The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-03-25

From Colorado.


perennial grasses. The large portion Of
the year the grass is dry and brown, very
nutritious There are several rivers COM
inu from the mountain canons, from which
water is taken in bitches to irrigate the
country between them. | have not time
to explain the modus operlndi" ofirri-
cation, but we prefer having just the a.
mount Of water We want and when we
want it aud where, to taking our chances
as you do. | am now experimenting the
construction Of the Highland Ditch"
which is to be eighteen feet wide, three
feet deep, and more than thirty miles
long. This ditch will cost about thirty
five thousand dollars, and covers some of
the best farming land in the Territory.
The soil is rich in mineral substances, and
cultivation, by irrigation constantly i'm
proves it. 1t produces largely, without
manure, and with it, some immense crops.
The soil is a singular combination Of
sand clay; when wet, the sand appears
claycy, aud when dry, the clay appears
sandy. We can raise everything that
you can in Vermont. Corn does not do
as well as the small grains. Wheat seems
to be the best crop. Twenty bushels to
the acre is considered small crop. l
have seen thirty bushels to the acre,
grown on sod land, and fifty averaged on
large fields, while small pieces, carefully
cultivated, have produced at the rate of
1Oe bnsbale por nara Shrine ,rhoot &c
principally raised, and it is sown any
time between February aud June. Our
-four is superior to your best winter wheat
flour. This fact is becoming known at
the cast, and Boston dealers have been
purchasing large quantities of our wheat
at S2.40 per hundred lbs, and shipping
it across the plains and wheat growing
states Of the west Oats do well, and
weigh about forty pounds per bushcl, and
yield more than with you. Vegetables
are grown that would astouish you For
instance, potatoes that weigh six pounds
apiece, cabbagcs sixty, and other things
in proportion, Small fruits grow wild in
the mountains, and when cultivated they
do admirably. The climate is particu-
larly adapted to grapes, and we have
good reason to think that apples and pears
will do we'll The wcathcr,during the past
winter, has resembled your Indian sum-
mer," with colder nights, Of course. Most
Of the time in January we let our ires
90 down during the day, nd had our
doors open. The ground has not been
white all day but oncc,and the roads were
dry and dusty all winter. It has not
been necessary to feed stock day this
winter, as the grass IS good the year
rule here aFgei vs sunny weather is the
tions. The thermometer went as low as
lS0 below, one night, but when the sur
was two hours high it was 400 above
Our summers are warm, the thcrmome-
ter frequently in the " nineties,' but you
will be surprised to see how little the heat
will Cypress you, and the nights are al.
ways deliciously cool.
We are SO high above the level of the
sea las high as the top Of Mt. Washing.
tom that the air is intensely dry and rare
and the hcalthll.ness Of our climate is
beyond question. Those troubled with
asthma are sure @! cure, and those who
have the consumption are generally cur
ed, unless they are in the last stages, and
then they die all the sooner here.
This will, without doubt, be an excel
lent country for sheep-they are healthy
here, and the short, rich grasses are Pc
cularly adapted to them There have
been same llocks of Merinos brought
here, but the sheep generally kept are
Mexican, very inferior animal. There
are more kept in the northern part of the
Territory
There are some disadvantages here 1t
is more difficult commencing, here, with
a small capital than in Western States
where crops are raised without irrigation,
because more time and money is requir-
ed. Large portions Of the country can
not be irrigated, on account Of the con-
iguration Of the ground, aud the absence
of water supply, consequently such lands
are ouly useful as pasture ground. Ii
far away from cultivated land, owners
are apt to have no fodder for stock dur
ing stormy weather, and when there is
snow, for we do have severe storms, though
rarely. We have great deal of wind
and some heary winds, accompanied, o.
course, with good deal Of dust, but sc
far, with US, no damage has been done
and it has not been so bad as we antici
pated. We are more subjected to The
ravages Of grasshoppers than you are
and when they are plenty, understand
they are leariully SO. | think they have
not been troublesome for four or liv,
years. We have good market, ant
probably always shall have, in the min
ing towns of the mountains. Most farm
productions sell here for twice what they
bring in the Western States, and som'
kinds for more,
Our town il very pleasantly located
eight miles from the mountains, on thu
St. Vrains river. We have fine view
of the Rocky Mountains for three hug
dred miles, many parts Of which are coy
cred with perpetual snow
Longs Peak is .graud old monaqh
nearly 1900 feet high Il is twenty
eight miles from US, bat if you werel t'
guess, you would call it about eight
The air is so clear that you cannot judE
of distance. We frequently see the sudy
blowing over peaks that are sovcnty-fN
miles distant
We have about 6v5 hundred inhabit
ants, mostly American, some English an
German--a very pleasant class of people
There ore three church organizations, on
church building, fine library hall,
good school house, with eighty pupils an
two teachers, a first class grist mill, tie
stores, &c, &c. The Colorado Contra
II. Y. will be completed from Golden t
this place in April, and to Julesburg o
the Union Pacific, this summer, Govern
ment anl Il. r. land is being rapid
taken up. We get our fencing from tn