SEEDING, TILLAGE, AND IRRIGATION- 
, 1 > 
(Arkansas Valley Station, Rocky Ford, Colorado.) 
By Fred. A. Huntley. 
The profits in crop growing are, as a rule, determined upon 
the basis of tillage or cultivation without regard to the application 
of manures or other fertilizers. This is especially true in compara¬ 
tively new farming sections where the supply of available fertilizers 
is usually very limited and skill in the management of a natural 
soil determines largely the extent of production. That good tillage 
is everywhere the highest essential in successful farming is not to 
be denied. * . 
All plants have their own peculiar habits. There are certain 
conditions of climate, soil, and care best adapted to the pioduction 
of each. When a plant is introduced into a section differing from 
that of its nativity, it is but natural to enquire into the conditions 
of culture under which it has been known to thrive. These con¬ 
ditions are learned and applied to a considerable degree by all, but 
the highest rewards are attained by the best-adapted energies. As 
localities differ in characteristics of soil and climate, so must the 
practices of methods differ to suit the requirements of plant culture. 
The climate which is now under consideration is very dry and 
warm during the summer months and mild at other seasons, with 
an extreme lack of humidity in the atmosphere generally thiough- 
out the year. The average rainfall is very slight, as observations 
for three consecutive years show but 12.06 inches; and coming, as 
it does, at irregular intervals can not be depended upon materially 
to benefit crops. The reliable water supply comes through well- 
developed systems of irrigating canals. The soil of the Arkansas 
Valley may be described as a sandy loam, containing a small pci 
cent, of clay. The subsoil has nearly the same characteristics as 
the surface covering, though it is extremely compact in textuie. 
The natural under-drainage needs no improvement. 
