Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1902-07-25
FROM OLD MEXICO
Francis L. Sperry Sends an Interest.
ing Letter of Travel.

"
south Of the middle line. Kansas pro-
duces an abundance of good coal ma
tural gas and the Galena district in
Cherokee county rivals the Joplin dis
trict in producing immense quantities |
of zinc ore. These famous districts |
are practically one, being only nine |
miles apart, the limits of the City Of |
Galena reaching to within half mile |
of the Missouri State line. Other por-
tions of the state do not produce ores |
of economic value, but at Hutchinson |
more salt is produced than in any |
other one locality in the United States.
The salt is obtained from wells LOO |
feet deep, 800 feet being necessary to
sink to reach the salt strata and 300
feet through It,
Hutchinson is an extremely prosper
Gus city of 5000 inhabitants. 1t is a
distributing point for large wholesale
houses and railroad center of grow
ing Importance. The ride through the
Arkansas river valley begins at Hutch
inson and its course is followed to
nearly the western border of the State,
where the course of the Pickett Wire
river is taken into Colorado. The
towns of Dodge City, Los Animas and
Coolridge are reminiscent of the early
days when all this region was a vast
cattle range and the cowboy reigned
supreme.
Land that was held at two cents
an acre, range ground, is now being
sold at prices varying from so cents
| to So per acre.
Irrigation land is much higher priced
and the tendency is towards smalle
i farms with intense farming as farm
er cannot cultivate except under very
favorable location and conditions as
large tracts under irrigation, but the
yield is proportionately greater.
In the region of Rocky Ford, Col,
near the Kansas line, irrigated land
seems to have special value and quail
tiles for producing luscious cantelopes.
These melons are shipped all through
the Eastern States in 100-car load lots,
and land devoted to their culture is
said to net the farmer from $75 to $3.50
per acre. The climatic conditions and
soil of the Arkansas river valley seems
to be peculiarly well adapted for the
cultivation of the sugar beet. There
is a large beet sugar factory at Rocky
Ford having capacity to treat 1,Ooo
tons Of beets daily and produce 100
tons of refined sugar daily, during the
beet season.
The company has made contracts
with the farmers, covering 5000 acres
in sugar beets and is seeking to make
more contracts. The farmer receives
81 per ton for beets testing Is per
cent sugar having purity of. 7S per
cent. For each per cent of sugar above
this amount. 33 13 cents per ton adj
tlitional Is allowed. The average is
said to run 1S per cent, giving the
farmer So per ton for his beets, which
produce from II to 20 tons per acre
and in some instances 2I tons. Fol
lowing the tendency of other older
/ States. Kansas farmers are giving at
tention to diversity of agricultural in
terests. SO richly endowed by nature,
Kansas is the fattening ground for live
stock of all kinds and the State fur
nlshes fully 30 per cent of all the
animals received at the Kansas City
stock yards.
There is a general impression that
Kansas City, Missouri, is the seat of
the mammoth stock yards and pack
, ing houses. But such is not the case.
They are all located in Kansas City,
Kansas. and the State has contributed
annually for the past ten years. d.
rectly from the fattening grounds to
these slaughter pens animals aggre-
J eating in value S45,00000o year.
What has contributed greatly to the
= popularity of travel over the Santa
! Fe road is the excellent system of
: restaurants and meals served under
the supervision of the Fred Harvey
Co.
The ride through New Mexico pre-
1 sents picture of totally different
, coloring from Kansas. At Las Vegas
+ and Albuquerque there are handsome
( hotels built in Moorish style Of archi
: lecture with wide verandas and wide
: broad corridors, adjoining the sta
tions. The surrounding country Is al
t covered with sand, with cactus and
e the mesquite brush as the most com
i mon objects to be seen. The ho
r springs near Las Vegas attract many
}, visitors to the baths and the altitude
:. and dry climate, with almost continua
g sun shine afford beneficial retrea
: for consumptives
+ Irrigation is an imperative necessity
: in New Mexico. Az Albuquerque irri
h CATION has been carried on for owe
t 200 years in primitive manner unit
= now the seepage and loss from evap
Grafton, with the channels cutting
e deeper and carrying less water, re
d auires the aid of capital to build dami
i and construct reservoirs to reclaim
i ground that is valueless otherwise.
J. The water of the Rio Grande Is di
d verted in its upper courses to sucl
=, an amount for irrigation purposes tina
e at Ell Paso the river channel Is dry TO
s the greater portion of the year.
S El Paso is situated ON a narrow stril
e OF Texas that reaches In between Ole
and New Mexico. From the earlies
n times the site has been known as tn,
e Great North Pass. 1t has always beer
Y the gateway between the region