The Delta independent., 1908-07-10
LATE CROPS FOR COLORADO IRRI
GATED LANDS BELOW 5000
FEET ELEVATION.

Z, W
spring grain failed, beet ground where
crop was taken by the worms and
various other causes of failure of
seeded spring crops that it would seem
desirable to send out circular letter
to the press of the State giving sug
gestions along this line. trusting it
may be helpful to some who are at
loss to know how they may still,
this season, make the ground produce
some kind of a crop.
l. 1t is really too late to expect
a satisfactory money crop. The best
thing to do is to plan for some feed
crop which can be utilized on the
home farm or disposed of in the
neighborhood. 1t is now too late for
any grain crop, beet crop or potato
crop. (July 1sD.
2. Clean the ground to be seeded
of weeds by such tillage methods as
seem most effective and which can be
quickly and easily done. Do not take
time to plow, if it can possibly be
avoided.
3. If ground be dry, as it probably
is in most sections, irrigate well be-
fore you begin seed bed preparations.
This will insure seed coming up
quickly and give rapid growth from
the start.
4. The writer believes the follow
ing crops can be sufficiently matured
for good feed or forage crops before
our usual late September frosts. The
require heavier seeding in some in
stances, although condition of ground
and manner of seeding must largely
govern rate of seeding.
A. Purple or Flat Top Turnips.
The writer has matured this crop
seeded as late as July 25th, in the
Fort Collins district. Use four to
eight pounds per acre. 1t is too late
in the season to safely seed any other
stock root known to the writer.
B. Millet This is an annual hay
grass which should yield one to two
tons per acre of rich feed for cattle,
or sheep, not desirable for horse
feed. German or Golden millet yields
more hay than the common or Hun
garian Millet on same area of ground.
When sown broadcast at this season,
suggest twenty-five to thirty pounds
per acre Seeded with drill, twenty
to twenty-five pounds per acre.
C. Rape. This is a succulent for
age crop best adapted as green feed
for hogs. The plants have cabbage
like leaves, with cabbage flavor and
we'll filled with sap. Turn in the hogs
when the plants are ten to fourteen
inches high or about six to eight
weeks after growth begins. 1t fur
nishes a wealth of green feed for
hogs, but is likely to bloat sheep. Use
the Dwarf Essex Rape, seeding broad
cast eight to ten pounds per acre;
drilled, six to eight pounds per acre.
D. Early Amber Sorghum. While
it is late to mature sorghum for sap,
yet more forage to the acre can be
grown by this crop than any other
feed crop known to the writer. When
seeded broadcast it can be cut and
handled same as coarse hay, since the
stalks sown in this way do not grow
large If seeded with a drill at this
season of the year, the writer sug
gests stopping up every other hole,
placing the rows about fourteen
inches apart, Some farmers make
use of the beet drill in seeding this
crop, shutting down the plate or using
some fiux as bran, dust, ETC., to pre-
vent too rapid seeding. The writer
suggests twenty to twenty-five pounds
for broadcast seeding; fifteen to
twenty pounds for drilling. Sorghum
seeded this heavily draws consid-
cradle quantity of moisture and feeds
quite generously upon the stored up
plant food in the soil, the only real
serious objection to this forage, since
all classes of stock seem to like sor-
ghum forage.
E. An Early Flint Corn seeded
quite thickly in rows not more than
thirty inches apart for forage. The
very earliest tried at the Station of
Colorado is State of Maine Flint. 1t
suckers well in our climate and,
therefore, is an ideal forage crop.
This can not be obtained here and
any flint corn obtainable can be used
Do not use a dent corn as it is too
late in the season for this type to suf-
ficiently mature for forage purposes.
When seeded broadcast, use thirty to
forty pounds; drilled in rows, fifteen
to thirty pounds per acre.
MISCELLANEOUS CROPS.