Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-14
the Mohawk valley by the subway strike in
New York.
Profits on Crops

Hay is the best crop In Colorado. as you
have seen. and IL is mostly alfalfa or Span
fish clover, which yields three crops year
at the rate of about one and onehalf tons
an acre each cutting, and sells from $3.50
to $40 a ton, according to the demand. For
feeding stock Ii is worth about 81 ton at
all times and seasons Alfalfa is not only
a staple. but 1t is perpetual income-p pro-
Queer and demands less labor and brings
better cash returns than any other. 1t is
a hardy perennial. and once planted re-
qulreS no attention except TO turn on the
water into the irrigating bitches occasion
ally and to turn in the moving machine
when II is ripe.
Colorado is the great potato state, and
my latest information is that 1 800 car loads
have been or will be shipped to the east
ern markets within the next few weeks
from the town of Greeley alone and the
return to the farmers is from $3.50 to 1925
per car. There is no limit to the productive
capacity of the state, is there any
limit to the demand for potatoes. The
eastern markets can absorb any quantity
and shiploads are sent to Europe. -, =. 20
Cabbages, onions arid other vegetables
grow with equal profit land although prices
are low this year it is impossible to lose
money on them. The Agricultural authors
ties of the state report that the averages
net profit on sweet potatoes never falls be-
low $I5 per acre, and often runs as high as
$50; tomatoes will pay a net profit of $50
and celery $50 per acre, although that re-
An Immense Bed of Peas ..
While most of the farms are small. as I
have already told you, there are some very
large ones. For example. Longmopt claims
the largest bed of peas, the largest aspara-
gus bed and the largest currant patch in
the world. The bed OF peas is 9, 800 acres In
size and is cultivated entirely by machin-
cry. The seed Is planted the vines are
cultivated. cut and thrashed. the pods are
shelled, the peas are graded. and put into
almost without being touched by human
hands. Everything is done by Automatic
machinery, and l am told that the factory
connected with this farm put up an aver
age of 10000 cans of peas per day during
the season.
The big asparagus bed covers 100 acres
and contains three-quarters of a million
plants. Its entire product Is packed In
cans, also by machinery, before being sent
to market.
The currant patch covers eighty -one acres
and has 1875, 900 bushes. Each bush will
produce an average of a gallon OF currants
every year, and some of them as many as
ten gallons. When the fruit ripens an army
of $50 hands, mostly women and children.
is turned in to pick them. =;
While Colorado cannot compare with Min.
nesota and the Dakotas in the volume OF
wheat produced it's average per acre Is
much higher. Under irrigation fifty bushels
an acre is a fair crop. which, at present
prices. will bring big return. If the bo-
nanza farms of Dakota could be irrigated
perhaps they would do as we'll. for the diff
ference in crops lies entirely in the appli-
cation of water. Colorado ships very little
wheat. however, the local mills absorbing
the entire crop.
The sugar-beet business Is so important
and so interesting that L shall have to leave
II for another letter.