18 



BULLETIN 500, U. S. DEPAETMENT OF AGRICULTUKE. 



orchards, but on account of the fact that the change in practice from 

 clean cultivation to the use of a mulch crop or sod, is now in a transi- 

 tory stage and has not been in practice long enough to affect yields, 

 it was difficult in many cases to determine which orchards should 

 be regarded as clean cultivated and which as mulch crop. Many 

 use a thick growth of weeds for a mulch crop, and in such cases there 

 is often considerable cultivation before the weeds are allowed to 

 grow. (See Table IX.) 



Table IX. — Ranches classified by soil management (125 ranches, western Colorado). 





Number of ranches. 



Soil management. 



Mesa. 



Delta. 



Montrose. 



All 

 counties. 





32 



4 

 5 

 7 

 1 



13 

 23 

 11 

 9 



7 

 4 

 

 4 



52 





31 





16 



Alfalfa 



20 



Vetch 



1 





5 





5 



1 







Plowing is sometimes done in early spring, but most men plow 

 in the late fall. A few, particularly in Delta County, plow the mulch 

 crop under during the summer. By plowing in the fall, the ground is 

 given the full benefit of the moisture of the snow which falls during 

 the winter. 



Some ranchers do not plow every year. In Mesa County, for 

 example, 25 men plow every year, 12 plow every 2 years, 5 plow 

 every 3 years, and 1 plows every 4 years, making a total of 43, or 

 nearly 88 per cent, who plow. However, the percentage is reduced 

 to 67 if figured as an annual charge against the total number of 

 records. For Montrose this percentage is the same as for Mesa; for 

 Delta it is 48. 



The plowing cost per acre for all counties is $3.83, one man and 

 team plowing 1.44 acres per day. There is never more than one 

 plowing during the season, but the cultivating tools are used after 

 each irrigation to a certain extent. 



In Table X the 125 ranches are classified according to practices in 

 cultivation. 



