Rocky Ford enterprise., 1902-01-24
ROCKY FORD, COLORADO, FRIDAY, JANUARY "a, 1902
Fertilizers For The Small Farm.


slstlng properties and may well he
grown by many farmers under scant
water supply. especially where til.
land Is rniher light. II II preferable to
corn. for the yield will be- greater. the
soil improved instead OF impoverished.
and the expense less.
Tn. Kansas Experiment Station has
made some comparative tests of feed
Ing pigs with Kniiir corn and with Knf-
FIR corn and soy bean meal mixed. The
results show an increased gain OF NJ
high as hInety-six per cent. from the
use Of the bean meal. This plant should
bc harvested before the pods turn yci.
low or great loss Will cnsue from III"
popping oIrn or the pods.
Hairy vc,ch Is icgumlnous plant
that occupies an exclusive place In our
agricultural economy 10y the reason OF
/ Its Resistance to cold. producing growth
here In NIL hut the very coolest wealth.
or. Farmers have expressed the wish
to me thai some plant could L. found
that might L. sown In the fall after
crops arr OF and produce sufficient to
piow unicr In the spring. The y.'ch
meets this demand admirably.
II may h. Sown from August TO oc-
tohcr ist and secure n stand. if sown
later. the sccd will gcTminn,c with the
first approach Of spring but will not
produce ~ well as n sown in the fall.
Thirty To forty pounds Of seed should
bc sown broadcast and narrowed In
lightly. This plant will give splendid
results ON the iIrhtest kind Of sandy
soil. II spreads ever the soil nni II nj
lowed TO produce seed the lower leaves
die, leaving thick coating Of vegetable
mold. Fall sowing produces SEED In
early July and makes growth to piow
under In April or May.
The vcich blooms here about the
middle OF May and produces flowers In
abundance for nearly TWO months. !
t-iiev :. will supply weak place In
the bcc industry by furnishing nm
abundance OF early forage. leaving the
bees strong nt alfalfa time.
II answers nicely Tor early lamb pas.
turc In Alabama some experiments
conducted to show its value as fcr;il.
iz.r, demonstrated that the yield OF
corn was fifty to 100 per cent greater
on v.ich stubblc than On rye stubbic.
AMI silarc corn planted a few days nf'
ter blowing In vctch has been puadru.
pied In yield.
Our work has not been 50 extended
aS desired. but the results this year
with bccts on vetch stubblc show II ia
he fully equal to n heavy dressing Of
sheep manure. The dark green OF the
leaves was especially striking. showing
the abundant nitrogen It supplied.
will briefly outline how some OF the
crops just mentioned may b. combined
to profi,ably form fertilizers for the
small farm. depending upon the condi.
tions and the needs and wishes OF the
grower.
Field peas may he sown early with
oats and cut for hay or allowed to rip
on for the seed. These may bc followed
by u crop OF Mexican beans. Or the
peas may be- followed with cow-peas
and they be cut for hay or turned un-
der.
vctch may he sown In tile fall and
piowed under In the spring or allowed
10 ripcn seed and followed by either
Mexican beans or cow.peas.
mus two crops may be secured in
one season. which may enter into
] three or four-ycar rotation with tomn-
toes. cantaloupcs and bects.
or course the small farmer should
use all OF the yard manure he can get
except directly preceding the canta-
loupcs. BY reason of heating manures
producing an increase in the fungous
that makes cantaloupc blight, It Is i'm
pcrntive that fertilization for this crop
be done by green fertilizers.