Rocky Ford enterprise., 1900-08-17
FARMING MATTERS
(Froin Field aud FARM

al
bead with no takers. The rang.
10 badly ovefcrowisi and the stock
must luke II not removed.
Ground intended for winter wheat
should be well piowed Ms early as posi-
bae after tha crop Is removed and well
pulrertled with any tool that will u.
the work. nnd not later than the middi.
OF tho September the seed should b.
drilled In. II is s-nr-vay possible I.
xet the ground In too fine iillh. Soms
people In southern Colorado are going
To plow under an alfalfa sod Ou which
To rotate . crop OF winter wheat and
We arc anxious to sse how the scheuis
comes out
The bare SPOTS In an alfalfa fieid
may bs easily niied by practicins q
little ingenuity in time. and lhi,
thought COMES To mind from having oh
served an instance ot tie kind in Boui
der county III. other day. The owner
had allowed the third crop To inainp
sss,d and hal then narrowed III.
ground u give th. seeds the proper
covering. TIL. plants iiad come up well
and were well provided with roots AMI
leaves They practically fiiiei the ban
places In ths reli.
The Red river ranges Ia III. Catskiii
Vasque1 AMI nijnc-nt viciniiics on tbs
Maxwell land grant Ia northern New
Mexico have b-rn heavily rr-tockr-i
from southern New Mexico and Arizo'
nn. AMI u II estimated that sO.GDJ head
of cattle can now b- counted th-r
where three years since 5000 could
not In Tailed. The present season
for both shs,.p and cattle hns been III.
ts.st In year. throughout northern an'i
northeastern New Mexico. The litti.
ms well as the tis outfits have mad.
good money. Among these arr Colonel
IT, u. Head. Captain French. wicks \
brigham. III" Aureus. Charles Spring
cr. Michael Stockton and the Abbott
fiocrshcim outfit.
This ~ the time of year when the
soiling crop plays such mn important
part In the economy af the dairy herd
hut ns usual with thss.. proposition.
thcrc arr hut few men In this countr,
who have provided the material foi
such a luxury. This Journal was last
spring particularly urgent In Its MP
pcni~ to farmers To try some forug'
suitable for soiling purposes durinr
the trying dog days of midsummer
hut the ndvicr went unhs,.dsi and
many COWS nr- now running down nj
the heel for want Of proper nourish
uicnt. Alfalfa IL III conrs. our great
est source of relief at this tim. and II
IL n lazy man ini.~i who will not cut
some of II for tn. stock.
The grading OF fruit as to sizs
Inns been one of the chief diiiiculttc,
of packers nnd must always prove q
good deal OF problem where Erudini
machines are not employed. Hnvini
no standard hut the eye measurement
II Is not To bc wondered that we hav,
50 much irrcgulariiy In fruit grading
and that we Ind stuntcd. medium nm,
superior sizes nli In the one package
hut MS the trade has recognized brands
designated NNN. No. I. and No. 2 an,
have so often been disappointed. find
Ing some packers Of No. . clunlcd b!
other brands marked No. I. and man!
No. I not equal to another packer
No. .. the question becomes rathc
complex. The hest plan probably 4
TO learn ond take advantage Of th'
system used by the professional pack
crs who come out 10 Colorado ever!
season and who are thoroughly ont'
their job. M the saying is.
It is pretty well established that nj
falfa clover or other hay placed In sta
|
oicntly ns to inlly become ignitcd ant
! IL will sometimes fire In the stack IL
like manner. Apparently authcnti,
eases have been reported and Will,
positive proof Is lacking. circumstan
ccs seem to indicate that dcstructiv,
fires frequently originate from sponta
ncous combustion. Several years age
a barn took fire aud Il was found that
the flame was confined to n hay NOW
1Sx23 feet and twcnty-thrcc feet high
| 1t was thought best TO remove the por.
tions of hay not on fire. The mass was
smoldcring and ms soon as exposed Ia
air II burst into flames. Examination
| Of the mass thrown out Of the barn
showed that the greater portion OF II
was so badly cnarrcd as to he unfit for
| stock food, For several days previous
| to the fire peculiar odor had been no.
ticcd about the barn. An examination
showed that this proceeded from the
NOW. hut the fire was not suspected.
It will probably he well to avoid plac.
ing large quantities of alfalfa hay In
mows until thoroughly cured.
The time is coming when much Of
the big ranges of the West must give
place To cultivated farms and condi
lions now prevailing in this wide area
Of country will be completely changed
Then the tiockowncr will have to pro.
vide his own pasturagc and grow spc.
cial crops for the flock. just as is now
done in the eastern and middle states.
This change will come gradually as the
country Is iilled with settlers. but while
1t will come slowly 1t will be none the
less certain. With the change will
come smaller ilOcks and the ability OF
the master to use different breeds. I'm
til II does come he will surely hnv4
to rely upon the Merino as the oasis foi
the range flock. II is this fact which
is inducing flockowners to purchase 10.
laine and rapbOuillet rams to cross
on their tlocks, which have been mor'
or less mixed with the mutton breeds
during the past ten years. They want
to hold the size Of carcass and In.
crease the density and weight of fleece.