The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-04-30
G. E. CANTINE
IN COLORADO
HE WRITES TO HIS FRIENDS
: THROUGH THE ISLANDER
Tells What a Change Water Has
Made In n Former Desert Region.
Climate "Healthy' but Cemetery
'Large and Thfckly Populated''

The ISLANDER has received for
publication the following interesting
letter from G. E. Cantine, former
well-known resident of this county,
who lately left Lopez on an extended
eastern and southern trip:
LONGMONT, Col, April 81.
Have been here nearly two weeks,
and have seen all there is to be seen
and have time hanging on my hands
that don't quite know what to do.
with, so | will write to my friends
through the ISLANDER. Longmont
is thirty-five miles northwest of Den
yer. | saw the plains, with Longs
peak twenty-five miles west, hence
the name. Has 1900 Inhabitants
schools, churches, water-works, cleo
trio light and residences, all up to
date. The chief beauty of the place
is it's Astounding shade trees-two
rows on each side of every one of it's
eighty-foot streets, and the yards
beautifed with shade trees and
shrubbery. 1t is surrounded with a
rich farming country, made so by ir-
rigation. Forty years ago | was
through here, and it was then a.vast
area of bunch-grass that gave no
hint of its amazing possibilities, Take
look now at the map showing the
irrigation bitches and it is perfect
network of main bitches and lat
terals covering territory of twenty
five or thirty miles wide by seventy
miles in length. Lakes also appear
on the maps, dozens of them, arti-
fetal lakes-reservoirs. They are to
store water for the second crop of
peas, third crop of alfalfa, and the
orchards and gardens and beets.
For countless ages fertility-plant
food-has been accumula ting in the
soil waiting for water, the key which
has opened the storehouse and trans
formed the desert into productive
farms.
They tell of eighty-acre fields that
have grown eighty bushels of wheat
per acre, ten tons of alfalfa per sea-
son and thirty tons of beets per acre.
Of course they trot out the biggest
records for strangers, but the real
average is big enough, and the price
of farm lands is an indirect proof of
the productiveness of the land.
Prices range from $50 per acre for
unimproved farms to $3.50 for inn
proved, water rights included. They
have here canning and beet-sugar
factory of immense size, that gives
employment to 800 men and women,
beginning with peas, small fruit,
pumpkins, and then beets, which last
keep the factory running all winter
Have seen a forty currant patch,
which the cannery worked into jam;
eighty-acre fields of peas that will
raise two'crops per season. Alfalfa
can be seen Everywhere, They may
have too much. 1t is selling on the
street here for $3.50 per ton.
The climate, so say the citizens, is
the best on earth. That sounds kind
O. natural, doesn't it? Seems to me
I have heard something like that be-
fore. One circular, gotten up by the
Denver & Rio Grande railroad, says
the sun shines 365 days In year in
Colorado but this year will shine 366
days. Perhaps so. Colorado is big
state and may have sunshine some
where over it every day, but perhaps
no one spot has that much. 1t has
enough, however. Every day but
one since we have been here there
has not been a cloud and the temper
ature has been that Of summer. 1T