Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-10-10
For the Democrat
WESTERN CORRESPONDENCE.
DENVER, Colo, Sept. 20, ISIS

! PtSillOH was W OpCu august Ao''
passed resolution appointing your Colo
RADIO correspondent Special Commissioners
with two hundred dollars rs starter"
wherewith to exhibit the industries and
resources OF the county. After due delib'
Grafton the result was such that to-day
| in the hall OF an almost incessant stream
of talk turn my thoughts TO the beautiful
hills of oxford, to give you, and through
you many a well remembered friend, some
account of my work, and a brief, very
brief, talk regarding this great show in
general. | know you will forgive me If l
take our own department first, for hope
to write at least another letter from here.
Weld County, the largest in Colorado,
has an area Of 10, 400 square miles, 800
miles OF railroads, 1000 inhabitants, o.
600 sheep. loo, 600 cattle. $1,000 horses, -
school buildings-oue OF which cost $780,
coo and another $4,000, several impor-
tant coal mines, immense grazing fields,
and the best wheat regions in the State
thus far developed. This vast region,
about the size OF Vermont and eight times
As large as Rhode Island, is the section
that we are TO represent in less than thirty
feet square.
The cattle OF the County are owned by
few men; and since they do not care
20 have other men use the range with
them, they make no exhibits. They said
to me, we have as many cattle men as we
want. The sheep men show their wool,
some OF it OF excellent quality. We had
some fecces from imported bucks this
year weighing from p 10 80 lbs. our
grains-corn, wheat, oats, rye and barley,
attract great deal OF attention, for few
men have ever seen wheat anywhere that
equals IT, The ashes OF wheat Is mostly
alkali, and the alkali in our soil puts our
wheat at it, best. On the Agricultural
College Farm at Fort Collins, in our val
ley, we have wheat that last year took the
premium over all he ,ohedi in the ,eorld,
weighing s,raiy.ioW pounds to the
bu,hel aud known as the Bearded Centen-
NAL.
| In this exhibit from Weld County, we
have pyramid of grains in cedar pals,
FURNISHED and yaruished in glass jars, sur
rounded by bouquets of various grains,
showing some ii'ty samples, and hundreds
OF people eNclaim that it is the finest they
ever saw anywhere. The White Russian
| Oats weighing a. lbs. 10 the buShel and
yielding 1T is claimed) 10 bushels per
acre, and he Defiance Wheat weighing 90
lbs 10 the bushel AMI yielding - bushels
to the acre, are indeed liue; but since the
entrance OF the College hand-cultiyated
grains, 10 which have alluded, we cannot
claim the best. | can say 10 exhibitors,
that the style OF our grain exhibit calls at
teution and makes au impression, that no
slpshod array would accomplish. We
have ia all over 100 specimens Of beans,
peas wheat, oats, barley, etc, under glass,
and ninety bouquets OF grasses, alfalfa,
corn and other grains fought 10 remark
that Eastern people come TO me asking inc
TO give all the Information can about al
falfa or lucerne.
Mr.. Gillette, of Greeley, has 80 acres,
cuts three crops this year, and will have
100 tons OF the same. Mr. John Thompson
has field which he has always cut four
times in one season. Others have cut 1t
five times one man who cut July ), and
again August IL aud was piling mp i'm
mense stacks said, proudly, what am
| going To do with it all:" IL is excellent
for stock and no man in this country is
likely 10 have too much.
We are also shswing fourteen varieties
of potatoes, the largest of which weigh
exactly two pounds. One hill OF Late Rose
potatoes weighs ten pounds. Onions we
raise of which nine weigh thirteen pounds,
from seed this season. Melons OF forty
pounds, squashes OF seventy-flye, and large
and excellent ''garden sass" OF al kinds.
This week | show our corn of the Yellow
Ohio Dent variety, which is better than
any shown from Nebraska or Kansas. We
| astonish ourselves with our corn.
or fruits we have currants, strawberries,
gooseberries, raspberries, blackberrles, APP
: pies, plums, cherries, grapes, etc, OF over
thirty varieties, which exhibit has the ell
feet to encourage our people to put forth
more efforts in fruit raising.
Two of our mills send fourteen large
2 lars Of their mill products and sacks OF
: aour. The coal mines have two exhibits,
/ one of which, pyramid in the midst oil
, our space was mined in one lump, but had
to be broken to be brought up the shaft.
= II weighs 6,000 lbs. We have some I'M
J.. nortant fossils, one, bone 40 inches long
y and weighing "a pounds; it is thought tc
have belonged to an immense lizard.
: From our schools we have globes, charts,
/. maps, books as well as photographs o.
1 school buildings and desks. In addition
h TO these we show at least 800 samples
q school work OF every grade from MS
e marks to comic sections. We decorate
good deal with plants and fruits and grams
;. and granarium nine feet high attracts
good deal of attention.
D. A great elk's head with branching horn
"a in the velvet is on the front OF our mail
re plllar. and a magnificent trophy it is. l
was shot in North Park, June 6, 1882.
n | think have now referred enough t
% nv own place, and next time will try an
r. view the gold nuggets over and tell 20
10 about them. Respectfully,
Ia o. HOWARD.