The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1908-07-03
Late Crops for Colorado Irrigated
Lands.

Lands.
So many farmers are writing or tele.
phoning the writer about what can be
planted en- grain ground when spring
grain failed, beet ground where crop
WAS taken by the worms and various
other causes OF failure Of seeded spring
crops, and that II would seem desire.
able to send out q circular letter To
the press of the state giving sugges,
tions 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 crop.
l. 1t is really TOO late to expect a
satisfactory money crcp. 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 neigh
borhood. 1t is now too late for any
grain crop, beet or potato crop,
July 1st.)
2. Clean the ground to be seeded OF
weeds by such tillage methods as seem
most effective and which can be quick
ly and easily done. Do not take time
to plow, II it can possibly be avoided.
8. II the ground be dry, as it prob
ably is in most sections, irrigate we'll
before you begin seed bed prepara-
tions. This will insure seed coming
up quickly and give rapid growth
from the start.
4. The following crops. the writer
believes, can be sufficiently matured
for good feed or forage before our
usual late September frosts. The
lateness OF the season would seem to
require heavier seeding in some in
stances, although condition Of ground
and manner Of seeding must largely
govern rate OF seeding.
A. Purple or fiat top turnips. The
writer has matured this crop seeded
as late as July 25th In the Fl. Collins
district. Use to 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 horses.
German or Golden millet yields more
hay than the common or Hungarian
millet on the same area Of ground.
When sown broadcast at this season
l suggest about rs or 30 pounds per
acre, and if seeded with q drill about
20 to 25 pounds per acre.
G. Rape. This is a succulent for
age crop best adapted as a green feed
for hogs. The plants have cabbage
like leaves we'll filed with sap, Of a
cabbage flavor. Turn in the hogs
when the plants are 10 to Ia inches
high or about 6 to s weeks after
growth begins. Itfurnishes a wealth
Of green feed for hogs, but is liable to
bloat sheep. Use the Dwarf Essex
rape. When seeding broadcast SOW
8 to 10 pounds per acre; drilled, 6 to
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 drill at this
season Of the year the writer suggests
stopping up every other hole placing
the rows about IA inches apart. Some
farmers make use of the beet drill in
seeding this crop, shutting down the
plate or using some flux as bran, dust,
to prevent too rapid seeding. The
writer suggests 20 to Is pounds for
broadcast seeding; Is to 20 pounds for
drilling. Sorghum seeded this heavi-
ly draws a considerable quantity Of
moisture and feeds quite generously
upon the stored up plant food in the
soil, the only real serious objection
to this forage crop, since all classes of
stock seem to like sorghum forage.
F. Early Flint Corn seeded quite
thickly in rows not more than thirty
inches apart for forage. The very
earliest tried at the Station of Colo
rado is State OF Maine Flint. 1t
suckers we'll in our climate and, there
fore, is an ideal forage corn. This
can not be obtained here and any flint
corn obtainable can be used. Do not
use dent corn as it is too late in the
season for this type to sufficiently
mature for forage purposes. When