Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-12-24
COLORADO AGRICULTURE.
Enormous Profits Made by Farming
Under Irrigation.

Denver, Colo, Dec. is, 1903.--whep
the officials of the Denver q Rfs
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 a mining
source. The showing was the more
remarkable as this railroad does not
penetrate the old farming regioIts
along the South Platte and Arkansas
rivers. 1t is 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
vouehed for by unimpeachable wit
nesses. For instance, Mr.. II. Living
stone, whose farm Is located about
nine miles from Greeley (postoffice.
Eaton), makes the following state
ment: Il had this year eighty acres
in potatoes, sixty-five acres In wheat.
twenty-five acres in oats, and ten
acres in onions. The sixty-iye acres
in wheat brought $4,000; the twenty
FIVE acres in oats, $1,000: the eighty
acres In potatoes, producing 1900
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
for the 160 acres In cultivation OF at
least $4,000 or minimum Of s145 per
acre. My total farm expenses for the
year will not exceed $1,000 and there
fore my 100 acres of Colorado and
Weld county land will net me this
year at least s21, 900, or about SILT per
acre. This lands selling price. in gem
eral Weld county open market would
not exceed $40 per acre. with inclW
sive water rights and, therefore, tho
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
car loads. j. A. Hicks had the largest
yield per acre, fifteen acres growing
500 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 $2.000,000. Fifteen hundred to D.
900 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 s1.500,000
each, three OF them having been built
this year. Farmers are finding sugar
beets almost as profitable to raise a.
potatoes. The increase In the price OF
land and the growth of the towns In
this region has been remarkable In
the past few years.
What has already been done In
northern and eastern Colorado is now
being done In the valleys and parks OF
the western half Of the state. In some
lines of agriculture-fruit growing, foe
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 100000 worth Of fruit,
net money, and that next year thin
amount will reach 81, 0o0, 900.
These sales can be bulkily summar>
ICED az follows:
Mesa county. through the Grand
Junction Fruit Growers Association.
500 car loads OF summer fruits, tnclu>
sive of peaches. pears, plums and
prunes, net cash value. $500, 900; othcr
summer sales of lesser fruit bearing.
counting apricots, nectarines, straw
berries, raspberries, currants. etc, str
ty car loads net returns, $40,0o0s q
grape growth aggregating $100. 900 ana
conservatively estimated final 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' Asso>
citation alone net fruit sale Of $0kk>
600. to which Ia to be added the ship
ments OF the Whitewater Fruit Grow
ers' Association and long list Of tn
marketing. with grand total Of Mesa
beyond $1,000, 900.
Delta county fruit shipments thin
year include the teeming orchards "a
the famous North Fork valley Of Tie
Gunnison and large marketing from
Delta, the county seat--peachoa.
pears. prunes, plums. apples and bers
ries being all represented with q tota4
net fruit return this year for the coWn.
ty approximating 100000. Especially
prosperous are the now towna Of
Hotchkiss and Paonia, and Il b
claimed there never has been fAit
ure OF crops there since the country
was first settled.
= From the town OF Montrose 5000
worth of summer fruits have BEEN
shipped with about the same figures
In final apple sale.
While lands are held at very higA
figure in northern and eastern Colo
RADIO, they can still be bought at Q
low price and on very easy terms In
the western portion. It 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 dlstricta this
year and 1t Is safe to say that thou.
sands more viii follow them In 1904.
Full particulars Of different localities.
toge.Aer with maps and other valua-
BILE information can be had by ad-
dressing s. X. Hooper, general passen-
ger agent, d. & r. c.. at Denver. Colo.
Some men seem to be too busy to