Gunnison news-champion., 1923-05-18
(By Prof '. 4. Bass in Wyon
SL1ckman-L LarEner.I

(By Prof V a Bass in Wyoming
S'0ckmau- + armer.j
Tho great care given the head let
tlce crop from the time the seed bed
IS prepared until the crates are de
Hvcred To the icing houses govern not
only n" cost Of the crop but the re-
tuTns the grower receive, and this
care should begin with the prepara-
tiun of the soil before planting.
\ i"gume crop which adds nitrogen
TO the soil should preccdc the lettuce
crop. Alfalfa is one Of the best pay
ing legumc crops in the Rocky Noun
tain region and is the logical one n
prcccde lettuce. The alfalfa field
should be plow.d shallow in the fan
and from 10 10 80 tons Of well rotte1
manure added during the winter
months. Another deep plowing should
follow as soon a the frost Is out Of
the ground IN the spring.
The ground should be gone owe.
with a double disc, followed by har-
row and leveler. 1t is essential that
the ground be thoroly level in order
that the plants may be irrigated with
out the lower leaves coming in con
tact with the water.
When potatoes are grown IN let
tuce rotation il is advisable 10 follow
the alfalfa with potatoes the first
year, manure heavily during the win
ter aud plow TO a depth of from s 10
IL inches IN early spring. The pota-
to cultivation will place the ground
In excellent condition for lettuce.
The soil at time of planting shcaId
be in the best possible condition and
free from weed growth. A northern
or northwestern exposure with an
abundance of sunshine and cool, even
temperature without extremes of hest
or cold, is best for lettuce.
The time of planting is governed
largely by climatic conditions and the
time the grower wishes to place his
product upon the market In lower
Wyoming attitudes both spring and
fall crop may be grown. The spring
crop should be planted in hot beds and
later transplanted into the field, or
else seeded in the open as soon as the
soil can be worked in the spring
In some sections of the West the
seed for the spring crop is planted in
November or December and remains
dormant until early spring. A few
days are gained by this method.
Plan Harvest to Avoid Market GIui
Three or four months are required
mature a crop of head lettuce, depend
ing largely upon the coolness of the
growing season. II n fall crop is to
be grown on the same land as the
spring crop, ten or twelve more tons
of well rotted manure should be added
and the seed bed for the second plant
ing be prepared by plowing, discing,
narrowing and leveling. July Is to
August / are the approximate dates
for seeding the second crop in the
lower attitudes
In mountain valleys, with attitudes
of from 1000 to 5000 feet, the let
tuce should be seeded during May and
early June. This will bring it on the
market in August and September, a
time when there is little competition,
for very little first class head lettuce
reaches the market during these two
months except shipments from the
Rocky Mountain regions.
| The mean average temperature at
4 the state experiment station al Lara
mie is eight degrees higher in August
than in September. This would indie
ate that better quality of lettuce
would be produced during September
and with less chance for "boldting" or
seed production. Late May or early
June seeding would bring the crop on
the September market, the month OF
lowest production.
Climatic Data Valuable
The time of planting, however,
must be governed by local climatic
conditions, and it is essential that the
grower be acquainted with such condi-
tions. Where several acres are grown
the seeding should range over period
of two or three weeks in order that
the thinning and harvesting operations
will be distributed over similar per-
iod. Some growers endeavor to con-
troll the time of harvest by delaying
the thinning on certain sections of the
field. but this practice is not recon-
mended. Delayed thinning results in
increased labor.
When planting directly in the field,
one or two pounds of seed are sufri-
cient for an acre, depending upon the
width of the rows. Twenty-four inch
rows, which allow the use of ordinary
beet or garden horse-cultivators, are