La Junta tribune., 1899-01-04

Wheat. 75.1o bushels sc %,
Alfalfa. z7I1o tons feed TO stockj...... 7i.no
Cantaioupes, 4: cars. tit.osS erat-sj.-.-.. s.0o
Honey. 2to.no pounds iS.N0
Cattle. 400 head shipped .....4-.....--. .i-o.oD
Wool. 3l00l pounds shipped ...-.....-.- aN'
Canned goods. /. sars shipped .--.,-- ia-sD
Alfalfa seed ---.-s ir"p
Creaner, iI.0D
-
This is a grand revenue alone. but
when to this is added the pay roll
of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
Fe Railroad. which amounts 10
$4,000 per month, or 1896, 900 a
year, we have revenue SO royal
and SO vast in proportion that II
exceeds in value the output OF any
single gold camp in the state, ex-
cepting Cripple Creek, Leadville
and Breckenridge. Estimating the
number OF business houses at 1870,
the sum is sufficient to give to each
a per capita OF more than SO, 900.
These are the stalwart financial
pillars upon which is being reared
superstruc,ure OF business that
will expand and grow in strength
as the years go by. II is estimated
that about 900 farmers, cattle and
sheep men draw their supplies
from La Junta. The cultivated
lands which are tributary to the
town extend to all points OF the
compass ten miles north, seven
miles east, four miles south and
ten miles west In fact, numbers
OF ranchmen who live at settle
ment known as Higbee, twenty
miles south, trade at La Junta.
These lands range in price from
s25. 90 TO $50. 90 per acre, graded
by location, water rights and i'm
provements. Farming OF course
is done by irrigation, a system
which has been pushed as nearly
to perfection in this region as it
has anywhere in the state.
The cattle and sheep interests
are far more important than the
above figures would indicate. The
past season SO, 900 lambs were fed
in the county, and about 10000
cattle. The pasture lands, saying
nothing OF the vast govern
ment domain. will number, ac-
cording to the assessors books,
nearly 500, 600 acres, SO that the
grazing lands will be practically
inexhaustiblc for years to come.
Here OF late many of the farmers
have taken the advice Of Virgil,
who told the ancients to "com-
mand large fields, but cultivate
small ones" and the result has
given them greater yield on smaller
areas. One everywhere prevailing
fault with the American farmer is
that his efforts are partially wasted
in trying to till too much soil.
Let him concentrate his forces up
on less space and as rule his
general harvest will be better and
more profitable.
But few years ago the suppo
sition was obtained that canta-
ioupes could not be successfully
grown outside of the country tribu-
tary to Rocky Ford. The expert
ment, however, was methodically
tried and the result was so salts
factory that hundreds OF acres have
since been planted in cantaloupes,
which are as fine in quality and as
delicious in pulp as those produced
in the neighboring town of Rocky
Ford. Apples, peaches and other
fruits have passed similar expert
mental tests, until now they are
recognized as growing industries !;
those who have made a specially OF
the fruit business having reaped
handsome profits. Even prunes
are now being cultivated with great
success; the orchards that have
been planted yielding abundant
and valuable crops, and these are
growing better and more certain
each succeeding year.