. Dry land farming in the Southwest .. . View of Grain Field Near Limon, Colorado. quires the least attention and is therefore quite common. In districts of thirty inches of rainfall or more one bushel of seed per acre is generally used when broadcasted, and where there is less rainfall, half a bushel. The ground is plowed or disked, the seed sown and covered with a harrow. When the seed is to be sown with a grain drill, the land is prepared the same as for wheat, and from one peck to half a bushel of seed is sown on each acre, depending on the rainfall. The highest yields are secured by plant
. Dry land farming in the Southwest .. . View of Grain Field Near Limon, Colorado. quires the least attention and is therefore quite common. In districts of thirty inches of rainfall or more one bushel of seed per acre is generally used when broadcasted, and where there is less rainfall, half a bushel. The ground is plowed or disked, the seed sown and covered with a harrow. When the seed is to be sown with a grain drill, the land is prepared the same as for wheat, and from one peck to half a bushel of seed is sown on each acre, depending on the rainfall. The highest yields are secured by planting in rows three to three and one-half feet apart, drill- ing the seed in the rows and cultivating the same as kafir or corn. The ground may be listed shal- low. From five to ten pounds of seed are used an acre, varying with the rainfall, the less pre- cipitation the less seed should be used. When intended for hay or pasture, the seeding should be done so thickly that the stalks will be the size of the little finger and smaller. Sorghum may be planted at any time after the danger of frost is over until the middle of July, whenever the ground contains sufficient moisture to give the young plants a vigorous start. Sorghum for hay may be cut any time from heading out until the seeds get in the milk. When planted in drills or rows it may be cut and bound into bundles. The bundles are first cured in the shock and then stacked in long ricks like grain. Drilled or broadcasted sorghum may be cut with a mower set rather high so that the stubble will hold up the forage and let the air dry out the underside. Soon after being mowed it should be raked in windrows. After curing for a day or two in windrows it should be gathered into large cocks holding a wagon load or more. One man should make a small stack of each cock, placing the forage as it comes from the sweep rake so that each forkful will turn rain. Sorghum hay will usually keep well through the winter in such large cocks. It is wel
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectagriculture, bookyear
