HE IRRIGATION AGE. 



325 



conditions.. Yet another sub-committee 

 {Messrs. Mills. Moore, and Goodwin) will 

 prepare a scheme of instructions that will 

 facilitate the work of organizing and con- 

 ducting institutes. 



It is proposed that one day of three ses- 

 sions be taken in each^montli the morning 

 to be devoted to topics of especial interest 

 the men, the afternoon to l>e taken by to 

 the women and evening reserved for 

 young people. The interest of the rising 

 generation will be enlisted by holding 

 prize essay contests in each school on 

 some subject connected with farm life, 

 and the best essays written by a boy or 

 girl respectively, will be read at the even- 

 ing session of the Institute. 



Further aid in this work will be sought 

 from the country school superintendents, 

 the officers of county agricultural insti- 

 tutes and the press of the state. It has 

 been demonstrated that the program of 

 the papers, discussions, debates, recita- 

 tions and music rendered at Institutes 

 are the most powerful factors yet applied 

 for the improvement of the material and 

 social welfare of the farmer and this new 

 movement bringing the remifications of 

 this effective educational system within 

 the reach of all, the committee hopes will 

 receive the most cordial support! 



PRACTICAL IRRIGATION POTATO 



CULTURE AS PRACTICED AT 



GREELEY, COLO. 



Greeley has become famous and rich by 

 raising potatoes. 10.000 cars yearly is 

 only an average crop, these are grown by 

 irrigation. How is it done? During the 

 winter months the potatoes not large 

 enough for market, are carefully sorted 

 and only the best specimens of the kind 

 being retained for seed. Those having 

 deep eyes, or full of prongs, or growing 

 small at one end. are discarded and fed to 

 stock. The seed is then cut at planting 

 time into sets, having from two to three 

 eyes each. The ground is plowed deeper 

 than for any other crop; planting is done 

 with an Aspinwall planter manufactured 



at Jackson, Michigan, this planter being 

 used by all. as other makes of planters 

 does not give the satisfaction this does; 

 it marks the next row, plants any required 

 depth, does its own covering and plants 

 each set a uniform distance from the 

 other, generally about seventeen inches 

 apart, in the row and the rows about 

 thirty-eight inches apart. 



These rows are run on an incline so 

 water can be run between the rows from 

 one side of the field to the other. About 

 the 25th of May seems to be the right 

 time to plant the late crop, this brings 

 the setting on, and growing time in 

 August and September, when the nights 

 are cooler than in July, which effects the 

 earlier planting. Water should not be 

 turned on until the tubers have attained 

 the size of walnuts, if the weather is 

 favorable so they continue to grow. They 

 should thus have a light irrigation by 

 furrowing out between the rows and 

 turning water into each alternate row, and 

 let it run down until it reaches the 

 opposite end, then shut off, turn into next 

 alternate row, etc., in ten days they can 

 be again irrigated, taking the rows that 

 were not irrigated before. 



In another ten days they can be again 

 irrigated and if the weather be generally 

 cool irrigate every row but in no case or 

 at no time allow the vines to be sub- 

 merged in water, this will cause the vine 

 to scald and die. Three irrigations had 

 ought to make a crop in any country, 

 when the average rainfall is fifteen inches 

 or more. Water should not be applied 

 after the skin has once set on the tubes, 

 as it has then commenced to ripen, and if 

 irrigated will start a new growth instead 

 of making the first one laiger. There are 

 many minor details connected with potato 

 culture, by irrigation that I will be glad 

 to answer by simply enclosing stamp, 

 which if here given, might make this 

 article too long and tedious to those not 

 interested. The crop of potatoes grown 

 here annually, bring the farmers from two 

 to four million dollars, according to price 



