The Greeley tribune., 1904-07-28
A FEW GOOD TIPS
E. R. Bliss Gives Them to San
LuisanS

The following, Clipped from the
Alamosa Courier, woul1 indicate that
some Greeley men are passing around
valuable information to strangers
that many new settlers night here at
home should kuow:
"E. r. Bliss Of Greeley spoke as
follows at meeting to the farmers
of San Luis valley and his descrip-
tions would apply as we'll to San Luis
valley methods as to Gree.e1;
"We find that Gu. seed raised un.
der irrigation runs out very quickly
In two years aud perhaps three with
some, is the most that 1t can be
planned with success. We assume
1t to be due to the potato running
out. but whether IL is furced by iIri-
cation and the extra large growth so
caused or whether Our soil is diseased
We do not know. Most OF our farm
ers lay it to irrigation, winch may
help on the disease, as 1t hardens
the soil. at the low point where the
ground gets thoroughly soaked there
Is danger Of a scab, or the vines die.
We use for seed medium sized pota-
toes, preferring for size one that will
cut In four pieces in planting with
the Aspinwall planter. We use
smaller and get better stand from
small seed. We are not sure but the
green potatoes picked before they are
ripe make. better seed than ripened
potatoes; 1t is question.
Those same potatoes taken from
near Greeley and planted above iIri-
cation are nearly always smaller
They do not seem to do we'll taken
from irrigated land. They have
grown over ten thousand acres in
the Greeley district, our best potato
soil being the alfalfa breaking, and
you PROBABLY have the same here.
Our potatoes are planted along the
latter part OF May and the first Of
June, most all o. the potatoes having
been planted by the thild or fourth
of June. Our alfalfa sod, standing
two OF three years-three years is
hetter than two years-and cut hay
-:om, Is irrigated in the spring as
soon as We get the water. usually
coming into the bitches about the
first of May, sometimes little dur
ing April, We !rrigate that ground
and let 1t get nicely started-you
know how quickly alfalfa will grow
Ic Re
up a pretty good growth. AS soon
as il ranges flom foot to fifteen
inches high we turn it under, turn
ing uuder seven or eight inches
eight inches most everyone plows-
turning the heavy green growth un-
der. That rots very rapidly, so that
the ground is in condition to plant
ty the first OF June. That is our
best ground for planting potatoes.
We Of course harrow, use both walk
ing and riding plows, seldom do fall
blowing. Preferring to get that
green growth. we do nearly all our
breaking IN the spring. Our exper-
ience with fall plowing is that the
ground gets very dry SO that it is
hard to get it in shape; harrow it
down and pulverize it on top. 1t
will dry down Of course an inch, but
the dust blanket holds your moisture
underneath. We usually grow two
crops OF potatoes and get it back to
alfalfa as quickly as we can, follow.
ing 1t with wheat or some kind of
grain. Some plant the alfalfa the
first year while some walt until the
second year. We get 1t back as soon
as we can, so we have about one
third Of our ground in potatoes all
the time and six years rotation,
which gives the best result. 1t does
not pay to crop 1t tn potatoes longer.
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