New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-07-11
AGRICULTURE IN COLORADO

A"A'o'hANiiN" labho-bushELs OF EUTa
PLANTED.
lrRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT or THg TRrBusyi
GREELEY, COLORADO, May 25.-In Illinois a
man living on the prairie used TO say he lived two fva
or ten miles from tree. That nothing 70 what II wa4
with US, for In direct lines East and South II pro-
badly 500 miles to tree We had however struggling
line OF cottonwood along river, and 30 miles West
and beyond the foot hills forests OF pine but they
are TOO far away TO give much shade Out the Plains
which begin, IN all their native wdness Just across our
irrgatng canals, there Is sign OF tree, any
vegetable growth above foot HIGH though occasionally
weeds will be two feet high These, by species Opt
cal delusion, often to the traveller at half milo
distant 20 feet high and sometimes they
imaginary lakes forming groves. Even from town
we often Of these lakes bordered with forests,
and when the wind blows little the hsherman's boat Ia
tossed the waves, all Of which is only in the eye
10 and his family lived in this valley great many
years, for the native grass unexceled, and tho
divides swarmed with buffalo and antelope which Of
course had TO 10 the river to drink and 10
hand He did all be we'll could do to destroy the cotton
woods by cooking his game by fires built at the roots.
and for planting tree, he never thought OF 1t In.
deed Il Is doubtful whether he knew that such thing
could be done. We have grove OF some 80 acres OF
large cottonwoods island mile from town, which
have reserved for public park and for holding sgri
cultural fairs and OF the oldest trees half
burned through by Los fires. Beyond these and 0cca
slona arrowhead we find no vestge OF his occupancy
MOI hearthstone, old bushes, no horseradish
pants and yet 1t ia only about 10 years since Gov Mo
Cook coming down the valley, stopped at this point
by large tribe OF Cheyennes-1,0C0 or more--who In
formed him he could pass that this their home.
their heritage the graves of their anoestors
and they would suffer no intruders. 1t Is doubtful
whether Cheyenne 10 raised hill Of corn or BEANS
or q watermelon, because was so abundant Their,
was need and he lived aud proDagated age after ago.
never making progress, for long ago. like Mr. Caryles
tha in m WA hak 40 Thought
this great country he could live without work.
but that was what the matter with IL and with
him; also what the matter with the earliest white
clustering in Fort Saint vran, IL miles 70 the south
Of us. for buffalo and squaws were plentiful 10 did
notrase even garden sauce not even an onion since
the country was a desert to the civilized and an
Eden to him; but he Is we'll gone. and only his half
breeds remain riding shaggy ponies half doubled up'
and looking over the valleys, like Rip Van Wrinkle.
wondering " who has been here since he was gone"
One Of the first things did after planting ourselves
here was to plant trees, and several thousand small
naples and elms were obtained from Illinois, but coming
late and other things pressing they were only planted
and watered; cultivation neglected, and, except
here and there slow growth has disgraced u.s. Perhaps
we had too many good remedy for which seemed TO me-
to get good many more, and make business OF It, 80
this Spring trees and cuttings were obtained by the
hundred thousand seedlings and directions were en-
tered upon in regard to cultivation. which probably VIII
fruit, especially If the undersigned ana some 10"
others show by living example what cultivation MEANS
and what 1t Will accomplish.
Mr.. Greeley has been anxious about having OAKS.
hickory nuts black wanus and other tree seeds started
on his LOT and great deal was done it last years for
an outlay of at least $500 made but failure to great
extent resulted the for which could DO gwen
Of interest. But preparations were made last Fan '"
try again, and it be reported now that from o" !"
1000 have been set out this Spring. consisting
OF golden willows. cottonwood and Colorado naples
all doing well Fall about bushel each OF acorns
and black walnuts planted in rows 300 feet long,
covered with pillow, and just in time, too for before tue
team left the field, and it on the 18th OF November
az remember" filled the valley, and from
that time on 100 days snow covered the ground ans
we had a Winter long to be remembered.
The acorns were In nice condition. many having AL
ready sprouted, and the black waInuts seemed moist
busel of hickory nuts however were so dry az to bs
good eating and it thought unsafe to trust them In
field burrows, they bedded out in the garden.
covered with straw, then with EARTH and it was pro-
posed to winter them, but the coming, all opera
lions closed. few chestnus equally dry were obtained.
and they put in a box OF moist earth, and placed
where they would freeze. Early in April these nuts
examined and they were dry as ever. and showed
no signs Of growing Last year, directions appeared in
the report Of the Commissioner of Agriculture for
making such dried nuts grow, Of which to keep
them constantly moist; therefore, when water came
down from the irrigatng canal stream was made to
flow the hickorynut bed, and left running week
The nuts examined from time TO time but they
showed no signs of life. The seemed hopeless and
here seemed another failure The acOrns la
the fell also examined, and the ground
was found moist, but therel was no growth.
However as there water it should not hinder aud
it kept running Perhaps 100 barrels of water ran
over that hickory-nut bed. AT last this treatment
brought them to time for all at once most OF them were
found cracked open and many OF them had sent down
aproots four and six inches long some of which
peepng through the ground or they had 10 be
attended to at once, matter how much other work
pressed 1t found to be hard work the nuts
out bed for In uncovering the SOIL the roots
liable to be broken and IL became necessary to remove
the earth carefully with the hands, which could
not we'll be assigned to saday for in this stage Of
the proceedings with waving her banner from
planted several favorable places, that possible,
there may be hickory nuts In Colorado. At the Calfor
mia State Fair, last year, gentleman received largo
premium for having grown enough hickory TO make %
single tree which much more creditabe than tho
premiums given for fast horses; and perhaps here,
after a WHILE the Colorado Agricultural Society may
give full much of Its prestige to forest tree culture and
like rural pursuits the in three" The Terri
toral Legislature last Winter had proper idea the
subject for the taxes Of ground planted In
forest trees worth by the example $1,000 are to be
mitted for which sign we should all be thankful
Owing to the many things necessary to be done-de-
mauding be done this minute" should not have
paid required attention to the forest tree business in
all the details had not Mr. Greeley kept driving
on and never ceasing demand that seeds OF hard
wood trees should be planted-which meant whether hs
knew IL or not, that should do it myself, for not
these nor any other shores men 10 DC picked
who, on being told with ever many directions TO
and plant will have the least success In truth, Lc
would do about well. so say there is nothing like