The Elbert County tribune., 1906-11-22
SAN LUIS VALLEY
FEEDING GROUND FOR SHEEP.
HOGS AND CALVES.
FIELD PEAS BRING WEALTH
Professor cottreli Visits the Valley
and Tells Of Its Possibilities
Work to Be Done by Colorado Agrf-
cultural Exneriment st.r,,r

cry OF the new movement started by
the Colorado Agricultural Experiment
station, says the Denver Republican
Denmark, 1t is explained has tfIlabIe
area which closely approximates the
total area in the San Luis valley which
may be brought under irrigation. From
this area, Denmark exported last
year TO England alone no less than
slS,000,000 worth Of bacon.
The leader In this movement is
Prof. II. NJ. Cottrell. who came to Col
orado this fall to-takc the chair OF an
imal husbandry In the State Agricui-
tural College. Professor CottreII is
better known through the middle
West, where animal feeding Is n more
established business than in Colorado.
There he Is rated among the leading
feed experts of the whole world and
his views on different fodder are ca
gerly sought by progressive feeders.
About two weeks ago Professor Cot
trell made visit to the San Luis val
ley, visiting several points where both
sheep and hogs were fed on pens ana
getting what data he could from the
more careful feeders. He deiurned TO
Fort Collins more enthusiastic over
the prospects of that section of tho
state than any of the people who live
there had ever been. In signed
statement he expressed himself as fol-
lows:
Il have just returned from trip
through the San Luis valley. made to
study the conditions as adapted for
feeding and fattening stock. / have
lived In six states and seen and
studied stoekgrowing in thirty states
and in two foreign countries. and |
nave never seen better conditions for
producing cheaply high yields OF
grain and forage crops and cheap
grains and high quality of meat in
feeding cattle, hogs and sheep.
The crops, water and conditions OF
climate and soil are particularly IA
yorable for feeding baby beef, hogs and
lambs. These classes Of farm ami
mails grow while fattening, and there
lore need large amount of muscle.
blood and bone-malSing material in
their feed. The field peas as grown
In the valley furnish these materials
In a palatable form and at an excep-
tlonai low cost The flowing wells
furnish pure artesian water. the
gravel in the soil provides good drain
age. and the dry climate Is Just sulii-
ciently cool to give stock sharp ap-
petites.
The San Luis valley has about the
same tillable area as Denmark. Den
mark sells annually to England alone
bacon worth $1S,000000. and besides
Keeps 100000 head OF cattle. The
Held peas and barley of the San Luis
| valley produce the choicest quality OF
bacon, and the valley has the adyau-
tage over Denmark of being under
| irrigation.
With conditions so favorable there
| should be raised and marketed every
year In the valley million hogs, and
this could be done and large numbers
or calves and lambs be also fed.
IF the actual results that can be
obtained In the valley in making gains
cheaply with high quality OF meat
| were generally known to stock feeders
| In the corn belt, II would be but a
| short time until the valley would be
settled to its full capacity with exper-
fenced stockmen.
Il secured estimates from number
OF conservative men who are feeding
as near as they could Judge from the
weights OF their stock when put on
reed and when marketed, they are Sc
| curing from ninety to one hundred and
| sixty pounds Of gain on lambs from
| an acre of feed. and about 100 pounds;
of pork per acre OF feed from the hogs
that clean up after the lambs. Where
hogs are fed alone the estimates are
400 to 500 pounds of pork per acre of
| feed.
| Most Of the peas are raised !n the
valley for not to exceed Sl.50 per acre
for all expenses up to the time the
stock is turned IN. and the only ex-
pense incurred in feeding is to water,
salt and herd the animals-they
| gather the crop.
| 81 believe that baby beef can be
produced very profitably In the valley.
putting calves on full feed at weanine
time and marketing them fat in May
and June OF the following season. i
would recommend that several cars be
| put on feed this season and accurate
accounts of the feeding operations be
kept
Il shall be glad to give every ser
vice / can in developing feeding work
in the valley, both In planning the
work. supervising the feeding, and in
securing accurate data"
The baby beef" referred to by Pro
fessor Cottrell is one of the new fancy
products of eastern feeders. Calves
of high breeding which will mature
early are taken from the COWS Just
at weaving time, and put at once on
high rations. Thus treated they never
lose their baby fat. but grow at a
rapid rate. being turned off at twelve
to fourteen months, weighing 800 to
1000 pounds instead of 400 to 600
pounds, as an average range yearling
weighs. This class of beef brings the
highest prices on the markets. II is
not altogether new In Colorado, since
Senator Ammons of Douglas county
who turned off a carload OF high grade
Herefords on alfalfa. reported an av-
erage price OF $50 each for the calves
at fourteen months.
The suggestions made by Professor
Cottrell for the getting of accurate