The Holly chieftain., 1898-09-09

valley enables the grover TO produce
a quality of fruit and vegetables
which command higher price in,
the eastern and southern Markets.
Than does the same kssa Of produce.
grown on the spot. This has been,
demonstrated very clearly IN the
case of the cantaloupe meAen, - the
following comparison wt,1 show
Ten years ago, twenty beyrefs per
day overstocked the market Of Den-
yer, Pueblo, and Colorado Spriogs.
At the present time Denver takes q,
car load $50 melonsl per day and
Pueblo and Colorado Springs half
car each per day. Though the pop
ulation of these places has increased
during this time, the people are,
much poorer; the comparison there
fore is said TO be a fair one. The
case of St. Louis FIRM is cited to
show the desirableness of the Color.
ado product. We were informed that
last year cantaloupes were shipped
to the order of that firm for the first.
time, and that now six car loads per
day do not supply the demand. st.
Louis does not consume all these
melons. The most of them are dis.
trlbuted to all parts of the east. 1t
would therefore seem that the Ar
kansas valley was peculiarly for
trnate in the possession of good
outlets for its produce.
The melon is destined to be an
important factor in our proposed
colony, inasmueh as its chief value
lies in the amount Of labor spent in
cul,ivating it. We have spoken to.
men who said they obtained a living.
for themselves and family from Eve
acres of it.
The cantaloup is not the only thing
for which the valley has become cele
brated. Its tomatoes and celery are
said to be of an exceedingly good
quality, and capable of making a
market for themselves in any part of
the Union.
These facts appear to us to very
much lessen the possibility of over
production, and consequent reduc-
lion of values.
GENERAL CONDITIONS.
Tie valley Itself is one of the .
chief watersheds of the state, being
traversed from end to end by the
Arkansas river. one of the largest
and most reglarlv flowing rivers in
that part of the country. You are
well aware that the streams of this /
region acquire a value which is al
together unknown in rainbelt coun.
rIies. Water is the magic wand
thai turns the land into gold. It's.
importance is paramount over every
other feature, soil, location, MARKET
ever, thing. Without wate- the
valley was a desert; with it, il is a.
veri,able garden of Eden. The soil
as rule is rich alluvial loan, and
produces most OF the fruits, vegeta-
bles and cereals OF the temperate.
zone and some of those OF the semi
tropical. Evidences of this are to
be seen on every hand. Indeed, it
is said that SO suited are the physi-
cal conditions, to the rapid growth
of plant life. that an apple tree will
IN eight years attain the dimensions
of fifteen year old tree in the east
ern states, and that other trees pros.-
per in similar proportion. An idea
of the lroductiyeness of the soil
may be obtained from the fact that
as a general rule four crops of alfal.
ia Spanish clover) are harvested in
a single season. In this connection
we should inform you that the cult.
vation of the Irish potato has not
met with very great success in that,
part OF the valley which was inclnd-
ed in our inspection. Whether the.
fault lies with the people, or the con.
ditions, we do not know. Al the.
same time, while most people have
not succeeded, there are others who
have been successful. 1t may be
and doubtless is, that the potatoes
needs much more care and attention
when grown by irrigation, and that
as the people come to understand
the requirements, of water they will
arrive at a better copdHion of things
as has been the case in Greely, Col
orado, where the potato is their
chief crop. Greeley, however, is
several hundred miles north of Hol-
ly, and furthermore the altitude ia
1000 feet higher. These facts may
probably have something, though,
not everything, to do with the
matter. With this exception, We
know of none of the common fruits,
vegetables, or cereals, that cannot
be easily grown.
CLIMATE.
The climate appears to be as near !.
to the ideal as one could desire.
The summers, though hot, are nearly
always tempered by the cool breexes
prevalent in high attitudes and the
people tell US that on the nights Of
the hottest days they sleep beneath
blankets. The winters, as a gener-.
al thing, are mild aud open, the oc.
'a>ions being rare when the tber.
mometer registers below zero, and
men only for short periods. Thea
100, the cold is not felt SO severely.
rs stranger would imagine, be-,