The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-04-03
From Colorado.
THE COUNTRY AND IT'S PRoDUCTIoNs-AN
INTERESTING LETTER.

From Colorado.
THE COUNTRY AND IT'S PRoDUCTIoNs-AN
INTERESTING LETTER.
I.oNGMONT, BOULDER Co.. COL.
March IA, 1879. !
Editors Tiroin,an. Having been solicit
ed by numerous friends to give some &C
count of the resources, leading features and
characteristics of Colorado, L am compelled,
if consistent with your pleasure, to ask an
interest in the columns of the noble Virgin-
ian. And, Mr.. Editor, must also request
your indulgence should this communication
appear too lengthy, or voluminous, for, to
make the readers of your paper fully con-
versant with the subjects upon which I've
been requested to write, must necessarily
speak of things which might appear too
trivial or superfuous to your mature judy
ment. But, nevertheless, | will endeavor to
be as brief as possible, and will therefore
say nothing OF the romantic scenery along
the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, nor the
fine accommodations to be had on the rail-
road steamers from Huntington to Cincin-
natl, nor the business whirl of the latter.
Neither will attempt any contrast between
the beautiful prairies of Ohio, Indiana and
Illinois to the gentle and picturesque eleva-
lions of the celebrated Valley of the Shen-
andoah. will also say nothing of the fiae
accommodations to be had on the Ohio and
Mississippi Railroad, the great stir in Vim
cennes. Indiana, the Oldest town inthe State.
Neither shall I make any comment upon the
great stir and business hustle of st. Louis.
nor the sight of indescribable beauty which
one can behold as he approaches the city al
ter dark. will not annoy you either with
any description OF the sudden rise and pros
perity of Kansas City, Mo-, nor of the beau
ty of Kansas, with its numerous towns ana
villages along the Kansas Pacific Railroad,
nor of the millions Of acres of land owned by
that road, and the easy terms upon which
they may be bought; but I will attempt
some description of what was once known
as the s'Great American DESERT" but now
the ''Great American Eldorado.' 1t lies
between the 25th and 32d degrees OF
west longitude and the 35th and 41st parallels
OF north latitude. Its western part is crossed
by the world.renowned Rocky Mountains,
while its eastern portion consists OF vast
table-land or plateau Of considerable more
elevation above the level of the sea than the
highest mountains in Virginia, hence the
cause of its dry and bracing atmosphere for
which it is visited every year by thousands
OF invalids, and has effected more wonderful
cures than the whole combined medical
world-not meaning, Mr. Editor, to cast any
reflections upon that profession at all, sir.
This physical division, you will perceive,
constitutes one of the States minor fea-
lures, that while the mountains contain an
incacuable amount of gold, silver and cop
per, besides its beautiful scenery and special
adaptation to the cure of nasal, throat, lung
and other diseases by which a great popula-
ton is drawn, the altitude is so great as to
be continually covered with snow. And
then, as rain is so rare upon the plains, the
melting of snow in summer supplies the
mountain streams with water by which the
farmer upon the plains is enabled to irrigate
his land-a verb so common in Colorado that
it is applied by the yeomanry to the ablu-
ton of the face. By virtue OF this irrigation,
with no other fertilizer at all, thirty bushels
of wheat to the acre is as common as twelve
in Virginia. So you see there is kind OF
mutual dependence existing between the
residents of the mountains and those of the
plains. To the mountains may be said is
due all for the revenue resulting from
their numerous and valuable mines of
gold and silver, and its fountains of water,
but then to the plains are the mountains in
debted for vegetable productions, and nota-
bly, beneficial division, attributable only to
the sagacity and infinite wisdom of the Dis
vine Creator. AS 1 remarked before, the
farmers of this country use no fertilizer
save the clear water from the mountains, not
even do they allow or seem to care for the
benefits resulting from the decay of straw
stacks, for at this time, as set here writing,
| can see no less than five ricks, being
consumed by fire to get them out OF the
way, which, if done in Virginia, would be
considered insanity. Soon after my arrival
| in Colorado last fall, while conversing with
! an industrious old farmer upon the Western
! they MANFRED their lands with. He replied
| that to be bothered with manures, &C., like
eastern farmers, would make them bank
| rupt in few years. | know of thousands
of acres of land here, that have been put in
| wheat successfully for twenty years, and up
| to the last crop, there has been no percep-
! tible decrease in its production. But for
| corn, | can not say much, as the nights are
| so cold, very little corn, in proportion to
the amount OF wheat is raised. Yet it is
probable that was the culture of corn IA
vored with more attention, the quality and
quantity would be proportionately increased.
! AS for vegetables, iG would be useless for
me to attempt any extended description
respecting their production. Suffice it to
say that | have never seen nor heard of
their being raised in such plentitude, ex-
cellence OF quality, and with as little labor
as upon the plains of Colorado. But must
except out of the list, potatoes, which are
raised in the mountains. All vegetables
find ready market at the mines. and assist
about as much, in filling the treasury of the
farmer, as does his wheat crop. Consider
able attention is paid TO the raising of stock,
which is done principally upon the rail
road and government lands. And in regard
10 those lands, | would like to say some
thing respecting the different processes to
acquire an ownership, but as it is lmpossl-
BILE to do so within the scope Of this cotnmu
nication shall have to refrain. Though
will say, however, that until the railroad
lands are more marketable, the most desira'
BILE farms have all been taken up, leaving
only the less desirable ones, and such as
have been left by the claimants neglect or
failure in complying with the requirements
of the law. The outlook here for mechan
les is good, as new mines are being continu
ally discovered, making feast for all the
different branches of mechanism, as well as
the professions. Farm hands are also il
great demand at salary of S25 per month
For fear, Mr.. Editor, that am growing TOT
voluminous 1 shall have to neglect numer
GUS subjects of which should ike to have
described. would liked to have spoken O
he immense wealth OF our mountains, thu
sudden rise of cities and towns, such for in
stance as Leadville, which one year ago was
village of less than five hundred inhabitants
now numbers over thirty thousand land con
tinues to rapidly increase, as new mines, ii
) addition to its already numerous wealth.
ones, are discovered. would liked to hav
mentioned something concerning thu
} politics of the State, but not of las
falls vulgar canvass. l wanted to tel
you something of our Senator, Mr.. Chaffee