157 



Agriculture in Colorado. — Mr. Thompson J. Hough, near Idaho 

 Spriugs, Clear Creek County, Colorado, at an altitude of 8,400 feet, last 

 season raised successfully the following crops, viz : Beans, (dwarf,) beet^, 

 cabbages, (early,) carrots, cresses, lettuce, onions, parsnips, peas, (all 

 sorts,) radishes, turnips, potatoes, barley, cats, timothy. The following 

 crops have been tested, but have entirely failed, viz: Pole-beans, corn, 

 cucumbers, rausk-melons, water-melons, squashes, and tomatoes. The 

 blue-l)ird, this spring, vras llrst seen March 18, nine days earlier than 

 last year. Xataral grasses are failing rapidly, from being' trampled by 

 stock, while their seed, when sown, grows so slowly as to be of little 

 l)ractical value. A strong growing perennial grass is the especial want 

 of 'those regions. a 



Farming in Texas. — Dr. D. W. Brodnax, of Cameron, Milaii) County, 

 Texas, writes : 



Mr. .John Gratliaiu, of this ucigliljorlicod, vrith tlie .issiatanco of an iufirnj boy 

 seventeeu years of age, cultivated and raised, iu 1868, 22 acres of cotton, from wbich 

 lie gathered 27 bales averaging 514 pounds, equal to 28J bales averaging 500 ]}onmLs. 

 On other laud, -with same labor, he made 1,000 bushels of corn. Iu 18o9, on the same 

 land, ho made 20 bales of cotton, averaging 522 pounds per bale, and 800 bushels of 

 corn. In 1S70, ou the same land and with the same labor, ha raised 24 bales, averag- 

 ing 518 pounds per bale, and 1,200 bushels of corn. His wife and two littlo daughters 

 assisted in gathering and saving the crops. In addition, he raised potatoes, onions, 

 and all the cai^leu vegetables usually cultivated bore, largely in excess of tho wants 

 of his family. He also raised a number of hogs, and had a considerable quantity of 

 bacon to sell. He paid §!? per acre for his land. As good land novr brings from $3 to 

 |5 per acre. 



MONTGOIMERY CouNTY TEXAS. — Mr. Charlcs B. S, Stewart, secretary 

 of the agricultural society of this county, reports tliat, since the emanci- 

 pation of the slaves, the practice of saving corn-fodder in that county 

 has been measurably abandoned, with excellent results in the increased 

 weight of the corn and in increased attention to Hungarian grass, oats, 

 millet, &o. It is found that the whole stalk of oats cut " before the 

 milk formation '' becomes very nutritious, and is entirely eaten up by 

 cattle. It requires, however, twice as long to cure hay irom the oats 

 cut at this stage. The cotton area of this county, in 1872, will be in- 

 creased 50 per cent. The crop of 1871 was crippled by a drought of five 

 weeks. It was forwarded before the advance of prices, to the great loss 

 of the producers. The merchants are looking sharply after the earliest 

 I'eports of the crop. 



Displace:\ient op native glasses in Texas. — In the prairies oi: 

 Texas, especially on river and creek bottoms, the native grasses are 

 rapidly disappearing, from the number of stock ranging upon them. 

 But little eftbrt has been madoto supply the loss by cultivating other 

 varieties. Cattle now require feeding. California clover grows here 

 very copiously. Blue grass is growirfi well in Washington County, and 

 Italian rye-grass in ]Montgomery. Other varieties are well spoken of. 



Winter weather in Southeastern Texas.— ]\rr. J. E. Carlton, 

 corresponding secretary of the Agricultural, Mechanical, and Blood-Stock 

 Association of Jasper, Jasper County, gives the follov^'ing record of the 

 weather of that locality for each day of January and part of February, 

 3 872: 1st, 2d, .3d, 4th, and .5th, frost; 0th and 7th, rain; 8th, 0th, 

 10th, freezing; llth, 12th, 13th, frost; 14th, loth, 16th, freezing; 17th, 

 18th, rain; li)th, 20th, freezing; 21st,' 22d, snow; 23d, rain; 24i:h, 25th, 

 rain; 2GtJi, 27th, sleet; 28th, 29ch, 30th, 31st, freezing. February 1st, 

 2d, 3d, 4th, frost: 5th, Gth, 7th, rain; 8th, 9th, 10th, ^cold wind; llth, 

 12th, 13th, cold antl blustering ; 14th, 15th, IGth, fair. The coldest winter 



