478 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



(Continued from page 431.) 



the supply of available nitrogen. This is done by the use 

 of legumes which, through the action of the bacteria on 

 their roots, gather nitrogen from the air. Grain, peas or 

 potatoes may be grown as the first crop after breaking the 

 sod. If grain is the principal crop produced, the soil 

 should be improved by raising a crop of peas, beans, 

 vetches or alfalfa. Peas may be grown and plowed under 

 to add vegetable matter. Alfalfa continually enriches the 

 soil in nitrogen and at the same time produces profitable 

 crops wherever the conditions are favorable. Where 

 alfalfa is easily grown it may be plowed up at the end of 

 three, four or five years, but if difficult to get a stand 

 and a good field is secured, the farmer would be reluctant 

 to plow his alfalfa so long as it is giving him good results. 

 It usually begins to deteriorate after seven or eight years. 

 This is due to wrong management. Alfalfa rightly man- 

 aged, in some parts of the world has stood the test of 

 time not 8 years but 180 years or more. Each farmer 

 must work out his own system of rotation which is appli- 

 cable to his conditions, but these suggestions will be 

 valuable to him. 



Arid soils are so rich in mineral elements of fertility 

 which are made available by thorough systems of tillage, 

 that the use of complete fertilizers has not become a 

 question of importance. These soils are generally poor 

 in nitrogen and decaying vegetable matter, and adding 

 these things always brings important increase in yield. 

 One of the very best methods of adding nitrogen and 

 vegetable matter is green manuring with legumes. Plow- 

 ing under such green crop puts into the soil a quickly- 

 decaying supply of vegetation and the legumes gather 

 much nitrogen from the air which they make available 

 to other crops. There are some places where the use of 

 nitrate of soda gives good results. A system which en- 

 ables the farmer to return the crop to the soil in the 

 form of manure cannot be too strongly recommended. 

 Raising a crop of feed which is used by the animals 

 harvesting it themselves in the field, like pasturing to 

 fatten on peas, both returns the manure and spreads it. 

 Where manure accumulates in the feed lot or barn it 

 should always be applied to the land, and a manure 

 spreader is becoming a necessary implement on all modern 

 farms. The sooner manure can be spread on the. land 

 after it is made the better the results to soil and crops. 



AGENTS WANTED. Cheap Irrigted lands. Big propo- 

 sition. We are arranging now for next season's business. 

 Good inducements for locating actual settlers. 



Address Manager 



AMERICAN RIO GRANDE LAND AND IRRIGATION 

 COMPANY, Mercedes, Hidalgo County, Texas. 



(Continued from page 423.) 



reviewed the work that had been done to date. The board 

 passed approvingly on the work not only of the national 

 secretary, Mr. Hooker, but of the board of control in its 

 preliminary task, its promotion and organization, and its 

 plans for the congress. The board of governors felt, after 

 this exhaustive review, that there was no doubt of the 

 success of the sessions at Pueblo in September next. 



A Big Attendance Assured. 



As to attendance, there can be no doubt. Secretary 

 Hooker and the local board of control believe there will 

 be not less than 3,000 accredited delegates, with a total at- 

 tendance of not less than 10,000 persons. This will easily 

 make the Pueblo sessions the most attractive, the most 

 successful, and the largest attended of any heretofore 

 held. 



The board of governors also arranged tentatively the 

 program. This includes some of the most distinguished 

 men in the country. It is not proper to print very much 

 about the program at this stage, for, as stated, it is entirely 

 tentative. It is never given out officially until the day 

 before the congress, when the executive committee has 

 definitely approved it. 



Sufficient is known, however, to insure the statement 

 that it will be the most interesting program of any of the 

 previous sessions. Government officials, members of con- 

 gress, governors, engineers, technical men, reclamation and 

 forestry experts, soil experts, railroad presidents, and prac- 

 tical farmers and irrigationists will appear on it. A fea- 

 ture is to be made of 5-minute talks from the platform. 



Profound interest, as .stated, exists all over the State 

 of Colorado in this congress. Colorado has long been 

 known as a mining state, but only recently has secured 

 proper recognition as an agricultural state. This is due 

 entirely to irrigation. With more than 3 r /z million acres 

 of irrigated lands in the state, with four fruitful sections 

 which are perfect Gardens of Eden, and with a constantly 

 growing population, Colorado is prepared to do homage 

 to the cause of irrigation. Opportunity exists anywhere 

 in the state, and the end is not yet. 



It is the confident belief of the alert, energetic men 

 carrying on the work of preparation of the Eighteenth 

 congress, and of farseeing citizens generally, that the at- 

 tention being diverted to Colorado, the Arkansas valley, 

 and Pueblo this year will send ahead this great develop- 

 ment at a rapid pace. .New irrigation projects, new beet 

 mills, new alfalfa fields, new orchards, new truck gardens 

 these are probabilities not at all uncertain because of irri- 

 gation. Thousands of acres of new projects, for instance, 

 in the famous Pueblo and Arkansas valley districts, are 

 under way, entirely assured, with adequate water rights 

 and with confident settlers-to-be awaiting their comple- 

 tion. 



Colorado's perfect climate, its months of golden sun- 

 shine, its rare atmospheric conditions, its splendid growing 

 seasons, with an abundance of water under irrigation and 

 a soil unparalleled, give firm hope to those now engaged 

 in the prediction business. 



HOW IS THIS FOR HIGH? OAT FIELD NEAR ST. ANTHONY 



Irrigated Crops 

 Never Fail 



The Upper Snake River Valley in Idaho has 

 the Soil, the Sunshine and the Water. More 

 than fifty large canals now completed and 

 owned by the farmers of pur county. Guaran- 

 teed water rights sufficient, with lands that 

 yield 6 tons of alfalfa, fifty bushels of wheat, 

 100 bushels of oats, 600 bushels of onions or 

 potatoes, and 20 tons of sugar beets per acre. 

 Fine Climate. Forinformation and illustrated 

 booklet write 



C. C. Moore Real Estate Co. 



ST. ANTHONY or ASHTON, IDAHO 



When writing to advertisers please mention The Irrigation Age. 



