CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1904-09-15

crowd. They have the fair on busi-
ness basis, and it is now money -mak
ing institution,
The fruit display was not half so
large or so fine as we will have at the
Fremont County fair. And if our
growers bring in their products we can
make better showing of farm and
garden products. We will not have
quite, so much stock as Rocky Ford,
but our racing program will be practi-
cally the same.
We will really have about as much
to see at our fair next week as they had
at Rocky Ford, and about the only
place where they surpass US is in the
equipment of grounds, buildings, seat
ing capacity and experience in hand
ling a crowd.
About every church and society in
Rocky Ford had booths for the sale of
lunch and refreshments on the
grounds. Besides them there were a
lot of private individuals running
stands. This is matter Canon City
people have overlooked. If fifty or
sixty stands could make money at
Rocky Ford it ought to be good thing.
for few at the Canon City fair.
+ + +
Rocky Ford people principally buy
season tickets. The secretary assured
me that nearly 1900 season tickets
were sold this year, And this is a
point Canon City people should re-
member-that they get a season ticket
good to go in and out of the fair any
time all three days for one dollar.
Every Canon City man ought to have
a season ticket. Get them at any drug
store.
All the buildings and stores of Rocky
Ford were decorated with the water
melon colors-green and red. 1t helps
the looks of the town greatly and lends
a festive air to the occasion. Canon
City is going to decorate with national
colors. Many flags and much bunting
was sold in the town this summer, and
people can decorate very liberally with
out much additional cost.
+ f 2
Rock Ford is a good business town
but it isn't half so attractive and up
to.date as Canon. Our business streets
look very city-like in comparison. But
Rocky Ford has a good country back of
it all right, and the farms reach out
in all directions as far as the eye can
see.
Twas told that there are 1000 acres
in cantaloupes in that county. They
yield about 15O crates to the acre and
are netting the grower this year So
cents the crate. This brings IN about
S125 the acre. Watermelons bring in
about the same per acre. Last year
the grower got 10 cents for his melons.
This year he is getting only about 5
cents. This accounts for the cheap
ness of melons in Canon this year.
Rocky Ford ships cantaloupes all
over the United States and to Europe.
New York is the principal market.
Last week they shipped 65 car loads in
one day, running 400 crates to the car.
The beet and sugar factory is putting
lots Of money into the hands Of the
farmer, there being several thousand
acres Of beets in that section.
Another crop that is proving profit
able is the Mexican bean. They grow
readily with little trouble and net
form $50 to $50 an acre.
= = =
The thing that helps the fruit inter-
ests Of that valley and more than any
other thing is the canning factory.
There is a canning factory at Rocky
Ford, Manzanols and Fowler, and they
are busy places. These factories use
up SO much of the local crop Of fruits
that the markets are not overtun and
the grower gets fair price for all his
crop.
This year cherries could not be sold
in Canon because we had to ship the
whole output and the markets were all
glutted. But farmer at Fowler told
me that their little canning factory
bought about all the cherries in his
neighborhood paying % cents the gal
Ion on the trees.
II we had a canning factory here
growers would have saved several
thousand dollars this year on cherries
alone.
When little towns like Fowler and
Manzanola with hardly hundred
houses in sight can promote and con-
duct canning factories proftably it