The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1907-08-23
HEARD IN COLORADO
Irrigation the Basis Of an I'm.
precedented Prosperity
in the West.
SURE WAY OF MAKING MONEY
HOW the Settlers From the East are
Working Out Their Destiny
Extension of Irrigat- ;,
ing Systems.

You meet people from half the states
in the new western communities.
Only short time back they were all
strangers to one another. One of the
speakers at a convention in Denver
recently declared that half the Colo
RADIO people present were. born in
some other state. Not man or
woman rose to dispute him. All the
Colorado speakers, one atte, another,
then acknowledged some other state as
the place of their nativity. So you
will meet old friends or the friends of
old friends wherever you so. It is a
and uncultured. The institutions are
new, the towns new and incomplete,
but the people are your own kind Of
folks. There is work to do in the
West for every man or woman who
has ideas that are sound and useful.
The most interesting thing in the
West is the foundation of it's present
rapid development, irrigation. You
may hear irrigation discussed every
where. All the people in the West are
past the rudiments Of irrigation.
They have got beyond the pictures"
into the solid work Of farming in
scientific way, at least SO far as the
application of water and the conser.
walton of moisture are concerned.
Acre feet and second feet laterals
and drops, seepage and sub-irrigation,
checks and corrugations, forties and
eighties, water rights and shares are
terms which one may hear in any
Western locality, all having technical
application in the art of irrigation.
One needs to be among these irriga-
tors to catch the infection. There's a
buoyancy of spirit which indicates
that everything is going WELL There is
an enthusiasm that bespeaks prosper
ity. The people seem to have real
and tangible possession in this farming
by the artificial watering Of crops.
They feel that they can spend some OF
their surplus money because at last
they have sure way Of getting more.
There is no uncertainty of season for
the irrigating farmer. Warm sunshine
and good ground with the necessary
water at the right time, are what make
crops grow. There is no mystery III
this success. 1t is all as plain as day.
Many of the people one meets have
been draw n from the East by the allur-
ments of mining, but when the illusion
has been dispelled they have taken up
farming by irrigation and made a sue
cess in a way quite different from their
first plans. 1t has become an accepted
fact that the west must develop by
agriculture and fruit growing. Cattle
and sheep will always continue to be
factors Of consequence and mining Will
contribute vastly to the wealth of the
Western states, but the real and sub
stantial advancement in education and
culture and the building Of an enduring
civilization in Western valleys and on
western plains and mesas must come
by reason of irrigated agriculture and
horticulture To participate in the
building Of these new cities and towns
and in the reclamation of these semi
arid lands is an attractive work to
everyone who has the spirit Of pio'
neer. Besides, there's money in it.
There is money in farming by irriga-
ton too, particularly in the region
north Of Denver where so much new
land is being brought under ditch for
new Corners. Many interesting facts
have been collected by the Colorado
State Commercial Association. One
man made $4,000 profit on cabbage
from 30 acres. Another makes net
profit Of over $4,000 a year from less
than five acres of onions. Everybody
who grows sugar beets in the Denver
Greeley district expects to make
profit Of $50 to $75 an acre, and is dis
appointed If 1t falls below the lowe
figure. Sugar beets are money crop
here because there are so many fac
tories that ontract for the crop.
Yet all the irrigating farmers are in
dependent of the sugar factories be-
cause there is such wide diversity OF
crops that may be grown with big pro-
at by irrigation. Some farmers con-
tend that there is better money raising
dlIalLa ana pdSLuFIuS hugs Ou IL lHdA
In almost any other use of irrigated
land. The preferred method is to
plant oats OF a part of the farm, cut
the crop and then irrigate the stubble.
The plants being well rooted will
spring up and make heavy winter
pasture for the hogs. Others plant fall
wheat for winter pasture. This use OF
it does not reduce the crop which may
be harvested the following summer.
The alfalfa is then used for the sum-
mer hog pasture. This is but one Of
many ways Of making money. The
big city Of Denver and the hundreds
Of mining camps make an excellent
market for every farm product.
The great extension Of the irrigated
region near Denver in the South Platte
Valley is Immediately due to the eff
forts of Chicago bond house which
purchased for their clients bonds to the
extent Of $1,60O,OOO for charging the
system of the Denver Reservoir Irri-