Miscellaneous. 



70 



[July, 1909. 



Generally speaking, the farming methods 

 in this region are not above the average. 

 Very frequently the best of farmers 

 crop their land twice with one ploughing, 

 and only occasionally do they rotate 

 their crops or summer fallow their 

 fields. Most of them consider that they 

 can make at least a good living if they 

 can be sure of 15 bushels of wheat per 

 acre each year, as they figure that it 

 does not cost them more than $4 an acre 

 to produce a crop. 



AtNephi, Utah, where we are co-oper- 

 ating with the Utah Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station this year, we are doing 

 more extensive work with dryland 

 cereals than at any other point. Mr. F. D. 

 Farrel is in charge of this farm and is 

 much interested in the work. We have 

 planted at this station about all the 

 varieties known to be at all worth while, 

 and hope to obtain much useful infor- 

 mation here. Rust epidemics aud insect 

 pests are practically unknown in this 

 area. The only adverse condition with 

 which we have to deal is drought ; hence, 

 any variety found to be superior in 

 yielding capacity will indicate its 

 ability for maximum production with a 

 minimum amount of moisture. We have 

 our work so arranged as to be able to 

 watch the development of individual 

 plants, and thus secure data of a very 

 reliable nature looking toward the 

 development of new types of superior 

 quality. 



Dry-Land Agriculture in Colorado. 



In Colorado I visited the dry farm of 

 Mr. E. ft. Parsons, located 23 miles 

 south-east of Denver, on the Colorado 

 and Southern Railroad, near Parkers. 

 Mr. Parsons is a very intelligent English- 

 man. He came to this country from the 

 Transvaal, South Africa, where he had 

 considerable experience in dry farming. 

 He has a commercial orchard, which was 

 set out in 1895. Mr. Parsons is now 

 independently wealthy, and I am in- 

 formed that he has made nearly all of 

 his money out of his dry farm. He says 

 that the success obtained in producing 

 crops without irrigation in eastern 

 Colorado will depend on the man. 



Mr. Parsons has been living on this 

 farm since 1886, and is therefore familiar 

 with the whole of eastern Colorado aud 

 thoroughly competent to speak intelli- 

 gently on the conditions obtaining in 

 this part of the Great Plains. He states 

 positively (and his farm will bear him 

 out in his statements) that there is no 

 sane reason why the average farmer 

 cannot succeed on the plains of Col irado 

 if he will farm intelligently. 



The orchard is planted on laud sloping 

 to the north and west. The soil is a 



very heavy clay. It is 300 to 500 feet 

 to water. The annual precipitation 

 averages about 13 to 15 inches. Last 

 year the precipitation was 13 inches. 

 Five to seven acres are planted to cherry 

 trees of the varieties Montmorency and 

 Morrello, which are now ten years old, 

 the first-named being the most hardy 

 and drought resistant, and hence the 

 preferable variety. Mr. Parsons has 

 secured from this orchard on an average 

 one crate of cherries to the tree during 

 the past three years, except last year, 

 when they were frozen down at the time 

 all fruit was frozen in Colorado. He has 

 about 120 trees planted to the acre, and 

 receives $3 a crate for his cherries 

 delivered in Denver. He also has about 

 four acres of apple trees now bearing 

 fruit. The 10-year-old trees are bearing 

 about four bushels to the tree. He has 

 more than 100 trees to the acre, but has 

 since decided that this is too close plant- 

 ing, and in his new orchard, recently set 

 out, trees are placed about 40 feet apart, 

 or 80 trees to the acre. The Jona- 

 than, Rome Beauty, and Ben Davis seem 

 to be the most profitable varieties to 

 grow in this particular locality. 



In addition to his cherry and apple 

 orchard, Mr. Parsous has four acres of 

 currant bushes of the London Market 

 variety. These are planted 8 feet apart 

 each way. During the past three 

 seasons he has taken from each of the 

 5-year-old bushes one gallon of currants, 

 realizing 15 cents per gallon. In 1900 

 Mr. Parsons realized in cash from his 

 orchard §1,500. This was in addition to 

 fruit necessary for home consumption 

 and generous distribution among friends. 



Considerable alfalfa, corn, and wheat 

 are also grown by Mr. Parsons ; in fact, 

 everything necessary to feed his animals. 

 His corncrib was filled with excellent 

 corn, samples of which I brought to 

 the Department. This last winter he 

 fattened 100 head of beef steers on 

 alfalfa grown on his farm without irri- 

 gation. He has harvested each year 

 from H to 2\ tons of excellent hay to the 

 acre. "Turkey Red wheat yielded him 

 last year a little more than 40 bushels 

 to the acre. 



During 1907 Mr. Parsons produced 40 

 bushels of corn to the acre on sod land 

 that was ploughed 9 inches deep. This 

 is a little contrary to the general belief 

 as to what can be done on sod land. 

 The general practice is to plough sod 

 as shallowly as possible, in order that 

 it may rot the better during the sum- 

 mer. Mr. Parsons, however, in his 

 twenty years' experience on a dry-land 

 farm has obtained far better results by 

 ploughing the sod deeply, 



