The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-06-06

FARMING IN COLORADO.

correspondence of the Progressive Farmer.
For many years past, the newspapers
In the East have been singing the
praises Of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa end
Texas as the great farming States of
the middle West. This fact is men
toned here, not for the purpose of
saying that too much has been said in
favor Of the farming advant tages offered
by these great States, but for the pur
pose OF calling attention to the supe
rior advantages eff red by one of the
your ger sisters of the great farming
commonwealths- @ dorado.
The reader will probably say at tonce,
Il thought the State of Colorado was
not classed as a farming State at all;
but as pre- eminently mining State"
Certainly Colorado is a great mining
State-probably the greatest mining
State within the splendid sisterhood OF
American States. But it has also great
inducements to hold out to the indus
trioUs farmer.
It is the purpose Of this article to
point out some of the advantages
which Colorado offers to the farmer.
First, let it be remem bered that the
area OF lands which can be brought
under tillage in Colorado is strictly
limited to those sections OF the State
which can be brought under irrigation.
There is never enough of rainfall in
any part OF this great State to enable
the farmer to make a crop. Success.
full farming in this section has to be
done by irrigation, if done at all. It
is this fact that limits the farming
areas in Colorado to about one fourth
of the superficial surface Of the State.
But how does the fact that farming
lands here are thus limited make it ad-
vantageous to the Colorado farmers In
this WRy, evidently:
The mining and grazing industries
of the State are so large; and they
offer such handsome returns for intel
ligent effort, that the State will al,
ways have a large population, made
up of non farming classes, who will
buy all the products Of Colorado till
age at good round prices. Let us illus.
trate:
Take the article of Indian corn. Let
Us suppose there are two farmers; one
in Colorado and one in Kan sas. Each
Of these farmers has one thousand
bushels OF Indian corn to sell. There
is demand in Colorado for more In
dian corn than is grown there There
is more Indian corn in Kansas than
there is demand for. Both these farm
ers want to sell their surplus corn. It
ia certain that the Colorado farmer
can turn his corn into money at home
for the price that corn is bringing in
Kansas. plus the freight on corn from
Kansas to Colorado, plus the elevator
and middleman's charges on corn in
Kansas.
Second, let it be remembered that
Colorado is one of the finest fruit sec
tions in the world. Apples, peaches,
pears, apricots, plums, nectarines,
prunes, grapes, and nearly all the vari
eties of small fruits and berries grow
in this State as they grow nowhere else
in this country, except in parts of
California.
Third, alfalfa or lucerne grows in
Colorado 90 perfectly, and the condi
tions are 50 favorable to the successful
curing of the crops when cut, that it is
more profitable to the farmer than
almost any other crop. As much as
six tons of this hay can be cut from
an acre of land; and it can be sold for
from 81 to $6 per ton in the field.
Fourth, Colorado seems to be the
natural home Of the Irish potato. The
yield of this tuber is certain and enor-
nous year by year, and the quality
is unsurpassed.
Flfsh, some sections Of colorado pro