The daily gazette., 1882-08-24
IN THE GREAT WEST.
ANOTHER LETTER FROM MR.
BERTOLETTE.
THE BIG FAIR AND NOTED PLACES
The Farming Interests of CoIOradO-Per-
sOnals About Delawareans Who Are In
Denver and Prospering-IdahO Springs.
Especial correspondence of the Gazette. ]

Especial correspondence of the Gazette,
DENVER, August 19-No news from
here would be properly shaped ifnot headed
by the mining exposition, and do not pro-
pose to become guilty of deformed letter
at the present time. The Exposition is In
complete shape and has received visitors
every day since the 1st instant. 1t is full of
exhibits almost exclusively of ores and
mining machinery, although the merchants
of Denver have added variety from their
large stores, and the Union Pacific, Burling-
ton and Santa Fe railroads have each made
exhibits of the principal products along the
lines of their respective railroads to the
Missouri river. The opening speech of
Judge Kelley of Pennsylvania was very well
received, and is regarded as one of the most
solid arguments that has ever been made in
favor of the brilliant prospects of this State
for the future. He did not talk gold
and silver to the exclusion of all else, but
rather emphasized the importance of devel-
oping the iron and coal veins and deposits
of the mountains, and pushing forward the
manufacture of material produced
into articles of utility. He asserted that the
State had all the resources and advantages
necessary to manufacture Bessemer steel
cheaper than 1t can be placed here The
oniy other speech at the opening day was
short one by Governor Tabor, which he
wound up by declaring the exposition open
and starting the Corliss engine which sup
plies all the motive power All the daily
papers have comfortable quarters in the
building and keep the public thoroughly
posted as to what is added or going on each
day. A well-defined system of special days
has been adopted, and the railroads have
made further reductions of rates, to last till
the end of the exposition. Each county in
Colorado, and each Territory in the West
will be assigned Its day, just on the same
plan as the days for the different States at
the Centennial. The number of visitors is
increasing each day and it is expected will
keep on increasing to the end. Governor
Tabor is president of the exposition and w.
A. H. Loveland, president of the Rocky
Mountain News Publishing Company, is its
vice president.
have no doubt there are many of your
readers as much, or more, interested in the
farming region of this State as in the
mining.
THE FARMING INTEREST
in Colorado stands second only to that of
the mines. 1t is followed by stock raising,
manufactures falling in line fourth. Nature
is not favorably disposed to the farmer here.
The rainfall is very slight and tile intervals
not set themselves up for prophets In this
direction. The farmers have settled into
the practice of the rule of not looking for
rain at all, anu they hit it nearly every time.
Contrary to general expectation, there is a
very light snowfall.in the part of the State
known as the plains so light that sleigh
is a novelty. The level portion of Colorado
is unfortunately too free of falling weather
for the farmers good. The principal crops
are wheat, barley and hay. When the
ground is not too dry and hard the farmer
sometimes plows in the fall, but if it is not
in proper condition he waits till early spring
and commences as soon as the frost leaves
it, meanwhile having probably manured the
weakest places. Flowing is usually done in
February and March and the crop
is put in fIom the latter part
of March up to the 1st of June some
times, according to the season. Now the
dry weather tells. Often irrigation has to
be resorted to to make the seed sprout, but
more frequently there is enough rain
in the spring to accomplish that. Last
spring the skies were exceptionally gracious,
for they commenced showering early In
April and continued with rare intervals till
nearly the middle of june Since the mid
die of June to the present date there has
been hardly drop of rain. About the 9th
of June the farmers started to become their
own rainmakers, and from that time till
the grain was ripe irrigating was the chief
work on the farm. Every ranehman has
his ditch tapping a river or creek, and
through which he receives the water supply
for his crop. From the main ditch he piows
smaller ones through the. wheat according
to the grade of the ground, and when that
is done he is ready to turn ON the water. Then
two or three men with shovels go along
through the field making dams and cutting
openings for the water to run all over the
wheat ground and soak it, and this is kept
up until every stalk has been wet. As soon
as the wheat makes signs for more water
the whole thing has to be repeated ,and when
each farmer has from 90 to 200 acres in
wheat you will see that 1t is no light matter,
in respect of labor as well as of importance.
Irrigation is a system that requires nice
judgment, for the crop may suffer as much
for having too much water as for not having
enough, and great care must be taken in
order to have it distributed equally over
every acre. A Colorado farm is of necessity
thing of dykes and bitches, but with a
good water supply the business is profitable
The season is later than back East Wheat
cutting was not commenced here until the
beginning OF August and some are not done
yet, many are stacking, for they do not put
wheat In barns here, and some are thrash
ing. The bulk of the hay crop of the State
is yet to be made. The wheat Weld of the
State this year is estimated at about 2,5O0,-
600 bushels, or an average above 30 bushels
to the acre. The price it is expected will be
from 81 to S1.15 per bushel There is
not enough wheat raised to sgpply
home consumption, and the surplus
is usually made up from the fields
of California and Utah, with the addition of
flour from Kansas. The importation of the
present year will probably reach 600, 900
bushels, but the excess needed over the
home supply seems to be gradually growing
less. There is an abundance of good rich
soil in Colorado, but as the rains cannot be
depended upon only such land as can be
reached by water from the streams is of any
use for farming. The rest is utilized for
grazing. | have been through the South
Platte and Clear Creek farming regions.
In the former know man who has been
raising one crop of wheat after another on
the same piece of ground without one gem
eral manuring for thirteen years. He has
just cut 60 acres and expects to average
from As to 50 bushels to the acre. The
wheat sown mostly on the Platte is the
"Siberian," but several farms have been
planted with "Oregon Club" and it has
been found to yield most plenteously. It
forms the stoutest heads and fattest berries
| ever saw. The nights are too cool all
through the summer here to make it corn
growing country.
took the Orleans train the other day
for
PUEBLO,
which, owing to the competition between
afe aud IN iO