The Lamar register., 1898-09-14


Lamar turns out 500 barrels of the
finest flour day aud pays within
seven or eight cents of the Chicago
price to farmers for their wheat
Here the magnificent distances of our
common country come into play. This
mill finds a market for its product to
the south and west entirely outside
of the competition of the Minneapo-
lis and other eastern mills Here is
market zone for manufactured and
largely for crude agricultural prod
uets distinct from that of the Missis
sippi valley proper.
COUNTRY OF CONTRASTS.
A remarkable but common sight in
this region is luxurious crops of sage
brush and cactus growing on the
uncultivated lands on one side OF the
road aud the finest crops Of alfalfa
and all other agricultural products on
the other. To complete this picture
of contrasts saw thousands of cattle
on the upland plains many miles from
settlements and all as fat from the
brown, parched looking buffalo grass
as the best corn fed steers.
THE COUNTRY or THE cAsTALoUPE
But the most famons feature of this
upper Arkansas valley is the canta.
lCupe: and the "ther in the head line
should be emphasized. For few ep
icures even, to say nothing of the
mere vulgar folk outside OF approved
gastronomic, circles, are aware that
the worlds supply of this delicious
and popular melon of the Rocky
Ford class comes from the nrrrow
strip of country 100 miles long of
which ! 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 ordi-
nary little village on the Santa Fe
road, tsiirty-fifie miles east of Pueblo.
All cantaloupes shipped from this
district are Rocky Ford cantaloupes
This is because Rocky Ford was first
IN the advertising field, aud it holds
on to its prestige by holding an an
nual melon fair at which all the many
tons OF melons demanded by its cos
mopolitan patronage are given away
Local cantalonpe producers insist
that there is no competition in their
product outside the local supply and
leading Lincoln dealers verify this
claim They ship to New York, where
they have monopoly OF the market
in respect to the distinctive quality
Of the melon in question and some
shipments have been made this sea
son across to London. 1t is claimed
that no other locality has the combi
nation OF soil, climate aud water
which will produce cantaloUpes to
compete with these and that there is
no more danger of drug in the mar
ket than that diamonds may become
common. The peculiar flavor and
consistency which have made this Pc
cnliacly local product famous in both
world are owing to trick of nature
which she keeps profound secret
and which she is not apt to repeat in
other localities. An enthusiastic
gTDWtE anu itSltl ch lAdlilhi WIN NV
the Rocky Ford name is counterfeit
ed all over the country for melons
which have some resemblance to the
Colorado cantqlocpe, but with the
knowing ones the counterfeit does
not go. From 1000 to 100 carloads
of captaloupes will be shipped from
the district in question this season
and the producers at 9S cents per
crate, the present price, will be paid
about $500, 600 for their crop. One
man can take care of fifteen acres up
TO the tirne of gathering for market
when one man for each acre is requir-
ed. The harvest period lasts from
forty FIVE to sixty days. The average
product per acre at q low estimate is
six crates day. No disease or other
impediments to the growth of the
cantalonpes have appeared as yet,
The profits to the producer are there
fore very large. An acre will yield
net not less than 500 and often $3.50.
From ten to twenty acre commonly
raised on each farm. From. Rocky
Ford west to the limit of the melon