Unirrigated Uands of Eastern Colorado. 
15 
try. Each year we have traveled, we have found more people who 
were improving their places and deciding to stay and make real 
homes for themselves. The result is that permanent improve¬ 
ments are taking the places of temporary makeshifts which were 
put up to last until the owners could get away. And now, not so 
many places have the “I want to sell out” appearance once so 
characteristic of nearly all. 
Near Vernon and Wray, the farmers are becoming comfort¬ 
ably fixed. Many of them are connected with each other by tele¬ 
phones. Once last summer while staying over night at one of the 
farms an orchestra was called up and all on the line enjoyed a very 
entertaining concert. This may surprise some who think of the 
whole country as but little better than a desert. 
CULTURE. 
The practice of the most successful farmers is to plant all 
crops which are cultivated during growth with a lister. The 
harrow is often used in cultivating until the plants are so large 
that it would break them if used. Gang weed cutters are used 
by many for cultivating listed corn after it is too large to be culti¬ 
vated with a harrow. The ordinary shovel cultivator is used for 
the last cultivation. Some are listing their ground east and west 
in the fall and listing again in the spring. The fall listing 
is done in order to catch the winter moisture. The method 
of culture which is most successful is the one by which a soil 
mulch is maintained throughout the growing season so as to 
prevents excessive evaporation. Very few men prepare ground for 
wheat with turning plows. The cultivators and disk harrows 
have been found more satisfactory in preparing ground for wheat. 
One man claims good gains in yield by listing his ground east and 
west in the fall and discing in the spring. Sorghum is sometimes 
sown, but is much surer to produce a crop if it is planted with a 
lister and cultivated. It has been found that much of the winter 
moisture can be saved for the crop by discing the land in March. 
Sometimes this will save a crop. Wheat following corn is now 
giving the best returns in wheat seed. Wheat sown between 
March 1st and March 15th seems to give the better average yields 
than later or earlier sowing-. 
o 
