Rocky Ford enterprise., 1901-02-08

land, Colorado. and prepared by Mark
| Austin, superintendent:
II Is OF the utmost Importance that
| care be exercised In the selection OF
your land. and that only your best land
| he used for this crop. Never 20 on
poor land with your beet crop. The
best soil is black. rich. sandy soil. or II
mixture OF clay and sand In such pro-
portions rs go make u nice loan. Sc
lect land having good drainage, and
land that lays well for irrigation.
Lands where melons. potatoes, corn.
peas or beans have been grown sue
cessfully the previous year. are much
better adapted TO the beet crop than
grain land. as the foregoing crops do
not exhaust the soil TO such an extent.
| Alfalfa land i also adapted TO becis,
providing the seed-bed Il thoroughly
and properly prepared.
Avoid land that II sandy enough TO
| blow. or land that contains mineral TO
the extent tlar Il will not grow other
| crops. or hot. gravclly land. or land
| that II 81 wet that II cannot be proper
ly cultivated. or land for which there
Is an insufficient supply OF water for
proper Irrigation. or adobe land, or new
land. or land where sheep have recent
ly pastur.d to any great extent. Great
tAtIfl-fti AAlN
rs IL costs more 10 raise II crop Of b.cts
ON poor land than on good land. with
corrcspond!ngly small returns 10 the
farmer.
All land that II not rich In plant food
should bc mnnurcd with well rotted
harnyard manure. applying eight to
I ten good loads per acre. Spread evenly
over the soil. II IL becomes necessary
! to Us. sheep manure. Use II very spar
lngly. say six loads per acre. This
should l.. done In the fall AMI rlowrd
under: but In case this has not been
| done during the fall. IL should be a'-
/ tended TO nj once. 80 that YOU Will bc
ready TO sinrt plowing just ns soon as
conditions viii permit.
Where the soil aud conditions will
permit. the land should h- plowcd In
/ the fall from ten 10 twelve Inches deep.
thus giving the frost chance so rul'
y.rIE. the surface. which VIII assist
/ materially in getting u good s.ci.b-l.
/ Fall piow.i land should l." worked In
! the following mnnncr: Just ~ soon n
the land will work In the spring. run
/ n l,vcilrr over IL cro-swi.r once or
Z iwIcc. while the ground r. moist. thus
iiliIng nil the low places with moist
Z snil: usin: care. however, not To work
til. land when too wet.
When the land has bc-n properly lew
cil.,l. then run steel frame lever hnr.
row over one, or twice: then " fh" soil
| Is thoroughly puiv"riE"d. let II lay uu'
Ill one or two days before planting.
giving the weeds = rhanc" To start I"
grow. II they hav" only just started.
YOU may take your steel frame harrow.
setting I, deep. weighing II down "a u
will 20 IN nearly ,n the frame. nnd har.
Hta,s
harrow iigh, and run over once NOR"
I u,wIc. II necessary the same way:
I this manipulation will destroy the
I weeds IL they have JUS sinri~l &"
I crow. and II your land i then ME"
| and fine. IL will bc ready for seeding.
and should bc planted n soon ne i'">'
/ sihlc.
In ease. however. the weeds have
/ grown 50 large from the time OF the
/ first working to the time nf til" second
working. that I'll" harrow VIII not XIII
| them. then It will bc necessary TO irS" n
disc harrow. tapping II onc-hnlf In or.
/ der to leave the ground level. In
| som. cases IL will II. necessary to 60
over the ground with ctiliivnior. nnd
| In extreme eases 1t will H. necessary
| TO rlow light to entirely destroy th"
weeds. which must L. destroyed hc-
FORE nlnu,Iur. In event. however.
/ either OF these latter tools are used. q
harrow should follow Immediately.
working the land down to perfect
.c,,I.rcd, and not allowing II TO dry
,u, between the times Of working u
with the different tools. Gp'at care
must Il. exercised In this matter. n II
| IL absolutely necessary to retain the
moisture near she surface Of the soil.
In some cares you may also iind " nee.
rssnry to use n roller Just before the
las, narrowing. II the ground u founu
/ To he too loose.
Where fall blowing has not been
| dane. the fnrmcr should plow Just nS
] soon rs conditions will permit. from
| eight to zen inches deep. the Erounh
having first been well narrowed. Ivy
narrowing the ground well first, II VIII
nlnw better nnd the soil VIII bc hhc
underneath. Should It I've stubblc land.
/ 1, will l,c well To disc II before plowins.
rims cutting up the stuhhle. 80 II viii
moi Interfere in CultivaiinE the crop.
4, is important that you should hnr-
r,,y and smooth the land rs fast n u
| IL rInvc,I. II this il being done with
nr, team. unhitch from the rlow at
least twice u day To harrow ana
| smooth. 81 that you may get n mn"
sc.,I.l,rd and retain the moisture III
the soil near the surface.
Tb. land should not bc worked In n
heavy wind storm. rs II will dry 1t out
! too much. Great care should u" taken
NOT To plow mnrr than one or two men.
as deeper than the land was plowcu
during the previous season. ns u wiz
hc better Ia use n suh-s"iIrr. since 700
much soil that has never been on ",
.,,rfnrr Of the ground before would
,,hrrvisc he turned MP. which would
hr detrimental both Ia the termination
nr the seed and also 10 the growing OF
II is important 10 ill in all dead FUR
,,,,.s and level well rs fast ns pinwch.
while the land Is yet moist.
We wish to impress upon the minu
NJ every farmer the absolute necessary