Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1903-12-25
COLORADO AGRICULTURE.
Enormous Profits Made by Farming
Under Irrigation.

- -
Under Irrigation.
Denver, Colo, Dec. is, 190S.-Whep
the officials OF the Denver 4 Rio
Grande railway held their annual meet
ing few weeks ago. and looked over
the earnings OF the year, they were
surprised to find how great . pro-
portion OF the profits arose from an
agricultural rather than q mining
source. The showing was the more
remarkable as this railroad does not
penetrate the old farming regions
along the South Platte and Arkansas
rivers. It is q mountain road, reach
ing nearly all the best mining camps
OF the state, and traversing only the
valleys and parks of the western por.
ton. The showing thus emphasizes
the tremendous advance which has
been made in irrigation farming with.
in the last few years.
The older farming sections OF the
state, especially the country around
Fort Collins and Greeley, In the north,
and adjacent to Rocky Ford In. the
south. probably contains the most
prosperous and contented agricultural
population in the United States. The
crops reported this year from these
sections almost stagger belief. yet are
youched for by unimpeachable wit
nesses. For instance, Mr.. H. Living.
stone. whose farm Is located about
nine miles from Greeley (postofnce,
Eaton), makes the following state
ment: II had this year eighty acres
In potatoes, sixty-flve acres In wheat,
twenty-five acres in oats, and ten
acres in onions. The sixty-fvo acres
in wheat brought $500; the twenty
five acres in oats. $1,000; the eighty
acres In potatoes, producing 11,0Oe
sacks, at least $4,000; and the ten
acres in onions, yielding 400 sacks per
acre, an aggregate of from $4,000 TO
$4,000; giving total gross return
Tor the 100 acres In cultivation Of ut
least $4,000 or minimum OF $145 per
lcre. My total farm expenses for the
rear will not exceed $1,000 and there
fore my 100 acres Of Colorado ana
Weld county land will net me this
year at least $21, 900, or about $117 per
acre. This lands selling price, In gen
eral Weld county open market would
not exceed $40 per acre, with inclu-
siye water rights and, therefore, the
cash return Of this seasons harvest 10
more than equal to the full market
value of the entire farm ITSELF"
The potato crop OF the Greeley dis.
trict Will be between 5000 and 10000
EAR loads. J. A. Hicks had the largest
Held per acre, fifteen acres growing
800 sacks per acre. Many farmers have
raised from 230 to 260 sacks per acre
and the average crop per acre easily
reaches 100 sacks. The potato harvest
In this district will bring to the farm.
ers s2.OO0,OO0. Fifteen hundred to g..
Voc car loads have already been
shipped to Iowa. Nebraska, Missouri
Texas, Indian Territory, Oklahoma
and scattering markets.
In this same section there are now
six enormous beet sugar factories.
costing from 100000 to $l.500.ooe
each, three of them having been built
:his year. Farmers are finding sugar
aeets almost as profitable to raise a.
potatoes. The increase in the price OF
and and the growth Of the towns Ia
this region has been remarkable IN
the past few years.
What has already been done In
aorthern and eastern Colorado Is now
being done in the valleys and parks OF
the western half of the state. In some
ines Of agriculture-fruit growing, for
instance--the western slope already
beats all other portions of the state.
1t is safe to say that the three western
slope counties OF Mesa, Delta and
Montrose will market this season an
aggregate OF $4,000 worth Of fruit.
net money, and that next year this
amount win reach $4,000, 600.
These sales can be bulkily SUMMARY
lied as follows:
Mesa county, through tho GrAnd
Junction Fruit Growers Association.
900 car loads OF summer fruits, inclu.
sive Of peaches, pears, plums and
prunes, net cash value, 1896, 900: other
summer sales Of lesser fruit bearing.
counting apricots, nectarines. straw.
berries, raspberries, currants, etc. str
ty car loads net returns. $40, 600; q
grape growth aggregating 500. 900 and
conservatively estimated Anal apple
shipment Of 700 cars at $3.50 per car,
or $4,000 Of cash apple auditing,
thus giving Mesa county through the
Grand Junction Fruit Growers Aaso.
citation alone net fruit sale Of $685.
GOO, to which Is to be added the ship
ments Of the Whitewater Fruit Grow
ers' Association and a long list OF In
dividual and independent orcharA
marketing. with grand total Of Mesa
county fruit money for 1903 reachin2
beyond 100000.
Delta county fruit shipments thtA
year include the teeming orchards Of
the famous North Fork valley Of the
Gunnison and large marketing from
Delta, the county seat peaches,
pears. prunes. plums, apples and Der
ries being all represented with o total
net fruit return this year for the coWps
ty approximating $500, 900. Especially
prosperous are the new towns os
Hotchkiss and Paonia, and It 10
claimed there never has been q fail
nre of crops there since the country
was first settled.
From the town Of Montrose $4,000
worth Of summer fruita have been
shipped with about the same dgures
In final apple sale.
While lands are held at q very high
figure In northern and eastern Colo
RADIO, they can still be bought at q
low price and on very easy terms tn
the western portion. Il Is IN the San
Luis valley, and along the San Juan,
Grand and Uncompahgre rivers where
the greatest developments are now
under way. Hundreds Of families
have gone into those districts this
year and it is safe to say that thou
sands more will follow them IN 1904.
Full particulars OF different localities,
toge.ner with maps and other yalua-
Die information can be had By adj
dressing $. K. Hooper. general passen'
ger agent, D. & R. G.. at Denver. Colo.
Some men seem to be too busy to