The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-02-04
HOW ONE COLORADO RANCHMAN
MADE GOOD AT DRY FARMING

Cheyenne. Wyo-The following pa
| per on successful dry farming is from
the pen of K. r. Parsons OF Parker,
Colo who will deliver an address be-
fore the Third Trans-Missouri Dry
Farming Congress at Cheyenne, Wyo.,
February %, "a. and 25;, ,ets'....
When | flrst landed In Colorado In
1880. l was already equipped with q
fair knowledge OF forestry and the
intensive agriculture which Is prac-
ticed In England. France and Germany
the basic principles of which are deep
! plowlng, ten TO fifteen inches, follow
Ing between every crop. reciprocal fer
tilizlng. which means putting back in
the soil what you take out, harrow.
ing and rolling of grain crops and ro-
tatlon.
Rotation and fertilizIng arc not at
| present indispensable In the west, but
the other above mentioned principles
are also the chief factors In dry farm.
ing.
Before coming to this country also
dry farmed on the east coast OF South
Africa, raising corn and alfalfa, prin-
cipally 70. the ostrich farms. | rent
| cd ranch near Denver for two years
to acquire an understanding OF what
Colorado could do for agriculture with
out irrigation. | commenced by plow-
| Ing deep with three horses and hand
| plow as Boon as the frost was out Of
the ground, slabblng and narrowing
into shape every three hours. then fall
lowed until June. disking out all the
! weeds and planting corn one In a hill
two feet apart, and navy beans.
The results were surprising 60 tho
! neighbors, the corn fetching three
| cents a pound for seed corn, and the
beans about six.
The next year I repeated with the
same crops, getting even better re-
suits In the late fall made trip
to California to investigate conditions
there. 1 returned, however, to Colo
rado and finally settled on my present
ranch in 1886. l commenced opera
tions in 100 acres with two 1900
horses, twenty good cows, some pigs,
] chickens and bees
| I plowed the sod clean under eight
inches deep, although 1t took some
times two days to plow an acre; disk
ed and narrowed II until 1t was as nne
as old ground and seeded It to fall rye
and winter wheat, twenty and thirty
pounds to the acre, respectively. The
neiehbors shook their heads and said
] was crazy to plow sod that deep. that
1t would never rot, but 1t rotted beau
tifully, never bothered me again, and
people came from miles around to see
the crops, which grew from five tc
seven feet high.
In the spring ] planted corn, one In
hill: also garden and small orchard
for family use, plowing as deep as pos
s,ble and following from February to
planting time. l also put In five acres
Of alfalfa. ten pounds to the acre
which made a fine stand.
How to Raise a Garden.
In gardening, plow or spade as deep
as possible, then plant everything In
trenches. six or eight inches wide and
three inches deep; fill UP the trenches
| gradually as the plants grow up BY
doing this their roots are established
at a good depth. out Of the way OF
heat and drouth. Allow plenty OF
room more room means more mois.
| ture Tender lettuces can be raised
all summer by shading with board.
Rhubarb. asparagus and onions are
good drouth resisters, and will come
from roots every season Gooseber'
ries and currents grow Wild all over
the west and can be raised by anybody
Anyone can have wild plum orchard
by planting the seeds in the fall 1t
Will come into bearing In three OF four
years Watermclons, musk melons.
summer and winter squGshes also be-
long in the dry farm gardens.
At the end Of the first season / had
all the rye, hay. winter wheat fodder
and corn could possibly use; also a
celler fun Of garden stuff kept tho
cows In milk as coon as the grass be-
gah to go dry by feeding green suck
ers from the COW patch.
The butter from the twenty COWS
averaged up 10 about 81 so per month
for each animal, giving a profit por
annum or $500
Also fifteen calves at so eacn. Sl36.
Chickens raised and ted on our own
produce and the eggs therefrom. $3.50,
Pigs fed on skim milk. corn. corn
suckers and allowed TO run to the ripe
rye stack. SIS.
Bees, S25.
Navy beans, $50
Value OF vegetables, with butter.
eggs, honey, chickens, pork, beans,
etc. consumed by the family, about
slO0
Total expenses were $40 for bran
and So for help with the hay. leaving
total profit for the year OF S112O,
and no rent to pay, or gas, or water
Deep Flowing Essential.
The following season, after break
Ing the sod, l managed to get the
plow down about foot and the moist
ure Immediately began TO gain in the
sub-soil. and in few years l had a
permanently moist substratum OF
three to four feet. and when the dry