Rocky Ford enterprise., 1895-06-13
AGE OF IRRIGATION.

1uE UI llllluAllUN.
The Modern Way Of Farming by Wa
tering the Ground.
A SAMPLE OF THE RESULT.
A Section Of the Great Arkansas Val
ley Of Colorado.
The Pueblo Chieftain Of yesterday
morning contained an article several
columns long with the above heading.
1t was illustrated with fine map of
Otero county and portion Of Pueblo
county. The article shows up the Ar
kansas valley in fine shape, and the
thanks Of the people Of this section are
due the Chieftain for the compilation and
publication OF information, We make
the following extracts:
Colorado is fitted, above any other state
in the Union unless we except Pennsyl-
vania, to be called an Empire state, for
it has more varied resources and is in q
position to be Independent.
To ride through the country on a rail-
road train one might see but little Of our
agricultural resources. So vast is the
territory that the farms seem Lost in the
great expanse of the brown plains. For
all that, they exist nevertheless, and not
only are they really considerable in area
but the practice of intensive farming, by
which an acre is made to yield as much
under irrigation as two or three acres
produce in the east under the old-fash-
iOned style OF farming, is being carried
| to more and more success and subjected
| mora fO CarfniD rac,rItc ~ ccioptifso ov-
pertinent.
| Coming back to the section Of the Ar
kansas valley limited to the field Of the
printed map, we can challenge any part
Of the world to produce finer, more
productive and more profitable agricul-
tural district than lies in the scope Of
that map, with Rocky Ford as center,
and extending from Fowler to Horse
creek. The only sections that equal it
are those few famous tracts such as the
vicinity OF Norfolk, Va, the limited val
Jersey and Maryland, and the few prai-
rie openings in Indiana like the Harrison
prairie at Terre Haute.
Not only is every species of vegetable,
grain and fruit known to northern lati-
tudes grown to perfection under the sys-
tenn of irrigation here illustrated but we
have eyen more, in that wonderful plant
alfalfa. 1t is species of clover which
yields three crops year OF rich hay, be-
sides threshing for seed, and which
cannot be grown in the wet climate OF the
east except in certain spots having a
sandy soil with sub drainage of gravel
The wide range in Colorado for cattle in
summer and fall, with the feeding of al
falfa in tho river valleys in the winter,
makes an ideal stock country and brings
| the cattle business back to tho old-time
pro6ts that made the early settlers
wealthy.
But alfalfa, even with it's abundant
yield, its great nutrition by which not
only cattle and horses but swine and
poultry are kept strong and healthy, is
but one OF the products of this rich val
ley. 1t has already made SO great a rep
has shipped melons by carloads as far
east as Chicago, as far west as Los An
geles and as far north as Cheyenne.
Strawberries grow like weeds and onions
become monster bulbs. Sugar cane and
broom corn grow as we'll here as any
| where. Grain of every kind reaches per-
fection. Tomatoes have flavor that
northern Colorado cannot equal. The
ground will produce sugar beets all
right and is only waiting for refinery
to begin to turn them out by the carload.
l
is making a high reputation. 1t has the
drawback of being subject to late frosts
in the spring, but on the other hand, its
fruits far surpass those OF California in
flavor. Moreover they are already con-
tiguous to good market without losing
all their profits to the grower in long
shipment by rail over mountain ranges
For be it known, up to this date there
has been no better market than Colorado
for all the products of the field and Or
chard, and the constantly growing mining
and manufacturing interests more than
provide an expanding market for all we
can produce. This at least is certainly
the experience up to this writing, and the
mines will be- giving employment to
thousands Of workmen for an indehnite
time to come. It may be freely asserted
that Colorado is half prospected and that
our manufactures are but in their in
fancy. The iron and steel manufactures
in Pueblo are alone likely to grow into
something very great, besides which are
the oil and coal and railroad industries
already employing large numbers of men.
Even with the great amount OF fruit
thousands OF dollars, and the local can
neries cannot get enough vegetables and
fruit to keep them busy. Our Colorado
towns may be said to eat California fruit
all winter, sending thousands of dollars
out Of the state which ought to be kept
ut home. The city OF Pueblo sends S20,-
900 to the east every month for the one
article OF butter. It buys eggs from
Kansas and honey from California,
though not to the extent of few years
ago, for there has been considerable ad-
vance in the raising Of poultry, and many
colonies of bees are at work. The chief
fruits are apples, plums, pears and
grapes.
The town Of Rocky Ford is typical
agricultural community, well built and
occupied by prosperous people, and with
small we'll cultivated farms all about it
and larger farms further out. A more
enterprising community Of people, ready
to do anything to conquer the forces of
nature and harness them to the use of
man, it would be hard to find The vi
cinity is almost continuous orchard
The melon fields are sight to behold.
Grape vines are growing luxuriantly, and
q good deal of honey is produced, the
bees having plenty Of forage on the broad
fields of alfalfa, The cultivation Of small