Rocky Ford enterprise., 1896-01-09
xo,.. rrom ..Ei.,a and Farm

Notes From "Fi"ld ana Farm.
Greeley and Weld county stand out
pre-eminently as the potato district. the
annual yield there amounting usually
to 1000 carloads. about one-third OF the
entire crop of the state. The prices on
potatoes are ruling low this winter but
year In and year out the potato proves
as profitable as any other crop and just
us many aces will be put in next
spring as ever. Another leading po-
tato district Is the Divide country,
where many thousand carloads are pro-
duced annually without the aid Of ir.
rigatiOn. and the profits are Just as
good. The San Luis valley yields the
third great quantity of spuds, while
some are grown In the valley OF the
Western slope and other portions of
the state. The quality of Colorado po-
tatoes Is unexcelled the world over.
A Denver gardener whose place is six
miles north of the city says that he haS
strawberry and blackberry tract THAI
yields an annual revenue of $500 an
acre. Z. II. Sumner. whose place Is
on Wheat Ridge, just outside Of Den
yer, has seven and one-half acres In
small fruits that yielded over 10000
quarts Of berries the past season. His
apples paid nn average of S420 an acre
In 1891, when prices ruled considerably
higher than at present. C. ]. Combs
has Il ten-year-old apple orchard and
from his blackberry. raspberry and cur
rant plantation he realized as high as
$500 an acre when things We're boom
ing. Elwood Easley has taken $3.50
from an acre of cherries the sixth year
after setting out His place is ut the
90 t,I, ,,s,
jefferson county, and Is an ideal estab
lishment.
According TO the authority of the
stutistician of the agricultural depart
ment. and he is evidently the most
conservative individual on earth, Colo
RADIO leads in the production of wheat,
oats. barley. potatoes and alfalfa. In
wheat he gives US an average crop of
nineteen and n half bushels to the acre,
which is not reached by any other state.
With oats he credits us with cash
value of S1S.1 an acre. which is more
than that of any other state In the
union. He says oats deteriOrate in
quality and weight in the lower alti-
tude, which is one reason for their
superiority in Colorado In this state
barley Is rated as leading all other
t.fc
acre. He falls down in his figures and
is too low altogether. as he gives us
a cash value of only $53.12 to the acre
year in and year out. The average
yield is placed at SOB. while everybody
knows 1t is much greater than this.
An average of 100 bushels to the acre
In the irrigated districts would not be
too high. With alfalfa the total value
is placed at S10,0O0,0O0 for the entire
crop.
Do cantaloupes pay: Let us see: At
Rocky Ford. Otero county, the past sea-
son, {. j. Samples leased of Senator
Swink three and one-half acres, giving
one-third of the crop rs rent. Mr..
Samples gathered the cantaloupes two
days. then Mr.. Swink one day. alternat.
ing thus throughout the season. Mr.
Samples received for two-thirds of the
crops Sl95. This was after paving ey-
press charges. 1t is presumed that Mr.
Swink's one-third brought proportion.
ate returns, which would be 500. Her,
we have n net product from three and
one-half acres of SS77. Mr.. Samples
cash outlay for crates and hired labor
was only $50. A profit of $3.50 nm
acre is worth boasting Of. In Justice
to the facts it must be said that all
cantaloupe growers did not do as well
as Mr.. Samples. He planted early,
and In the beginning of the season
had n whole week in which he enjoyed
monopoly of shipments from Rocky
Ford. Year by year melon growers
are becoming wiser in regard TO mar.
keting their products and the business
is destined to be one of continuous non.
ularity and profit.
There are some advantages about fail
plowing in Colorado which the Eastern
farmer cannot comprehend without
having seen it tried. Any time after n
crop Is off the ground the water can In,
put on. just enough and not too much.
The plows can be started when tho
ground is in the best possible condition
just when the plow is ready for If.
If the farmer is busy with something
else one week and cannot plow. but
will be ready to plow the next week,
he manages accordingly. Teams can
be kept at work all the fall and do
much more work in this way. and do ia
easier. tools wear longer and there
need be no worry and anxiety about
getting rain to fit the land for blowing
and only this week the plows were run.
ming in Larimer county. In this country
where it does not rain there are very
few days when man cannot work
In rainy countries much time is lost
because it rains too hard to work
Here but very few days are thus lost
and when we can can get the land in
condition without loss of time we are
the gamers. Then the land is in so
much better condition when handled
right. In the East when it rains #
rains too hard or too long. Ground
may be irrigated Just right. This