12 
Colorado Experiment Station 
maturity of the crop, as it keeps the growth green later in the sea¬ 
son, consequently deep plowing should be done at a considerable 
time before the crop is seeded. Fall plowing on lands intended for 
spring seeding, or at least very early spring plowing, is necessary 
where deep plowing is practiced. In certain localities the soils are 
so light that they blow readily in the prevailing winter and spring 
winds and it is sometimes necessary to leave such soils unplowed 
so that they may be protected by the stubble or other summer 
growth. Likewise, in some sections the winters are normally so 
dry that the furrow slice will be entirely dried out where fall plow¬ 
ing is practiced and spring irrigation will be necessary to germi¬ 
nate the seed. Prevailing* practice differs thruout the Valley, 
therefore, according to the prevalence or absence of the conditions 
referred to. In those sections where conditions would permit more 
fall plowing foT spring crops it would cause a better distribution 
of labor and larger crops. 
Altho the San Luis Valley is served by two railway lines, 
it is necessarily subject to rather high freight rates, as lines must 
cross mountain passes to get into the Valley. This condition, cou¬ 
pled with the short season which limits the class of crops which can 
be grown, somewhat affects the most profitable farm practice. 
Cash crops in excess of local consumption should not be grown 
except those which will sell for an exceedingly high price on out¬ 
side markets. Consequently, the best farm management to be fol¬ 
lowed in general will encourage the production of feed so that the 
crop is ‘hnarketed on the hoof’’—in other words, to permit live¬ 
stock to convert the relatively cheap hay, grain and other feed into 
relatively concentrated and high-priced animal products. From 
the standpoint of good farm practice, a great deal of these crops 
should be fed upon the individual farms in order that the manure 
may assist in the maintenance of soil fertility. 
Large areas of the feed crops of the Valley are now grazed in 
the field. This is especially true of peas and pea-grain mixtures. 
vSuch practice is exceedingly wasteful of feed, since a large amount 
of it is blown away by the high winter winds and much of it is 
tramped into the ground. Moreover, during the winter, snow fre¬ 
quently covers the fields for days at a time. Under such conditions 
animals will often lose more in four or five days than they can gain 
in twenty, but where the crop is harvested and fed in lots, the 
waste is largely stopped. 
Over a considerable portion of the Valley summer range in 
the foothills and mountains is available. Such a condition fits in 
wonderfully well with the production of hay and grains for feed 
upon the individual farms. It is estimated that 250,000 to 300,000 
