, 1904-12-31

Now, in looking forward to the bust
ness of 1905. we feel that. unless some
hing is done to increase the pOpula
ton OF Il town and community, there
will be a limit to our increased bust
less. and this may be the year. We
well as the entire state. We can grow
grain Oh the Laramie plain, without 8
doubt. In making a fair estimate OF
this enterprise. we find hat during
the year 1901 there was raised within
a radius of twenty miles OF Laramie
close to 1000, 000 pounds of grain, con
peas. We are handling homegrown
grain now exclusively, and have been
for the past three months, with the
exception of corn.
Last year there "a a corporation
started here, consisting of the business
men of the town, for the purpose OF
trying to encourage the planting OF
wheat, and, in fact, to make contracts
with the farmers to do so, with the
guarantee that the -four mills would be
opened and to make our own tloul
here, instead Of shipping it in from
other states. We started too late in
the season, however, to accomplish
anything in 1904, but we have not
] dropped the proposition. This enter.
prise will not only help the farmer
and the merchant, but everyone in
our community, and by all mean il
should be pushed to completion this
summer. Let us join hand in hand and
10 something. We already have the
aIil. aId all we need is the machinery.
In looking over our purchases of
slour for the past year. we find we
have actually handled 465 900 pounds
of -four and $4,000 pounds of mill
feed, etc. Say hat this is one-fourth
of what was handld by the merchants
II this place during the past year, we
then get the total on Jour OF 1861 900
pounds. At al average cost Of say
$3.50 per 100 pounds, this will show
$4,000 expended for this one item.
thus, S4G.5u0 would be expended dur
ing the past year for -four and $1,000
.or bran and mill feed. making a total
If $4,000 expended and sent IL of
he city in the past year for this one
product alone that could be produced
acre. This would mean more than
most people have any idea. 1t means
this amount, or nearly so, that could
pc kept at home. While we do not
claim that W. could discontinue to
handle hard wheat -four. the proper
Lion of this grade is very small con-
pared with the flour handled from Col
orado and Wheatland, Wyo. Nor do
We claim that this industry can be
brought about at once to shut out
,u,slde competition, but by starting
low we believe in two or three years
time there will be no occasion for
sending outside of our own town for
iour. Let us get together on this
proposition and start the -four mill this
year. If we start now We can con-
jince the farmers and ranchmen that
We mean business, and they will plant
NOR grain the coming season.
We had confidence enough in the
town to expend considerable money in
building in 1903-l904, and the outlook
for business is better now than then.
We nave concluded to build this year
on our vacant lot, next to our present
place of business, a store building 24X
1872 feet. W stories high, and also a
warehouse 50xlOO feet, near the rail-
road track, for the purpose of storage.
We believe if the balance Of the mer-
chants would show the same enter
prise and a feeling of building up in
stead of the reverse, il. Yopl2m imu-
late the coDR1u