SOME PRESS BULLETINS. 
II 
on i6o-acre farms in Eastern Colorado in regions where crops have 
not been generally grown. Many of these settlers have but a limited 
amount of money and can not afford a crop failure. It is feared 
that this spring crop will be only partially successful, since many 
of them are farming as they did “back home,” and are not using 
drouth-resistant crops of demonstrated value in their farming oper¬ 
ations. This timely suggestion is sent out to prevent crop failure in 
fall seeding. Preparation of seed bed is the most important thing in 
farming the non-irrigated lands, and as soon as spring crops are in, 
the new settler should plow and cultivate his field he expects to seed 
to fall crops, or the following spring’s grain. 
Summer culture is an essential of the Eastern Colorado farmer’s 
success. The French found some centuries ago that “manoeuvering” 
the land—causing the particles of earth to change place by tillage— 
made it more productive. Experiments now show that summer tillage 
in our semi-arid lands has an added value—it conserves the moisture, 
while it renders more plant food available. Good results have been 
obtained in Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon, Utah, and many 
sections of Colorado from summer culture of the land every other 
season. It has been found that in this way sufficient moisture can be 
stored from the year’s rainfall to mature a crop in many localities. 
After the snows of winter have melted in the spring, plow the 
ground at least seven or eight inches deep. With disc harrow, cor¬ 
rugated roller, imperial pulverizer, or packer, level and firm this 
ground as soon after plowing as possible, at least not later than each 
half day, and follow up with smoothing harrow to establish the earth 
mulch to check evaporation. This mulch must not be too fine, as the 
winds of the plains will tend to rift the soil or blow the earth mulch 
entirely away. If possible, stir the surface soil with a good spike- 
tooth or acme harrow several times through the summer frgm two to 
four inches deep. Follow every summer rain with a good harrowing 
of this “summer cultured’’ ground, preventing the formation of a 
crust at the surface. Keep this ground clean—free from weeds. 
Ground that has been well cultivated for several years will pro¬ 
duce two crops in succession and can be given summer culture the 
third year. In this way it is possible to grow two crops in three 
years on well-tilled soil. If a farmer expects to cultivate 8o acres, he 
should divide it into two crop divisions—cropping 40 acres the first 
year and giving summer culture to the other 40 acres. This gives him 
a crop on one half his land each year while he is storing up moisture 
in the soil reservoir of the other half to make the next year’s crop. \ 
farmer on the non-irrigated lands in Weld County last season, after 
seedng his spring crop, at once prepared his fall wheat seed bed—150 
acres. The writer visited his field early in July and found his seed bed 
in a fine mellow, moist, condition for seeding. Just a few miles from 
this careful farmer’s ranch was a 5oo-a‘'cre field which had been simply 
plowed and left in that condition to dry out and become hard. Al¬ 
though an inch of rain had fallen the week previous, the writer found 
the soil in this field in very poor mechanical condition—dry and hard. 
