CHAPTER VIII. 



WESTERN LAMB FEEDING. 



PEA FEEDING IN COLOEADO. 



In the San Luis valley of Colorado a very 

 curions method of fattening lambs has within 

 recent years grown to large proportions. This 

 valley is very high, so high indeed that alfalfa 

 does not thrive as it does elsewhere in the irri- 

 gated valleys of the West. But Nature evens up 

 things and here is found the natural home of 

 the field, or Canadian, pea. The soil and climate 

 seem admirably suited to the growth of peas. 

 Indeed it is said that nowhere else in the world 

 do peas thrive so well. The soil is somewhat 

 alkaline, full too of niineral riches, and the 

 abundant irrigation and cool mountain air 

 assure a good growth and a very heavy fruit- 

 ing. The methods of culture are easy and 

 simple;, after being drilled into the soil and 

 irrigated (sometimes with cultivation and 

 sometimes without) they soon cover the ground 

 and need no more attention. The climate is so 

 dry that the crop may stand without waste 

 until it is consumed. The harvesting is simple 

 in the extreme. Lambs are bought and turned 

 in where they remain until the crop is har- 



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