The Holly chieftain., 1898-09-23
HOLLY, COLORADO. FRIDAY, sspTEMBER %, 1895


tricts. Phenomenal crops Of first grade
fall wheat, oats. vegetables and fruits
including apples, peaches, pears an d
graDes. all do veil. A great Emill a,
Lamar turns out 500 barrels of the fines,
flour day and pays within seven o,
eight cents of the Chicago price TO farm.
ers for their wheat. Here the nagpifi.
cent distances Of our common country
come into play. This mill finds mar.
ket for it's product to tile south and
west entirely outside of the competition
OF the Minneapolis and other eastern
mills. Here is market zone Of manu-
factured and largely for crude aericul.
tural products distinct from that Of the
Mississippi valley proper.
COUNTRY OF CONTRASTS.
A remarkable hut common sight in
this reeion+is luxurious crops of sage
brush and cactus growing on the uncul-
tiyated lands on one side of the road
and the finest crops of alfalfa and all
other kinds of agricultural products on
the other. To complete this picture of
contrasts I saw thousands of cattle on
the upland plains many miles from set
Elements and all as fat from the brown,
parched-looking buffalo grass as the best
torn fed steers.
THE COUNTRY OF THE cANrALoupE,
But the most famous feature of this
upper Arkansas valley is the uantaloupe;
and the "the" in the headline should
be emphasized. For few epicures even.
to say nothing of the more vulgar folk
outside of approved gastronomlc circles,
are aware that the worlds supply of
this delicious and popular melon of the
Rocky Ford class comes from the mar
row strip Of country 100 miles long OF
which I am writing. Rocky Ford,
which furnishes the distinguishing
brand of the cantaloupe and the sign in
which it conquers the markets of the
world is an otherwise very ordinary
little village on the Santa Fe road. thirty
nine miles east Of Pueblo. All canta-
louDes shipped from this district are
Rocky Ford cantaloupes. This is be-
cause Rocky Ford was first in the adver-
tising field. and it holds on to its pres-
tige by holding an annual melon fair at
which all the many tons OF melons de-
manded by its cosmopolitan patronage
arc given away. Local cantaloupe pro.
duccrs insist that there is no competi-
tion in their product outside the local
supply and leading Lincoln dealers
verify this claim. They ship to New
York. where they haye a monopoly of
lshe market in respect to the distinctive
quality Of the melon In question and
some shipments have been made this
season across to London. It,is claimed
that no other locality has the combine
tion of soil. climate and water which
Will produce eantaloupes to compete
with these spd that there is no more
danger of drug in the market than
that diamonds may become common.
The peculiar flavor and consistency
which have made this peculiarly local
product famous in both worlds are ow-
ing to trick Of nature which she keeps
profound secret and which she ia not
apt to repeat in other localities. An
enthusiastic grower and dealer at Lamar
told me the Rocky Ford name is coup-
terfeited all over the country for melons
which have some resemblance to the
Colorado cantaloupe, but with the
knowing ones the counterfeit does not
90. From 1000 to 100 carloads of canta-
loupes will be shipped from the district
in question this season and the produc-
ers, at 9S cents per crate. the present
price, will be paid about $4,000 for
their crop. One man can take care OF
fifteen acres up to the time of gathering
for market when one man for each acre
is required. The harvest period lasts
from forty five to sixty days. The av-
erage product per acre at low estimate
is six crates day. No disease or
other impeachment to the growth of the
have appeared as yet. The
profits to the producer are therefore
very large. An acre will yield net not
less than 500 and often $3.50, From
ten TO twenty acres are commonly raised
on each farm. From Rocky Ford west
to the limit OF the melon district the
country looks like an unbroken succes-
sion Of gardens. Further east it is not
30 regularly under cultivation, but some
day the whole strip will be a hortjcul-
rural paradise.
There are water, sunshine and of
course soil in abundance and industry
and thrift will eventually do the rest.
WHERE MAN pIsposEs.
1t was peculiar experience to hunt
water fowl on the open arid cactus plain
nnder the burning desert sun and at IN
altitude of more than 1000 feet. And
vet because in the scientific NOWADAYS
he apothegm that Man proposes, but
God disposes" is reversed had this
verv experience. Immediately about |
his great chain ofartificial lakes, the |
rinity ofthe plains. prairie dogs, owls
md rattlesnskes abound. Theirs are
he primeval and the present towns. |
But geese and ducks in their season and
'uriew and snipes, most Of the time, |
warm in this unnatural man-m made |
homo in the arid desert. Curev reyiy-