Rocky Ford enterprise. (Rocky Ford, Colo.) 1887-1950, 1901-05-10


timely mt this season OF the year:
A rich loamy soil In best. but any
soil that will produce good crops OF
grain viii grow beets. AMI even soils
too alkali to grow grains will grow
bects.
Plow In the fall. subsoiiing 10 iifreen
or eighteen inches. Flowing may he
done In the spring: In this case II IN
best To plow Immediately before plant
Ing. In either ease harrow quite
smooth and even.
Time OF Pianting.-Thc tim. Will
vary with locality and soil. Early
planting gives largest crops. Coed re-
suits have been obtained with plant
ings M lat. as June 18th AT this sta
ton. and June 18th at Rocky Ford.
but four series OF tests Of ten expert
mcnts each made In different sections
of the state show an nverag. excess OF
"a tons OF bcets for the plots planted
from April 10Th to 10th over similar
plots planted from May LIST To 10Th: ~
tons over those planted May 18th To
10Th: and ia tons over tho-. painted
between May 3ist and Jun. 10Th.
II the soil In wet. very shallow plant
Ing will give good results. but the best
results are generally obtained by
planting from one inch To an inch
and a half.
Distance between rows.-Thls should
he from eighteen To twenty Inches II
In single rows. Mr.. watrous. In bullc.
Tin -. recommends double rows twclv.
inches apart and twenty -four inches be-
tween the rows. He claims that they
ARE more easily irriEntcd. Professor
Cooke. In bulletin -. recommends
double rows eleven inches apart AMI
tweniy-scvcn Inches between rows.
Good crops have been raised by plant
Ing small quantities. three To i've
pounds OF seed To the acre. but IL Is
advisable To SOW eighteen To twenty
pounds TO the acre. On. OF the most
difficult things In beet growing In Col.
orndo IL TO get u good stand. A salts
factory termination OF the seed can
usually he obtained by planting ON
freshly plowcl soil with u good supply
Of moisture. or by irrigntine IL NJ.
Cultivation should begin rs soon rs
the plants show the drills distinctly
enough To b. easily followed. when
the surface should bc thoroughly
stirred To kill the young weeds. The
young beet plants must not be covered.
Thinning.-rhls may he begun as
soon rs the plants have gotten big
cnou.h-whcn they have four leaves
and may he extended over a period OF
Two weeks. More care must be- cScr-
ciscd us the plants get larger to avoid
injury to the remaining plants.
Distance between Bccts In Row.
f'rou six to ten inclics-cight inches
on an average gives satisfactory
crop. Thcrc Is but little difference In
the weight OF the crop when the bccts
stnnd six. eight or ten inches apart.
At twelve inches apart the bccts are
apt to attain nn undcsiribly large size.
Cultivation.-This must he varied ne.
cor'iing to the character OF the soil.
Any Instrument. the pillow. the cult.
Nator. or special beet cultivnting nipple
mcnf. which will put the soil In good
condition without covering or other
wise injuring the plant. may he used.
During the growing season the bcrts
should he cultivated as soon after nm
irrigation M IL practicable To prevent
cncrusting OF the surface. To level the
ground, and 10 make mulch OF fine
earth.
lrrigation.-Mr. watrous. In bulletin
II. says that In ordinary seasons ,nv-
eragc rainfall 1889 inchcs). one irrl.
gntion during the growing season IL
sufficient to produce the best results.
some experiments made at Rocky Ford
under Professor Cooke gave the same
result: the rainfall of that season was
unusually heavy. IT the water IL nj
the command OF the grower the bccts
should be irrigated often enough to
Keep them growing continuously from
the beginning OF the season until the
time or harvesting. Under this condi-
non II pays TO irrigntc until late In the
season. The difference In the halycs
OF six plots. one half receiving no wa
ter after August 10th and the other TO-
ceiving two irrigations after this date
was onc-scventh In favor OF the later
irrigation.
Naricty.-Strains of Elienwanzlcbc
ner ana Nilmorin probably take prece-
dence The Lion brand. Mangold. and
Iehringcn have given excellent results.
the plots grown under the direction OF
mus station or on the college farm
nave given large yields. The average
Tor ten counties Of the state In 1898 is
States May Quarantine.
a decision OF great Importance
throughout the West was rendered
recently by the Supreme Court of the
United States in the case of Il. Ras-
mussen, plaintiif in error. versus the
state OF Idaho, in which the decision
of the state court is sustained. Ras
musseE was convicted in the Oncida
county court several years ago of driy-
Ing sheep from Box Elder county.