The Delta independent. [volume] (Delta, Colo.) 1886-19??, 1897-06-16

completion Of now building system Of
irrigation all OF the still unoccupied land
Of ths1 rich mesa will be brought under
culture.
Hansen mesa has 1000 acres which
will all be in orchard shortly.
Pitkin mesa, settled almost exclusively
by Pitkin. Colo, people, will have in two
years FROM now u very heavy fruit out
put.
Paonia is growing town surrounded
by fertile fruit, grain and meadow lands.
The town OF Hotchkiss is the CONNER
cial center Of the Rogers and Clipper
mesas and OF the Smiths Fork, Muddy
and Cottonwood regions.
MANY AEsAs.
California mesa has extensive young
orchards-one Of which, comprising 80
acres. will, it is claimed, have value
within the next three years OF 100000.
Garnet mesa ranks second to the North
Fork country in gross fruit outpnt.
Peach valley contains 5000 acres OF
choice fruit lands. Its ten and twenty
acre orchards already in growing with
an aggregate OF 6O.OO0 trees.
Ash mesa is Of both fruit and grain
note.
IN VALLEY VOLUME.
The Uncompahgre valley comprises
portions OF Ouray, Delta and Montrose
counties. 1t contains 100000 acres Of
the finest of fruit, grain and grass lands
and is extensively watered by the I'm.
compahgre river and tributaries.
The Gunnison valley. with an arabic
area Of l5.43 miles, is being fast trans
formed into ten and twenty acre orchard
tracts. together with vegetable market
gardens.
The valleys OF Surface, Tongue and
Currant creeks and Hart's basin com
prise an area famous for its fine stock
and alfalfa growths. About 1900 head
Of home fatted beeves are annually ship.
ped from this region.
IRRIGATION INCREASE.
The irrigation system Of Delta county
is constantly adding to it's already ex-
tended area and heavy volume.
The latest work on the Overland ditch
goes far in the ultimate object OF placing
5000 acres OF fruit lands on the Red
Lands mesa under irrigation this season
seeing the final completion OF the canal.
The Durkee ditch. covering 900 acres
on the Red Lands mesa has been fully
completed.
The Stull ditch and the Crater reser-
voirs will supply water this season for
600 acres.
The Fire Mountain canal will be finish
ed in time for 1898 cropage. This canal
is thirty two miles long and ten feet
wide on the bottom and will fully irri.
gate the extensive and fertile Sunnyside
mesa.
The Stewart canal 10 doing Its initial
irrigating this season.
Tho Delta County Canal has complet-
ed several miles Of its ultimate nam.
moth irrigating capacity.
The North Delta Wheel and Ditch
company has big pumping plant for
the watering Of large bottom areas.
The big Black Canon water tunnel is
to cover an immense area Of Gunnison
valley land.
LANDS FOR THE LANDLEss.
In Delta county fine fruit, grain and
grass lands can be bought for from go
per acre upwards, with first class water
rights included. This land will bring
fruit trees into market bearing within
three and five years. Government lands
not under present actual irrigation but
which lie under either now constructing
or proposed bitches can be secured under
the desert or pre-emption land acts at
$l.23 per acre. Full b airing orchards
sell from 1900 to 81 600 per acre.
DELTA.
The town OF Delta, located on the Den
yer and Rio Grande has population Of
1000 and is OF incr easing and substanti-
al growth-adding within the last year
at least 100 fine new buildings unit o itself.
The county has about 100000 acres OF
rich arabic soil subject 10 easy irrigation,
OF which 100000 acres are now taken up,
6SO00 under ditch and 5000 under
| actual cultivation. Thousands upon
thousands of acres Of coal land are yet
comparatively undeveloped, but now
furnish an ample local supply Of domes-
tic coal at 81 per tou at the mines and %
delivered.
In fruit competition tho county has
secured many and fattering prizes, nota-
bly, capturing four out OF six orchard
premiums Of the Worlds fair, two on
apples and pears and two on stone fruits.
The great mining camps Of Ouray.
Telluride, Rico, Red Mountain, Silverton,
Lake City, Ophir and Saw Pit constitute
L a gill. .edned local market for thu fYuifa