240 IRRIGATION FARMING. 



seasons this subje(5l of moisture becomes a good deal of 

 a worry and water has to be doled out sparingly. In 

 certain localities around Greeley large reservoirs have 

 been construdled to supply sufficient irrigation, and 

 farmers living under these reservoirs are fortunate in 

 being so advantageously situated. With short water 

 the need of cultivation becomes more imperative and 

 must be conscientiously carried out. 



Sweet Potatoes. — The most successful growers 

 find it best to plant the seed in hotbeds about the last of 

 March. The seed will yield two and three sets of 

 plants, which are transplanted in the open ground from 

 the first of May to the first of July. Seed potatoes 

 weigh from two ounces to one pound, and the trans- 

 planting is done when the plants are eight to twelve 

 inches long. The field is plowed twelve inches deep 

 and the rows are thrown up three and one-half feet 

 apart, and the plants are set eighteen inches apart in 

 the row. This requires 8,500 plants to an acre. The 

 irrigating water follows closely upon the work of trans- 

 planting, and in ten days another irrigation may be 

 given with a good head of water, which is let on for 

 five or six hours. Irrigations continue at intervals of 

 two weeks or oftener, according to the condition of the 

 weather, until the tubers are half grown, when irriga- 

 tion is discontinued. Do not put on too much water, 

 and it should not come up more than two-thirds the 

 hight of the ridges, if it can be helped. The ground 

 is not disturbed during the growing season by cultiva- 

 tion, but the weeds are hoed off close to the ground 

 once or twice during the season. 



In harvesting, a furrow is plowed on one side and 



