Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1898-09-15
FARMING MATTERS.
(Trom Field and TarmJ

Rio Grnnde county last week and TOOK
them to his corn lots.
Fall shipment OF steers out of south
ern New Mexico, are bringing $500
for yearllngs, Sd. 80 for twos ana $2f.-
80 for threes and over.
The Aiken live stock company OF
Larimer county has purchased i,Wo
head OF Shropshire lambs ut $2.2o
head from j. A. Slnyton OF We'd couh'
ty.
1t has been shown by actual expert
ment In Weld county that where the
land has been subdivided into ten-acre
plats and planted to small fruits, each
ten acres being placed In charge OF
family, the average yield amounted u
81, 500 or $3.50 an acre. The land own.
ers furnished the land, house ana
water, the family doing the work:
This plan il advantageous to the ianu
owner. the irrigation companies ana 10
families to have the land cut up into
small tracts, giving settlements, neigh
borhoods. schools, much larger sale
of goods and u very greatly Increased
shipment OF freight and passenger
traffic for the railroad companies.
Az n general proposition horse val
ues have advanced from ten to twenty
now thun In several years. Most peo-
pie have claimed all along that the ad-
vance was on good horses only, but to
review the record of auction sales Tor
three months back would incline them
to give more credit to common horses.
Last year Mt this time there were pug
horses selling down to the lowest pos-
sible quotation. $3.50. or course, they
were exceedingly common anu WORTH
less. The same kind IL still going to
market, but those that have sold DC
low $40 during the past ninety days
could almost be counted OH the fingers
of one hand.
1t IL often thought that II weeds are
piled In heaps and left to dry and then
burned all danger from the dropping
seed IL avoided. Yet unless brush has
been mixed with the weeds SO rs to
make a hotter fire with some Goals
some OF the seeds will escape. This
is seen every year where weeds nave
been burned the previous summer In the
growth of weeds OF the same kind as
those that were burned. As the weeds
dry the seeds fall out OF them. drop
ping to the soil. and the slow burning
OF wet or damp weeds concentrates
carbonic acid gas under the heap. 20
that much OF what il there found,
though II be thoroughly dried. cannot
burn, The seeds OF some kinds or
weeds are made more sure to grow by
being thus exposed to extreme heat.
The I.arimer county alfalfa growers
who have been feeding lambs quite ex.
tenslvely this season. have taken the
calf fever and are going to whipsaw
their operations as Il sort OF experi-
ment. The situation Is well described
by ]. A. Brown of Fort Collins. who
SAYS that only One-third rs many
lambs will be fed next year. and adds:
"Some yearlings are going In, but rs n
rule from five to seven-montlis-old
calves are preferred. as we can get
better gain from them. We gain not
only the fat we put on. but the addi-
tional growing weight besides. There
is good demand for the finished prod
uct. We will try to make as good
beef MS can be made. and II We sue
coed. we will have Colorado fed baby
beef that will command Il premium In
the market"
1t IL an easy matter to keep potatoes
out of doors during winter. and 1t Is
worthy of note to read what one of
our friends In Jefferson county has to
say on the subject: Il have kept pO-
and forth as deep as the plow could be
made to run, and scooping out the loose
dirt so as to leave a furrow, about four
feet wide ut the top. and about two
feet deep. fill rounding full with DO.
tatoes and cover with hay, then with
dirt, lust enough to cover. AT the first
freeze another course of straw and dirt
should be put on. and then as winter
sets In some manure or chaffy straw
will keep the potatoes from freezing
The best feature of this treatment Is
that the potatoes will not need sprout-
ing in the spring. as they will be rs
fresh rs when put in. One must be
careful not to cover too heavy the first
time. for then there is danger OF rot.
ting while in the sweat. Such n ditch
will hold 100 bushels TO the rod
When we shall have fully learned
the magical art OF cultivation in this
country we will have fewer scraps
over water-rights and will depend less
on the salvation of irrigation, as good
as 1t may be. We are yearly learning
many new and valuable lessons in the
science of farming without so much
moisture. and an instance of this kind
Is furnished by II Larimer county old
time farmer named w. +. Watrous.
who has this season raised $50 bushels
of wheat from thirty acres of unplow-
ed and unirrigated land. A disc har-
row was used first on corn stubble and
the seed was drilled in. This was all
the cultivation the fed had. 1t was
not irrigated from seed time to hnr
vest. and, in fact. the field never has
been irrigated. Twenty-seven bushels
of wheat to the acre on unplowed and
unirrigated land speaks well for the
fertility of Colorado soil and 1t also
proves what can be done without irri
CATION where intelligent preparation
of the soil has been given.
Any one figuring on feeding n bunch
of sheep in the winter will be safe In
allowing 400 pounds of hay and 100
pounds of corn to each. sheep fed. The
hay should be fed in racks about three
foot 1ulln with aIa.,i.,1.