Mexico weekly ledger., 1904-03-03
LETTER FRoM CoIcRADoE
George Erisman Writes Of the Beau
ties Of Life Spent Amid the
Snow Capped Mountains
of the West

Correspondence of the Ledger.
FOWLER, COL, Feb. % AS the
writer has from time to time since his
residence in this state been asked
about Colorado and not having time,
TO answer all separately, also desiring
before answering to know something
OF this country from experience myself,
l will now attempt, through the col
umns OF the LEDGER, to briefly state
matters as ] find them. This Is the
fifth winter spent here and indeed
they were fine ones, so much SO that
one not having lived in the eastern
states could hardly believe that the
freezing and thawing, the showing
and blowing, the rain and the Ice,
the mud and the moisture, could oc-
cupy so much Of the time 10 winter as
1T does In the territory from central
Kansas to the Atlantic coast. There
are those born here who are above
twenty years old who have never seen
sleet on the trees. Billiards. are I'M
known here. Wheels and automo-
biles are used continuously. The
roads are very tine. The lowest tenn
perature this winter thus far vas two
degrees below zero, which is about the
same as fifteen degrees above zero in
Missouri. The atmosphere being dry
is not so penetrating. The mean an
naal temperature for this section is
IS degrees. Thus it will be see that
the Arkansas yalley-our sections
favored, having somewhat earlier and
longer seasons than the higher alti-
tudes and a more northern part Of the
state a greater diversity of crops and
vegetables and Of a better quality is
grown from this fact. The winters
here are very enjoyable to mankind
and are simply fine for the wintering
and ~fattening Of live stock. | under
stand the Riley-Leonard Live Stock
Co, whose ranch joins mine, and who
feed annually from 1000 To 1880 head
CT cattle and hogs, fatten their stock
here, shipping their fat stuff back
through Kansas to market, preferably
to fattening them In Kansas, from
the simple fact that the mild, steady
weather here enables the stock to
gain and retain more fat than else
where. Pueblo and Denver receive a
good share Of this companys fat
stock. In addition to grain, sorghum
and alfalfa are fed by this company.
Alfalfa grows to perfection here from
one and one-half TO two tons per acre
to the crop and three crops to the sea-
son is the rule, though / have seen
four crops cut in n season. Barley
wheat and oats do well The sum-
mers are neal what we could wish for
the growth of the crops suited to this
soil and climate. The soil is a sandy
loan and becomes enriched from the
sediment from irrigation. / have
seen one irrigation alone leave one
half inch Of very hard sediment on
the ground.
In the matter Of irrigation, this
Immediate section is irrigated by the
Oxford Farmers and Highline Ditch
Co.'S. canals, both having priorities
dated in the sixties with later rights,
ranking them among the best In the
state. In addition to this, this Inn
mediate section has an underfiow OF
water lying at a depth Of from ten to
forty feet from the surface, and so
far has been found abundant. 1t has
dawned upon the farmers the past
year that with this additional water
SO near at hand-being pumped to the
surface-in connection with the ditch
supply, that our irrigating privileges
will hardly be equaled anywhere.
The matter of irrigation is just In
Its infancy. The government will no
doubt aid the arid country very ma
terially, but in u locality we realize
we have the resources at hand and
needs only the individual farmers eff
fort to further develop them. You
would hardly believe Ii when | tell you
that this place is practically new,
prior to the irriRating, bitches being
built a little over twelve years ago,
this wa government land.
1t was on this wise, during the gold
excitement 20 025 years ago, people
came to Colorado looking for gold.
Going back east they told US of little
but their experience and the desert. |
1t remained for those who came later
to discover and develop the agricul-
tural resources OF the centennial state.
This work has fairly begun, but Is per
cent Of our rapidly increasing popula-
tion is and will likely be producers OF
farm products.
The city population Of our state is
fast outgrowing that Of the country,
because Of the limited acreage under
irrigation, and the fast growing oil,
coal, mining, smelling, steel and many
other industries. But as / am writ
ing to an agricultural community /
will say that 10 j~ust.ten years the can't
aloupe industry has grown from a few
shipments in gunny sacks to a ship
ment In lg02 of s25 cars, bringing in
gross returns s333,000.
-Four years ago the first sugar beets
were grown for sugar, to-day this
county, Otero, has two sugar factories
costing near two million dollars. 1t
is known that those who come here
and look at things until they see them
are not afraid TO invest their money.
Land that only a few years ago bare
ly paid taxes and ditch assessments
usually SO cents TO one dollar per acre
annually, last year brought me in
gross sales per acre as follows: Sugar
beets $40, one half crop tomatoes slo6,
cantsloupes $50
Fowler, our thriving town, the CEN
ter OF which is but three-fourths Of a
mile from our door, was four years ago
but a little place consisting of a couple
Of stores and a depot; to-day it has
population Of four hundred, has a fine
brick school building, has high school.
three churches, ectr and this fall has