool Growers Association met recent
ly at Salt Lake City and an assess
ment was levied on all members of the
association for contingent expenses and
to establish a fund for fighting coyotes.
Estimates submitted to the committee
showed that sheep to the value of
S150OOO are destroyed every year by
coyotes in Utah. An effort will be
made by the executive committee of
the wool growers to have Il coyote
bounty bill passed by the Legislature.
To whatever sum the Legislature
agrees on, the committee proposes to
add something. In addition hunters
will be employed and every possible
means taken to get rid of the pests.
A trial was made at the Kansas sta
tion Of ordinary and thorough prcpara-
ton OF the ground for wheat. That
given ordinary treatment was har-
rowed and fonted until in fair condj-
ton, but having many small clods on
the surface. That given thorough treat
ment was gone over with disc harrow
and float until fine dust mulch four
inches deep was made. The ordinary
treatment yielded nineteen bushels to
the acre, weighing 537 pounds to the
bushel. The thorough treatment gave
22.4 bushels an acre, weighing 54.7
pounds bushel, a gain In yield of
nearly eighteen per cent. Tor thorough
treatment.
The hackberry has not been recog-
nized as one of ColoradO's native
growths, but 1t grows here neverthe-
less, and last week, over in Jefferson
county, on high, rocky knoll, we
found a very good specimen of it just
three miles north of Arvada. This is
the only native celtts we have ever
seen in Colorado, but, Of course, there
may be others. This tree stands In
the rocks with very little II any soil
and Is ten feet high with n diameter
of eight inches. 1t is gnarly tree
as rugged rs the rocks themselves and
is probably 200 or 300 years old. This
tree Is the celtis occldentalis, which is
not recognized by either Gray Of Coul-
ter in their works on Rocky Mountain
botany. The leaves are from one to
two and half inches long, with an
acute apex making them heart shaped.
The fruit is globular, cherry like, of
reddish yellow, n quarter of an inch in
diameter. The tree rather resembles
an elm In appearance.
When G. p. Dewey of Manhattan,
Kansas. began feeding steers, he acted
on the advice of his neighbors and reg
ularly burned Off his prairie pastures.
A careful study of the matter con-
yinced him that this was unwise and
for number of years his pastures
have not been burned over and great
pains are taken to prevent fires. Mr..
Dewey thinks by keeping the fire from
his patures the grass Is more vigorous
by not having the roots exposed to the
weather: large portion of the snow
and rainfall is saved, and great saw
ing In food Is made. Three or four
years ago when the drouth was espe-
clally severe in Kansas Mr. Dewey had
an ample supply Of water in his pas.
lures and the springs kept running.
while his neighbors had to sink wells
or drive their stock miles to the river.
Mr.. Dewey thinks that the cause Of
this difference was that the grass In hIs
pastures had not been burned for
years and on this account there had
been . yearly accumulation Of water
sufficient to sast through the two Year,
of drouth.,