, 1906-01-18
FIELD PEAS
HELPING OUT
ANOTHER INDUSTRY COMING AS
RESULT OF GROWING OF CROP
IN SAN LUIS VALLEY.
Colorado Springs Man Head of Syndi-
cate to Erect Large Pork Packing
Plant at Alamosa, In Which to
Pack Product of One Crop from
Growing of Forage Plant.

The following special dispatch from
Alamosa, Colo, to the Denver Post of
Tuesday has much of interest here,
where Colonel e. j. Bell has begun on
a large scale the growing of field peas,
claiming the Laramie plain is just as
fruitful Il spot for that plant as the
San Luis valley of Colorado, and that
hogs can be just as successfully raised
here as there:
The construction of a modern pork
packing plant at this point is now prac-
tically assured, as the result of inves-
legations carried on for some weeks by
a group of capitalists, of which E. r.
Stark of Colorado Springs is one of the
principal members.
Before Mr.. Stark made a fortune in
Cripple Creek mines he was the head
of the firm of Stark & Titus, who own
the largest packing house in Colorado
Springs. Mr.. Stark is now interested
in a large reservoir and irrigation pro
ject above La lara. In the course of
investigations IN the possible crops to
be raised on the land, Mr.. Stark be
came interested in the hog question.
An increasing number of hogs are rails.
ed every year in the valley, being fat
tened on field peas. following lambs
in the fields. Peas contain much more
nitrogen than corn, and the effect of
this nitrogen on the pork is that the
lean meat is redder than In a corn-fed
hog, the fat has more muscle ibers
it does not shrink as in a corn-fed hos,
but rather reaches the English ideal
of a streak OF fat and a streak of lean.
Mr.. Stark, with others interested, Wis.
tied all parts of the valley, looking es-
pecially into the question of the breed
ing and raising of the pigs. 1t was
found that by using root crops, rape,
turnips, mangels, etc, that young pigs
could be raised here as well as in sec
tons where alfalfa grows more read
lily. Hog cholera and swine plague are
entirely unknown at this altitude, and
the cool summers are considered es-
pecially favorable. The result of the
investigations was the conclusion that
the San Luis valley farmer can produce
a finished hog, of the type that brings
the highest prices on the markets, 20
per CEN cheaper than the farmer of any
section, n that the feeding supply OF
hogs could be kept up from September
until May, enough to keep ii consider
able number of butchers employed.
Mr.. Stark is having a hog-tignt fence
put around an entire section of land
which he owns near La lara, and will
devote the whole farm to the raising
and f%attening of hogs.
Another important industry for the
valley promises in the shape of a veg.
ietabie cannery.= On account Of the oooi
climate, garden peas grow here of the.
very best quality and of very deep
green color. A succession of peas can
be kept up all summer, while in lower
attitudes the pea canning season lasts
barely four weeks. Seed of the kinds
of peas used by Gamers will be fur
nished this summer to the farmers in
various parts of the valley, to be sow
in succession to test the ability of the
farms to produce them. If these tests
show up well, a plant will be put in
by outside capitalists to handle green
peas, string beans and asparagus in
the vegetable line, and currants for
Jelly, as the currant is one of the fruits
in which the San Luis valley beats the
world.
Valley farmers are now shipping fin
ished lambs to the eastern markets, be.
ing a month or more ahead of the al
lfalfa and corn feeders Of northern Col
orado. The market is holding up well,
and. although the price of the lambs
last fall was very high, there promises
to be a good margin of profit.
HoW's This.