The Holly chieftain., 1900-03-16
me FARnERs. INSTITUTE.

~ b nsay - fssslsy. AAs<A 8.
i0eo.-A nnf Repsrs ~ - ~
Dsrease Neetiss.
It is doubtful whether the farming
community tributary TO Holly ever
had more profitable or interesting
convention than the one held 1t the
school house In Holly on last Tuesdav.
March & In addition to ths array Of
local talent present. We were favored
with addfesDss from men whose knowl-
sdge and experience have given them
national reputation. Professor ".
". Cooke and Professor L. G. Carpen-
ter. Of Fort Collins, who were guests
Of Mr.. ". N. Wiley during their stay
In Holly, dealt exhauStiyelv on two
subjects Of importance to the farmers
here, viz, sugar beets and irrigation.
Professor Grimm, Of Rocky Ford. read
. valuable paper on cantaloupe cul-
ture.
It viii be imposslble 70 give more
than brief report OF each address
aud to state tersely the main facts
and conclusions arrived at on each
topic dealt with.
Mr. W. n. Wiley called the meet
Ing to order and introduced u the first
speaker Professor II. n. Grifiia, sup
sriAtendent Of the State Experiment.
u station 1t Rocky Ford. Tho sab
ject Of his paper was
cANrxLourE cuITuxn
Nr. Grimm stated that the soil Of
this valley Is eminentlv adapted TO
the growing Of cantaloupes. but that
more attention must be paid to crop
rotation. The continual cropping Of
the same land with the same kind Of
product deprives II Of plant food. b
exhausting upon the coil. weaksns the
plant itself and affects the quality Of
the fruit. ThA practice OF plowlng up
alfalfa grount and planting 70 canta-
loupes Is desirable but not always
practicable, however, he recomnnsnds
the planting Of lsgnmiNen1 crops ara
plowins under = the ground requires
nitrogen. Green Us0ps are 0n6 o. ta1e
best to secure this d.sired element.
A number Of experiments have been
made with field peas. COW peas and
vetches as soil improvera They have
g advantage Of adding humus to the
land and produce good physical and
mechanical condition.
The Importance OF proper seed se-
lection is fully appreciated. Fruits
and grains haye q we'll known tenden-
cy TO run ont and this u overcome by
cross breeding. Seed should not Be
!. selected from the Gull pile. 1t Il
economical to get god seed, even II II
should Gust two dollars pound. Prop
ct attention should be paid to the size.
shape, netting, small seed cavity and
proper colored fesh. The necessity Of
careful handling IN the held and In
packing and transporting is apparent
to careful observers. Cantaloupes Oft
en- appear all right on the out side
whereas they have been bruised in
handling or hauling and In conse-
quence deteriorate in quality and flav-
or. The price OF cantaloupes can Only
j be maintained by making the quality
good enough SO that they will be ,
luxury. The feeding Of cantsloupes
TO hogs Is most economical and gives
the best results when combined With
{ heavier feed such ~ corn or other
grain.
DISEASE OF THE VINE
Blight on cantaloupes was q mt no
ticed In this valley about four years
ago. Each year has witnessed = vast
extension In area and severity, - the
fungus carries from one field to an0th-
|. or. A preliminary test was made IN
1898 and specimens were forwarded 70
s Professor Crandall Of New Jersey,
who Is an authority on fungus diseas-
- Of plants. he states that The dis-
ease II of . new species and givss II u
technical nsme which the writer Il
unable to quote. An extensive tsst
was made last year at Rocky Ford
with the following results: u
! Eeed was planted May l1th and on
June z1nd the plants were sprayed
I with Bordeaux mixture, although no
blight had Appeared - thlt date.
The Bordeaux mfxtnrs ussd wa6 made
up from one pound bf blue stone dis
solved In about ten GALLONS of water
to which sufficient lime hsd been add.