244 MISCELLANEOUS FARM SUBJECTS 



rainfall on the Colorado Plains varies in different localities from 13 

 to 19 inches, adequate with good methods, to produce a profitable crop 

 of wheat. In about half the years the rainfall is below these averages, 

 and has dropped as low as 6.93 inches in 12 months, in one section, 

 and in other places to as low as 7.11 to 10.74 inches. 



In years of low rainfall, the moisture is not sufficient to produce 

 crops of grain, but there is usually enough for fair yields of forage 

 crops, such as milo maize, sorghum, kafir corn, corn fodder and hay 

 from wheat, oats and barley. These forage crops are not market- 

 able, but become money makers when fed to dairy cows and hens. 

 Dairy cows and hens, properly selected and handled, will furnish 

 a comfortable income and enable the farmer to pay cash for his 

 family purchases, no matter how dry the year. Then, the dry land 

 farmer should seed as much land to wheat as he is able to prepare 

 thoroughly with intensive cultivation, and when he raises a crop, the 

 money from it will be surplus cash and will not be needed to pay 

 old store bills, as is the case with the strictly grain farmer. 



When a good stand of alfalfa is well cared for it is very success- 

 ful. It can be cut three or four times each year, and the annual 

 yield of hay varies from 5 to 8 tons per acre. When successfully 

 seeded in the fall of the year, from 2 to 5 tons of hay to the acre may 

 be expected the following season. The productiveness of the soil 

 will be built up more rapidly if the hay is fed to good dairy cows 

 than if it is sold, for from 75 to 90 per cent of the fertilizing sub- 

 stance of the hay will be contained in the manure. While cows will 

 not give the maximum amount of milk when fed alfalfa hay exclu- 

 sively, this is usually a more profitable practice than to pay $25 to 

 $30 a ton for grain and mill feed with which to balance the ration. 

 The cows should be fed in stables and lots during the entire year, for 

 the land is too valuable to be used for pasture. No cow should be 

 kept that will not produce 600 gallons of milk yearly. 



Unless a farmer has plenty of manure with which to enrich the 

 soil, all of his land should be sown to alfalfa or clover just as soon as 

 it is ready for seeding. No attempt should be made to grow other 

 crops until the land has successfully grown alfalfa, clover, or some 

 other humus-producing crop for one or more years or until stable 

 manure can be obtained. When available, manure should be ap- 

 plied liberally and well incorporated into the soil. A light applica- 

 tion on the surface of the ground is of little benefit except to keep 

 the soil from drifting. Irrigation should be frequent enough to keep 

 the soil moist, so that the manure will decay. 



The Commercial Orchard. To plant and care for an orchard 

 until it is bearing profitably requires several years and much labor 

 and money. For tnis reason, deciding the kind of fruit to be grown 

 (whether apples, pears, peaches, apricots, or cherries) becomes a very 

 important matter. Having decided the kind of fruit to be planted, 

 the selection of varieties is likewise very important. This should be 

 done with a great deal of care and study. The man with limited 

 means can not afford to experiment with new varieties, however, 

 superior they may be represented to be. Instead, he should plant 



