The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1876-04-21
LErrER ABOUT COLORADO.
An Interesting Descriptions Of-
the Great Mineral Terri
tory.
ALLEN,
Lyon County,
April 18th, 1876.

ALLEN
Lyon County,
April 18th, 1876.
The following letter is from .
well known, citizen of this county.
and will be found to contain much
interesting and valuable infOrma-
ton about Colorado:
For information to those who feel
IN interest in the section OF cOun-
try lying east Of the Rocky noun
tains, and west of the @great Amer
lean desert" it may be well to say
that there lis no country ON the
American continent that bears 3
similar description. In point OF
purity, the air and water cannot be
excelled, the air never IS loaded
with malaria and with natural
water grade upon all the streams OF
any size, from forty to one hum
dred and fifty feet per mile, never
stagnaies. The general altitude OF
the settled portions of that psrt Of
the west, within tho boundarys OF
the -TsEritOry-Of Colorado, and
known as the farming aud grazing
region, Is from five to ak thousand
i've hundred feet above the sea lev
ell, Of which section i deaires 70
speak In this letter. About one
18th of the several million acres Of
land lying east OF the mOunfAIns, iS
subject to irrigation and becomes
the farming land; all farming be-
ing done under the Irrigation sys'
tenn, which has for ages been estab-
lished by the Mexicans, and the In
dians, who were found in the coun-
try before them, which at once edu-
Gated the pioneer to the most direct
route to success; without which
much pains must have been taken
time and money spent, before arri.
wing at the present advanced stage
of farming by irrigation, which in
time and in many ways may be i'm.
proved.
The country is watered by stream
varying in size, finding their source
in the mountains, from five to if
teen miles apart, running in an
easterly direction until they form 9
junction, the main stream i0 each
valley; which is generally within
the limits of the Territory. Upol
the banks of these streams the farm
ing is done. The frontage Of eaet
farm virtually CONTROLS the raag'
growing upon the remaining 15-L'
of the Territory, this land is strict
ly grazing land, furnishing 8 short
nutricious grass, which natures anC
cures as it stands, becoming richer
food for all kinds of stock, thai
any grass cut and cured in the OLD
way. Fat mutton and beef may b.
butchered here from the range OF
any day in the year. The winter
loss in stock from the effects of age
disease and poverty, ranges from
one to fifteen per cent. per annum
varying in accordance with the sea
son, although this loss is generally
confined to the aged of all kinds
Cattle and horses are herded during
the summer months, from the 20tl
of April to the Goth of October, &C
cording to the law of the land, afte
which time they are turned broad
cast upon the plains until spring
appsren thy, to the stranger, as i
the people were sowing thier dol
lars and cents without much pros
pect OF ever seeing the whole Of j
again. Nor do they; yet according
to the custom, after planting an
before the crops may be MATERIAL.
injured by stock, those vino ar
stock owners, great and small, tur
out ecu mass" and gather tOgethe
all the cattle and horses found i
their respective counties at give
points, which hays been previousl
selected for the purpose, and frOI
these great herds each Owne
selects his own by his brand, eaC
brand being on record in the count
where iG belongs. The systei
seems to work fairly well, at an
rate men who have devoted the
attention to this branch of the bn
mess OF the Territory, have bee
successful with much less labor tina
is generally supposed. The stoc
raiser is a character within himse
and his wife is an individual. Tt
farmer here is not always q stos
raiser, nor ls the stock raiser excl
sively such, but often combines u
two anu atIiroes becomes . freight
: in addiIiOn- The "Prsirie Schooner
forever Loss To Kansas, is still
vogue here, although it is being fs
pushed TO the westward by the raj
road. Upon an average the farm
is better paid for his labor her
than any place In the United State
Not being able to cultivate mo-
than 20 acres to the hand success
fully, he is apt to cultivate we
while the irrigation insures 4
! crop with such certainty, that q
/ fear of failure does not disturb hi1
, except when the grasshopper .
pears, which according to the olde
1 settlers, comes about once in eve
ten years and doing more or lie
: damage for q year or two there's
:, ter. Nevertheless the crop year
: varies with the. season, some &c
i sons yielding enormously, ct Csthe
not more than Is or 20 bushels p
acre. will not say how mu.sh 4
l other extreme is rs / still have soT
respect for my reputation for "
acity. The frat impression OF {
stranger on his arrival in this la
is generally bad. His wife is s'nre
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