Delta chief., 1883-06-27
Delta, and the Denver & Rio Grande railway
company, stockholders Of the company.

ytlii, uiu
company, stockholders of the company.
THE COUNTY.
The boundary lines of Delta county are as
follows: Beginning at Il point two miles
south of the third correction line extended
west to a point of intersection with the
iU7e 39 west longitude; thence due north
along said degree Of longitude to the divide
between III. headwaters of the Grand and
North Fork of the Gunnison rivers; thence
along said divide in n southwcsicrly direction
to point the extreme southwestern cx-
Of the Grand Mesa: thence in = southwest
! erly direction TO the mouth of the Rio
Dominique; thence due south to point
I two miles south of extension of the
third correction line; thence due east par
allel with said extension of the third cor
rcction line to the place of beginning. The
county seat Is Delta.
TlIE VALLEYS.
A recent writer has said of the soil of the
valleys that it shows at lcas, four distinc,
characteristics The first, running in mar
row belt along the bank Of the river. is
dark, rich, sandy loan, largely covered with
oo,tonwoods, willows and undcrbrush. The
sagc-brush lands come next in order, in APP
pcarancc resembling the fertile lands of Utah
and California, carrying bui small quantity
Of sand, are also very productive and dcsir-
able. Tho grcaSewood lands, being the most
extensive of the valley lands, do not appear
to contain particle Of sand. They are light
and dusty when dry, and sticky and slippery
when wet"
The valleys propcr-of both the Gunnison
aud Inoompahgre - are from two tn five
miles wide back of which rises the first mesa
to a height Of from thirty To fiity feet This
mesa Is an extensive bench Of good land
which viii in time be irrigated and covered
with farms. This mesa exists on both sides
Of the rivers and extends back to the foot of
the plaieaus, or as they are generally called,
the grand mc,4,s. The rivers run through the
central part OF the valleys, 80 thai good farms
are located on either side. An abui i,ant
growth OF cottonwoods extends along the
banks of the streams, and IL is from these
trees that the settlers have for the most part
built their cottages, aud for a new country,
Il mus; be said, these places are very pretty.
fellow pine Of the bcst quality covers the
mountain rungcs. There is belt beginning
near ouray aud running parallel with and ON
the west side of the Uneompahgrc and Gun
nison to Utah, which is from fifty to sixty
miles long. and from FIVE to twenty miles
wide. 1t is fifteen miles west of Delta, and
can he reached by wagon road. Ii affords q
good opening for saw mills The lumber
made from this timber is as good, il not bet
ter than the best Chicago or Milwaukee lum-
bcr
The lands since July 2S, 1852, are open to
prc-cmption, 10 town-sitc entry, and to entry
under the mineral statutes but not to home
stead or scrip entries, or timber culture.
government survey has been ordered, but the
prc-cmptor will have about three years to
pay for his land.
WHAT WILL GROW HERE?
To this question there is but one answer to
make: Almost anything in the agricultural
line aud in the way Of fruits, possibility
that all kinds can he successfully grown.
The first assertion has been practically
demonstrated. ON one ranch was raised
corn, alfalfa, potatoes, turnips beets, carrots,
parsnips, cabbage, onions. tomatoes, beans,
squash, peas cucumhcrs, lettuce, musk and
watcrmelons, and radishcs. The domestic
grasses all grow by irrigation timothy, blue
top, clover, Hungarian, millot, etc. Potatoes
weighing six and half pounds were raised
on the North Fork, and green corn and mel
ons were furnished to the Gunnison market.
Last year Odessa wheat yielded over 90 bush
els to the acre, oats from 30 to 20 bushels, and
potatoes from 200 10 100 bushels. II can be
safely asserted that all the cereals and vcgc-
tables suited TO temperate zone may be
raised. II may be that here, as in the valleys
on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains,
that the intense winter warmth followed by
sudden extremes Of cold, may he fatal To fruit
culture; but soil and climate matching that
soil and climate where the peach and apricot
flourish to perfection arc thought to be here.
Young apple trees set out last spring grew
from fifteen to thirty.six inches during the
season.
sToCK.
The platcaur, or grand mcsas, Ms they are