24 
The Colorado Experiment Station 
Seeding .—Sweet clover may be seeded in the spring or fall. 
Where it is not in danger of being blown out in the winter time, 
fall seeding may be used. When seeded in the spring it should 
be seeded as early as possible to get it in the ground. 
When cut for hay, the first cutting should not be made until 
the sprouts which shall produce the second crop begin to appear. 
Usually one crop may be cut the first year. The second year two 
cuttings should be received, except in years of extreme drouth. 
In cutting the second year’s crop, the cutter bar on the mower 
should be set high, in order not to kill the plants. The plants 
start from sprouts which come out on the stalks close to the 
ground. If cut below these sprouts, the crop will be killed. High 
cutting obviates this danger. 
FIELD PEAS 
Field peas, or Canada peas, are exceedingly well adapted for 
the dry farms in altitudes of from 6,500 to 8,500 feet. They are 
not so well adapted in the lower and warmer sections. It is pos¬ 
sible to grow them but usually they will not pay a profit. They 
should be seeded on well prepared land at the rate of about 20 
to 30 pounds per acre, preferably using a disk drill with a revolv¬ 
ing cup type of feed so as not to crush the seed. Peas grow best 
in cool regions. It is for this reason that they are better adapted 
for the higher altitudes. 
PINTO BEANS 
The so-called pinto beans are one of the Mexican varieties. 
This variety is most commonly grown, is one of the very best 
yielders, is well adapted for dry-farming sections below 7,000 
feet in altitude, and has an established market. The average 
yield of these beans under dry-farming conditions has been from 
300 to 800 pounds per acre. Many growers have obtained much 
higher yields. These beans sell on the market from as low as 
2 to as high as 6 l / 2 and 7 cents per pound, depending upon the 
market demand. They, therefore, constitute a very excellent and 
certain source of cash income. The straw will yield from one-half 
to three-fourths of a ton and sometimes more, per acre. The 
straw, when fed with silage, is worth as much as alfalfa hay. In 
addition, beans are legumes and assist somewhat in keeping up 
soil productivity when they are used in rotation. 
Preparation of the Soil .—Pinto beans should be planted on 
flat, prepared land in rows 3 to 3F> feet apart and in drills in the 
rows. The amount of seed for dry-land conditions will vary from 
8 to 18 lbs. Fifteen pounds may be put as a fair general average, 
where growing conditions are favorable. 
