Delta chief., 1883-05-23
The Surface Creek Country.
ORCHARD RANCH. Surface Creek, !
May 81, 1888. !

To the Editsr of THE CHEF:
This claim is situated about three miles
above the junction of this creek with Forked
Tongue and five miles from the Gunnson
river by the government road that extends up
the creek and across the Grand Mesa to the
White River agency. Its name, like that of
/ Alfalfa Basin, which lies about a mile east,
is not descriptive of its present condition,
but suggestive of what is intended. We hope
that before many years both these places will
justify' their names-as much, at least, as
| Grand Junction and Montrose A commence
ment with alfalfa is being made this spring
in Alfalfa basin.
l wish to correct a statement made by your
correspondent, Solemn Facts" in your issue
of March IS. He mentioned large ditch |
was then at work on, and which is not yet
completed He stated it would carry 5000
/ inches of water. In this he is mistaken. Its
| hcadgate has a surface of only about $500
square inches, and it is not expected to make
use of more water than will pass through an
| opening four feet wide and three feet deep,
| which is but l72S inches. There are already
| several bitches from this creek where more
water than this is claimed. ''Solemn Facts"
stated that the lccators on this creek intend
| to keep abreast of the BOOM" which no
| doubt is true, and it is probable he received
his information on this subject from some
neiehbor on whose mind this purpose was
| strongly impressed. Whether the exaggera-
| ton was more than sufficient to "kcep abreast
of the boom" of neghboring sections l am
| not able to determine. He also stated that
! this ditch was for the benefit of claims not
| yet taken up. In this he was partly right,
for, though primarily intended for this ranch;
it covers about three miles of the lower part
of the mesa between this creek and Forkcd
Tongue, amounting to about ! 200 acres of
land, supposed to be equal in fertility to the
other mesa lands in this county, some of
which were tested last year on this creek and
Forked Tongue with satisfactory results.
Tho amount of this kind of mesa land on
+ Surface creek consists of tract about ten
| miles long extending from the Gunnison riv-
er, up the creek to the cedars, and about two
miles widc-twenty square miles. This esti
mate includes Alfalfa Basin, which is watercd
from this creek, and which is separated from
the rest of the Surface creek mesa by a mar
row ridge two or three hundred feet high on
its northwest side. On the east side is II sim
! liar ridge, and Just over that is the deep
canon of Dry creek. This basin is, | sup
pose, four miles long and something more
more than a mile wide, and its middle pOr-
ton of, perhaps, 1000 acres, lies as level and
| smooth as the Gunnson river bottom lands,
and seems TO be of a similar soil. 1t is re-
,,ll hnph Ia,
! sage-brush or growth of any kind to obstruct
the plow or harrow, being naturally very dry
and almost DESERT but the application of
water last year by Messrs. Hart & Co., proved
it to be fertile and productive. Its elevation
is about $500.
The Surface creek mesa proper lies at an
elevation of about 5000 feet at the river, to
6,0OO at the edge of the cedars. 1t has an in
| clination to the south of about 100 feet fall to
the mile which makes it a little warmer than
lands of the Uncompahgre, which have
slope to the north. The quality of the soil
seems to be about the same as that of all the
mesas of this county and this valley of the
| same altitude. 1t varies little in different
locations in color and texture, as it contains
more or less clay sand or gravel or veget-
able matter; but wherever it has had contin-
uous moisture it bears evidence of great
| fertility. Some situations are said to resem-
| Bile very closely that on which Mr.. Frazier's
famous apple orchard grows, near Canon
City. The altitude is very the same.
| There grows in many places along the creek
many little haw-trees, closely resembling
crab-apples, on which apples and pears may
be grated. There are also wild currants,
gooseberries, raspberries and Strawberries,
though they are not abundant. Wild cher
ries are often met with in favorable locations.
The agricultural experiments made here
year were mostly on bottom land or on choice
spots that from some cause (probably greater
natural moisture) had unusual growth of
some kind upon it, and in regard to which
there could scarcely be a doubt of fertility.
The successful experiment in Alfalfa Basin,
however, was not OF that kind, and ! know
of no instance of a failure or partial failure
of any crop, which might not property be
attributed to defective irrigation some other
cause than sterility of soil.
Much more is being sown and planted this
year than last, and what we now believe of
the fertility of the soil, we feel assured of the
harvest. One thing most of us have yet to
to learn is how to irrigate-not only how,
4 \