Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-06-22
FARMING MATTERS.

peaches than last year, and good crop
OF pears and many varieties of apples.
A great deal must be learned about the
growing of fruit and nothing but diver
sitied fruit culture will be great sue
cess In any country.
During these days of study and In
vestigation to find some suitable
lcgume for forage 1t may be well TO
note that the Hat pea. Lathyrus syl-
vestris, brought to this country nj
great expense by the Department OF
Agriculture. has proved tizZle ana
was condemned from the start by the
editor OF this paper. There are about
thirty kinds of variations Of COW peas.
but there Is little difference in their
value.
Wyoming is fast becoming the sheep
mems country and 1t is only ques-
tion OF II few years when they Will
possess the state. Only five firms in
the western portion still range cattle
there. All the country south OF Raw
Inns has been given up TO the sheep
men and firms that formerly ranged
cattle have been forced TO change their
holdings into sheep. One cattlcman
says he is surrounded by sheep. but
having purchased n large tract OF
country from the Union Pacific he has
succeeded in holding his range. The
pusiHtss IL III tlatl St'-
ton and there is Il disposition on the
part of some of the sheepmen to sell
and get out. and ii is probable thar Il
large number of sheep will be thrown
upon the market this season.
Usually, the first irrigation needed
will be about the time of thinning. II
they are furrowed just before thinning
and irrigated just afterwards. they
will be left in good condition for vigor
Gus growth. During the thinning. any
beets covered by the furrowlng plow
can be uncovered. and the subsequent
irrigation will start the Isolated. droop-
ing bcets to grow rapidly. Water
should be applied subsequently only
when the bects give unmistakahle evil
dcnce of needing II. Whiting during the
heat Of the day. If they revive at night,
is not necessarily sign that they need
irrigation. If they Wit early in the
day. or have Il dark green color. and
the soil Is dry to n depth Of five TO eight
inches, water should he applied. There
Is less danger of excessive irrigation in
light than in heavy soils.
The amount of irrigation depends up
on the character of the soil and the
condition Of the weather. but the meth
cd is the same in all cases. They should
be furrowed with Il shovel plow just
the right size to avoid covering many
of the beets. Two furrowing shovels
attached to a crosS-bar fitted with
shafts makes n convenient implement
for furrowin-. The Shoyels should he
set double the distance between the
rOws. as 1t is necessary only to furrow
alternate ones. \ large furrow Is plow-
ed across the upper end of the field for
n head ditch and another across the
1punr anl for "a ditch If the
field is over twenty-five rods long. 1t
should be divided through the center
by cross-ditch to serve as both a
waste ditch for the upper half and n
head ditch for the lower half.
People who raise alfalfa and other
trcfoils for grazing purposes. have fire.
quently lost valuable animals from
bloat. Many remedies. more or less
humane. have been practced. such as
puncturing the paunch. giving salt.
feeding straw. etc, but one of the best
plans is to take n round piece of wood
two and one-half or tree inches in d.
ameter. and twelve inches long. and A.
tach it to n halter the same rs Il bit
for a horses bride. The rowel IS
placed in the mouth OF the animal ana
fastened to Il halter, or in lieu of
halter. to the horns, and in about fif-
teen minutes the animal will find relief
and the bloat will disappear. The stick
keeps the mouth open. permitting free
escape of the gases. 1t Is well TO keep
n number of these simple contrivancrs
hanging in the corral for immediate
use when needed
Ground for sugar bects must have
sufficient slope to make it possible to
irrigate without flooding any consider
able portion. \ fall of two or four
Inches in one hundred feet in the direc-
ton Of the rows is necessary for sue
cessful irrigation. In fields having
more slope than this. the rows should
run in such a direction that the fall
will in no part of the field be more than
six inches to one hundred feet. If the
fall is too great. the water flows so
rapidly down the furrow that seepage
downwards and sidewise is slow. and
much water will be wasted in endeav-
Oring to wet the soil properly In light
soils. especially in warm, dry weather,
1t will sometimes be found necessary
to irrigate in order to bring the beets
up. But this should be avoided. if pos
Sible, by planting the seed in moist soil.
during cool weather. at n sufficient
depth to insure termination before the
soil dries out.
For admitting water to the upper
ends of the burrows. galvanized iron
tubes fifteen inches long and about two
inches in diameter have been found
very useful. BY. bringing them all on
she same level, an even supply of water
will run down each furrow. Special
care must be exercised to prevent the
water from breaking from the furrows
and flooding the adjoining area. It is
usually more effcctual to remove the
obstruction mt head of the stream. or
lower the high furrow bottom, as the
case may be- than bank up the sides OF
the furrow at the place the water is
escaping. The water should be allowed
to run until the soil about the bcets on
either side of the furrow is well moist
ened. In light soils. the entire sur
face between the rows should become
wet by lateral movement of the water
from the burrows. After the early part