Weekly graphic. [volume] (Kirksville, Adair Co., Missouri) 1880-1949, 1888-10-26
Colorado Letter.
Monte Vista colo. Oct. LIST. lsss

Monte Vista Colo. Oct LIST. 1883.
EDITOR GRAPHIC; In recent
issue of your paper appears q
Colorado letter, written by a gen.
tlemen who travels to see and
sees when he travels" 1t is GER
tainly very interesting letter, but
it is somewhat misleading on
some points, only one of which L
will mention. He says the soil Is
productive only under irrigation,
and that irrigation is attained only
after years of labor, and warns the
farmer to stay away from Colorado.
1t IS true the soil is productive
only under irrigation. | know
nothing about the Blue River
Valley, but / know it does not re-
quire years OF labor to successful
ly irrigate here in the San Luis
Valley as the following will show:
Il. Y. Eagle exhibits stool OF 81
heads of wheat from one root, and
estimates his crop at 80 bushels
per acre. He has oats 6 feet high.
Both oats and wheat of spring
plowing and his first crop.
f. B. Cooley sowed Is acres of
oats May IA and Is and ground
broken from sod this spring. His
grain will thresh over so bushels
per acre.
VIM. Mercer raised water
melons, musk melons, tomatoes,
citron and evergreen corn, ON new
ground broken this spring.
J. Z. Topping sowed oats and
wheat on ground broken this
spring. The wheat will produce
25 bushels per acre, and the oats
so bushels.
| might 60 on and enumerate 6
hundred more, but there is such
a saneness about them, that
will mention no more, unless
requested. The Sunny Sar
Louis Valley q have seen the Sur
every day since l came here-Feb
|3)-contains more acres than the
state OF Connecticut and it can al
be successfully irrigated, except {
very small portion near the foo
hills. L do not believe there is q
place under the sun that offers
greater inducements to the farmer
than Colorado; because, if he
comes to the San Luis Valley, he
is sure of a crop. and the mining
indusGr' of the state affords ,
ready market Mt good prices
There are a few thousand acres
that are subject to settlement un
der the presumption and Home
stead laws, or so acres can bt
bought with perpetual water
right for one thousand dollars
on long time.
Now | would ask the Gentle
man to come to the Sunny San
Luis, before he leaves Colorado
Yours Very Truly.
w. G. CRAWFORD.
Our correspondent Gnimmuc tc
whom the above letter was re.
ferred says his observations were
not merely superficial, but basen
on the experience of hundreds
|of old settlers with whom
he conversed. 1t is usual with
writers to give only rose colored
views of a new country, and it was
with no idea of injustice to any
section that Gnimmuc wrote as
he did, but merely to give an TN,
prejudiced narrative of actual facts
1t seemed to him to be the univer-
sal opinion of ColoradIans that
the soil of that state is naturally
fertile, but productive only under
irrigation. The water courses
lay so far below the level Of the
Valley and there being little OF
no rain during the summer season,
it naturally follows that irrigation
is necessary and can only be ac-
eomplished bv the expenditure OF
large capital.
1t is but justice to state how
ever that when once a regular
system of irrigation is established
in a given section the virgin soil
repays the labor hundred fold.
What has been once done in Ger
tain sections of Colorado only
proves the truth Of Gnimmuc's S
observations. The herculean in
dustry of Colorado settlers has
made the state what it is, and the
future of that section depends
largely on the same indomitable
industry, for if left to itself the
soil would revert to its origin al
sterility.