Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-04
Colorado Attractions 10 Colonr.t..

Mr.. Editor::-l noticed in the Spy OF July 18th
an article on the unfortunate Colony" which
settled at Greeley, Colorado. This article does
injustice not only to the town of Greeley, but to
the agricultural interests of this territory.
While have no personal or pecunary inter-
est IN the pet colony of the New York Tribune,
desire in the interests of truth to correct some
of the statements of this article, and to present
the subject as it appears to a Massachusetts,
man, born and bred in Worcester county.
The correspondent of the Toledo Blade, on
whose opinions your article was based, admitted
the beauty of the scenery, the healthful charac-
ter of the climate and the fertility of the soil,
but predicted failure for Greeley on account of
its location, and you gave the following reasons
for this gloomy prophecy: First, that crops
cannot be proftably raised by irrigation in COM
petition with farmers on land equally cheap
and fertile, watered abundantly by nature with
out labor or cost; and, second, because there is
no other business but agriculture, and no mar
ket for surplus crops if they have any surplus"
The reply to the first proposition is that the
farmers of Colorado are not subjected to any
such competition. The second statement is
simply incorrect for there is a market for sur
plus crops-one in which these crops sell for a
price hlgher than they would command in Wor-
cester or Boston, and this market is at home.
A large and increasing portion of the popu-
lation of Colorado are engaged in mining, and
are therefore consumers instead of producers.
lhese miners are not wandering searchers for
gold AS glass; they are enterpnslng' indus
trlous men, engaged IN the work OF taking the
ores from the mountain sldes and suoJecung
'nen 10 various mechanical ana chemlcal pro-
ceSseS ior reductlon. AS consumers OF the sur
plus crops they are as rellaOie as the mechanics
ol new England hitnerto' tne farmers Oh COL
orauo nave hot oeeu aole 10 supply the demand
LOT thelr productS' ana every year gram mas
peen imported from the states to supply the
miners with tood'
Wnle mere IN the valley towns potatoes are
worth sl'oV per DuShel' hour % per cwt, and
oats Ihree cents per TO- ana IN the INNING towns
theSe crops are SOLD at sui hlgher rates, 1t
cannot be expected that the Colorado farmer
VIII appreciate the terrible disadvantage OF be-
ing so far removed from the eastern markets.
The article IN the Spy to which have re-
ierred contains TINS information: Grains Will
not pay for long transportation except by water
or railroad, and greeley has neither OF these
means OF reaching market. This must be
sad blow to the Greeleyites, who still labor I'M
der the delusion that their town is on the Den
yer Pacific railroad, within fifty miles of Den
yer, from which city five different railroads now
radiate, two of which connect Denver with the
base of the mountains, where there is q market
for farm products far better than New York or
Boston.
Irrigation is an obstacle far less formidable
than eastern farmers are led to suppose. The
security which it affords against loss from Sc
we're droughts, and the exemption from the evils |
of insufficient drainage are no small compensa-
ton for the trouble of irrigating.
If any one believes that the Greeley colonists
are becoming discouraged and doubtful about |
their future prospects, let him attempt to pur-
chase real estate in that town, and the price de-
mauded will convince him of his error. This
season several other colonies, modelled after the
one at Greeley, have settled in Colorado. The |
most important is the Chicago colony. which |
has secured fifty thousand acres in Boulder
count,. and foundod a tou,n ool1od o,,o,r,or.
49, "''u . 'O"u U''i'u hio"''
Already more than hundred thousand dollars |