Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1895-08-29
AN EMPIRE REDEEMED.
What CoIorado's Once Arid Plains
Now Produce by irrigation.
A Former Great Bend Boy Talks to
His Legion Friends Here In
an Interesting Letter.
To the Editors of the DEMOCRAT.


and I know of no better way to reach
the people of Barton county than
through your valuable paper.
| arrived at Fort Collins about the
first of March last, since which time
I have spent much time in gaining an
insight to irrigation theme so in
teresting to my friends in Barton
county. To begin, Fort Collins is
seventy-fve miles north of Denver on
the Union Pacific, Denver and Gulf
railway, has but one railroad, and in
many respects reminds me of Great
Bend as I remember it in 1867.
Indeed, taking into consideration
everything essential to make live.
prosperous and permanent town. [
consider it to be the Queen of Colo
RADIO. Situated In the center of the
richest and finest farming section OF
the state, it could not be otherwise.
The topography of the surrounding
country to the north, east and south
is much the same as northeast of the
Bend, and this valley extends to
Greeley, thirty miles to the east, and
is watered and tributarysto the Cacha
la Pandre river, perhaps the most
valuable river in this state. ii watering
some 800, 900 acres of land. [ have
seen fine crops grow on Kansas soil,
your periodical crops [ here refer to,
q will never lose faith in dear old
Kansas as an agricul tural state), but
never in my life have [ seen a more
perfect picture of prosperity, peace
and plenty as is presented from the
car window as you course along the
Pandre valley. There are fields of
alfalfa hay being cut where there is
enough room on the ground
for the Shading shocks, so heavy is
the crop, and the same with timothy.
Wheat is heavy and oats could not be
finer. There is also quite an acreage
of corn J more than usual, 1 am told,
but the season being short and the
nights cold, I am of the opinion that
this is a failure as corn country.
We are now eating our first roasting
ears. -
This is, the worlds store house for
potatoes and thousands of bushels of
the finest tubers that ever came from
ground are raised here annually. Ir-
rigation, has reached nearer perfection
here than elsewhere in the state. By
means of bitches, some of which have
cost $3.50, 900. great streams
of water are carried from the summit
of snow capped mountains, where the
supply is never exhausted, and emp
tied upon the fertile lands in this val
ley. Land with water right and i'm
proved sells readily at from $50 to
5000 per acre. This same land with
out water and improvements can be
bought from SO to $25 per acre, but
without irrigation land is useless.
Two irrigations are considered neces-
sary to grow a crop, one in the fall
and another about the 1st of July.
At each about ten to fifteen inches of
water is used, which, l am told, will
soak the ground to a depth of three
feet. The annual rainfall is about
five incnes, although so far this year
it has reached thirteen inches. One
"water right" is supposed to water
eighty acres and are worth from $500
to So, 800 each, according to ditch
priority, which in turn determines
the amount of water to be had, the
older ditch getting its claim to water
to the exclusion of the newer ones.
Water is never wasted and during the
season when irrigation is not needed
it is run by the bitches into natural
basins or depressions and drawn off
later on, say for fall irrigation.
Everything here sells at 100 weight,
and quote Collins market prices as
follows: Wheat, 95c.; oats, 8Oc.;
potatoes, 70c.; beets. 5Oc.; cabbage,
5Oc.; onions, SOC; sugar, $3.50; eggs,
15c. per dozen; butter, 20@35c. per
pound; other groceries about the same
as at Great Bend; coal, $3.50 per ton
delivered and $1.25 at the mines,
about 80 miles away.
Harvesting has just commenced and
new potatoes have been on the market
about two weeks. The pick COM
mences about the middle of Septem-
Der.
Now a word as to Collins. 1t is a
town of about 1000 inhabitants and
is growing steadily, having the adj
vantage of the state agricultural col
lege, at which about 500 scholars at
tend. It has two Touring mills, two
banks, churches of all denominations,
oil branches of business well repre-