Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1898-10-27
FARMING MATTERS.
(Irrom Field and Farm.)


Some of the Larlmer county sheep
feeders IRE paying as high as $2.65 for
lambs this fall. This includes freight
paid to the river, but 1t Is big price
for lambs.
The Arkansas valley people are not
going to feed so many lambs this sea-
son as last and thus far we have heard
of only 1000 head contracted for in
Otero county. The idea prevails that
the hay is worth more for other pur-
poses.
The Oklahoma station changed two
cows from prairie grass pasture to al
falfa, both pastures being in good con-
dltion. After allowing the cows week
to become used to the change, the
yields were weighed and tested. 1t
was found that there was an increase
cows showed very slight change In
the quality Of the milk and the other
none.
The Denver Dairymen's Association
has laid out some practical work to
do and we hope the plans will be car
rled out. One very good scheme Is to
buy all grain and feed supplies at
wholesale and one item already under
consideration il an order for 1000 tons
Of corn from Nebraska or Kansas. 1t
Is too bad that some Colorado COM
munity cannot supply this corn so that
the money for 1t might be kept Mt
home. Kansas and Nebraska buy none
Of our dairy products.
The fall Of the year is the natural
time for putting out nut seeds for trees
Mt the places where they are to stand
permanently. The Oldest nut tree in
Colorado grown from seed brought In
by white men stands in Bellevue val
ley In Larimer county and Is now for
ty years old. 1t Is black walnut
brought from Missouri by u hester In
1883, and this tree Is a living evidence
Of what may be done In nut culture.
In planting nuts 1t Is best to cover
walnuts three inches, hickory two,
acorn two. The latter usually sends a
root down into the earth in the fall
and In the spring starts up a shoot.
The nut tree would be just the things
to grow along our highways and
bitches.
Evidently = new and important dis
covery has been made in the poudre
valley this year In the use OF sheep
manure for unirrigated lands. Last
fall Thomas Cline of the Harmony dis
trict five miles south OF Fort Collins
applied good quantity u u piece Of
plowed land. Afterwards he turned tile
manure under with the pillow and then
gave 1t good soaking with water
from his ditch. Last spring he again
plowed the land and planted potatoes
upon 1t and without n drop of water
In the way of irrigation during the
season raised fine crop. From one
n IN tn oil vi x.-t I,rn nj ,fpt
ing two bushels to the sack Of fine,
large. smooth. ripe potatoes, some of
which weigh two and one-fourth
pounds. David Williamson Of the same
neighborhOOd tried u similar expert
ment with results equally satisfactory.
This adds another argument in favor
Of the sheep feeding industry. Large
quantities OF sheep manure accumulate
in the corrals and feeding pens which
should be utilized for fertilizing pur-
poses. The value In this respect seems
to be the readiness with which the
manure absorbs and retains moisture.
1t Is beyond question n fact that 1t
pays to manure orchards, or indeed any
sort Of fruit plantations. We of Colo
RADIO fully recognize that new lands,
when once subdued, are better than
older ones, that crops nre better on
them and fruits and grains finer; and
yet, because our lands continue to pro-
duce profitable crops, and because the
decrease In size of fruit or quality Of
grain is so gradual, some OF us mt
least, conclude that our soils are prnc-
tically inexhaustible. and consequently
do not need any manuring. Another
thing which often leads people of the
west to think that manuring does not
pay is because they apply 1t at the
wrong time or In the wrong place.
Strawy manure hauled directly to the
orchard and plowed in is worse than
useless, because 1t prevents the soil
from settling and thus allows the air
to dry 1t out. Besides this. the manure
not being rotted does not disintegrate
and is not available for the plant. 1t
therefore does little good and some
positive harm. 1t should be piled in |
some out-of-the-way place and allowed
to compost before 1t is used. The prop
err place to apply manure is. some dis |
lance from the tree where the feeding |
roots are found. How often do we see |
1t piled up about the trunk of tree
where 1t can do almost no good and |
may do harm by harborlng mice and |
insect pests?