The Monte Vista journal., 1914-11-21

gated farm as its value as stock
food is uneXecefled, and as a fertil-
izer for the soil it has no equal due
to the bacteria on its roots, making
alfalfa one of the strongest nitrogen
gathering plants. In growing sew
eral crops of alfalfa in a season,
there is a deposit on the surface or
troken leaves, small stems and
ctubble which dies, adding much
vegetable matter to the surface of
the soil.
Alfalfa is the foundation of rota-
tions in soil culture. and the rota-
tion Of intensive crops using alfalfa
as fertilizer, will make wonderful
increases in the productiveness of
the grain, potatoes, beets, etc.
In an interview with Mr.. o. H.
Wallace, foreman of the Carmel
ranch. located twenty miles sout
of Monte VISTA, he stated that he
cut alfalfa three times during the
past season, and that the yield per
acre was four tons.
Mr.. A. Kimball residing thirteen
miles south of Monte Vista raised
a splendid crop of alfalfa this year,
cutting the crop three times which
produced a yield of four tons to the
acre.
The Field Pea Crop.
The field pea crop is both a forage
and a grain, and the pea hay prop
erly made is a roughage unexcelled
by any other. The 'threshed peas
are highly nitrogenous food and viii!
put good fat on any kind OF stock.
The peas make a wonderful growth
and yield in this altitude, and the
vines cure perfectly producing a
splendid quality of hay and rough
age.
The cheapest and best method of
harvesting the field pea is to pasture
with stock, and an acre of peas that
makes a good crop will feed and fat
ten eight to twelve lambs and then
leave a supply of peas for the hogs
which follow. The West is not
corn country, and the pea crop takes
its place in supplying growing,
fat producing crop for the stock
raised.
Peas when threshed for seed pro-
duce yield OF about 25 to 80 bush
els an acre, and the market price is
always at least two dollars hundred
pounds.
The Grain Crops.
WHEAT is one of the most i'm
portant grain crops raised in the
United States and has its place in
crop rotations under irrigation in
the Monte Vista agricultural district.
Our average yield of wheat per acre
is nearly three times the average
yield in the humid states, and the
quality much better owing to proper
irrigation and fast growing seasons.
The soil, climatic conditions. and
abundance of water for irrigation all
combine to make this locality big
wheat growing district, and more
tEan ten thousand acres OF this crop
was raised in the Monte Vista dis
trict this year.
Mr.. w. l.. Starbuck, who resides
eight miles northeast of Monte Vista
stated in an interview that the 100
acres which he seeded to wheat last
spring produced 3,74O bushels OF
grain, or little over 35 Ia bush
els per acre. This yield or 35 Ia
bushels figured at $50 hundred
pounds, the market price today. will
give Mr., Starbuck gross returns OF
$3.50 per acre. or S3,37O.S0 for his
crop OF wheat from the 1O6 acres
This yield OF 35 l-3 bushels OF
wheat raised by Mr.. Starbuck Is not
an unusually large yield for this
crop in the Monte Vista district OF
the San Luis valley, but when you
compare this production OF spring
wheat with the average yields in
Colorado and all the other states of
the union you will realize that our
good farming land is excelled in very
few localities as wheat-producine
district.
OATS produce wonderful yields on
the good land In the Monte Vista dis