The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1906-12-26

three consecutive years.
The cantaloupe is rival of the
beet in profit. 1t even does bette,
sometimes A profit of S125 an acre
is not infrequent. Tomat oes and
sweet potatoes and fruits are great
growers. Canning factories take care
of the surplus vegetables and fruits
1t is all alike from the Rocky Ford
diatrict to the Garden City district,
and the Kansas lands are no less pro-
ductive than the better known irri-
gated lands above. The Garden
City factory will tell the tale this
season for the Kansas lands, and that
it will be tale of profit and plenty
is assured in advance by the invest
ment of $2,5O0,000 in sugar mill,
canals, reservoirs and farm improve
ments. There is no guarantee like
money invested.
In September, the state engineer
of Colorado has record of 526,924
acres of the Arkansas valley under
the ditches," of WHICH 33S, ,921 actu-
ally were irrigated. He ports also
that the average daily amount of
water carried by the canals is 3,542
cubic feet per second of time, and
that the reservoirs of the valley store
annually 4,O00,000,00O cubic feet.
The appropriations lawful allowance
of water) of the thirty one canals of
the valley aggregate 4,259 cubic feet
per second. The aggregate carry
ing capacity of these canals, especial
ly the larger, or main canals is very
much greater than the lawful allow
ance.
To be added to the present canal
system of the valley is the proposed
"Bent and Prowers canal" which if
constructed and given water, will ir-
rigate about 100000 acres of land
which now are not within the irri
gated region. Bonds of $1,3OO,OOO
to construct the canal have been vot-
ed by the new district, which lies
south of the Arkansas river, and will
be supplied with water from the Pur-
gatoire river twelve miles above its
confluence with the Arkansas. A
number of reservoirs with II capacity
of "a, 900 feet are added to the source
of supply. The survey of the the
proposed canal, by its mesnderings
is Ito miles long, aud the capacity
of the canal will be $50 feet per
second of time.
In the new district are 1900
acres of land proved up under the
homestead and desert land acts of
congress; 10000 filed on; Q5;OOO
acres of public domain subject to
entry, and $4,000 acres of state land.
The total area of the district, if "un-
der the ditch" would be no less pro-
ductive than lands now fovored with
bitches. For water in this region
possesses the touch of gold, and low
land or upland, valley or hill, will
respond to it.
Since in Kansas the sugar beet in
dustry only Is in its beginning, the
principal seat of irrigation in the
Arkansas valley is in Colorado.
Here the canals and smaller bitches
are very numerous, ranging some of
them, fifteen or twenty miles back
from the river. This especially Is
true on the north side of the valley,
and the sugar beet area thereby has
been carried SO far away from the
main line of the Atchison, Topeka &
Santa Fe that branch lines, with
drop and spurs, are to be construct
ed. This work already is under
way.
Originally the work took the form
of rival and parable. construction
the Holly & Swink railroad by the
Holly Sugar Company, and the Ar
kansas Valley by the American Beet
Sugar Company. Both we're organ
lied corporations and both owned
expensive equipment and employed
operating forces. Finally, the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, by
agreement, took over both lines and
now will JOIN the two and construct
one line. 1t will leave the main line
of the Santa Fe at Holly and, travers-
ing the heart of the beet lands, run
to Rocky Ford, The entire distance
will be about ninety-three miles,