Durango semi-weekly herald., 1907-02-04
MONEY FOR
COLORADO FARMERS
Colorado Springs Gazette.

Jury came tHe duFeuL VI tHe ou6oi
beet Industry in Colorado. for the first
factory. which was that at Grand
Junction, started its first wheel carly
In 1900. Now there are fifteen FAC
tories in the state producing annually
Sit, ,000, 900 worth of sugar, employing
more than 5000 men, distributing an
nually to the tillers OF the soil over
IS, ,O00,0 and utilizing the product
from more than 10000 acres Of land
and furnishing employment AT high
wages to more than 10000 field labor
ers.
In seven seasons Colorado has leap
ed to the front of the sugar producing
states of the union passing clear over
the heads Of California. Michigan, Ne
braska, Kansas, Idaho. Minnesota ana
several others that have been in the
business from ten to thirty years, ana
which have been accustomed TO regard
Colorado with an indulgent smile when
anything pertaining to the products of
soil was in question. And yet .he In
dustry is not out Of its cradle. so that
| It is not unreasonable to predict that
| this state alone will yet produce
enough sugar to supply the nation and
| the 800, 100000 which is annually pain
| tn Germany alone for sweetness Will
be kept at home and go towards swell
ing the pocketbooks Of the brainiest
men in the world-the farmers of
Colorado.
| Brainy. Yes, that's It. It was the
brains and quick wit that turned the
trick and made the slow going and
slow-thinking "moss-backs" OF the east
turn green with envy. All that a Colo
RADIO man, be he farmer or miner,
needs is to be shown good idea and
he snaps 1t, turns 1t over in his mind
and surprises the world with the prac-
tical results achieved.
| That is what happened 10 the sugar
beet business. Experts in the manu-
facture of. sugar had been wasting
their time for years to little purpose in
other parts of America and trying to
show farmers the benefits of the sugar
beet industry. Like the Minnesota
| Swede. who couldn't see "the juice OF
chewing tobacco and splitting out the
use," they failed to grasp the oppor
tunities presented. But what dill
ferent reception the experts met with
when they came to Colorado. All
they needed to do was to shout Sugar
beets," and before the echo had died
away among the mountain tops the
farmers were out planting seed, ant
In seven short years these same farm
ers can teach the experts a few wrin
kles and the farmers from otnor states
are coming west to take lessons. For
tunately, Colorado, with her progero.a
generosity, has a welcome for all, ant
millions of acres more for the raising
OF beets just as good as the land now
producing twenty tons to the acre, anc
In not a few instances as high as
thirty tons to the acre. That Ia the
spirit which has put Colorado In the
family high chair among the states
of the union and is destined to make
the Centennial state, in agriculture
stock-raising and manufacturing what
she already Is In mining and sugar
beet raising-the blue ribbon bearer
OF the union.
The miner first made the Other
states look like 80 cents in jewelr,
shop, and now the Colorado farmer is
taking a hand in the game and doing
likewise.
But, as in other lines Colorado
old Dame Nature must be accorded
her share of credit She gave to Colo
rado the perfect conditions for sugar
beet raising, which Is first and above
all things crop for the irrigation
system rather than for rain country
She gave Colorado the eternal sun
shine which puts more saccharine into
her beets than anywhere else in the
world. In fact, she placed Colorado
at the top of the preferred" column
of all the states in the sugar beet belt.
This is not fiction. but government
facts, as Is shown in a map of the
| sugar beet belt issued by one of the
greatest government experts from the
department of agriculture at Washing
ton. This expert shows that Colorado
has the most perfect conditions in
the whole belt for the industry in
which she has already made such a
brilliant record. These conditions are:
An altitude between 5000 and 1000
feet, sandy loan for soil. long days
of unbroken sunshine for the forma-
ton OF the saccharine and cool nights
for the absorption of the same by the
root and a permanent supply OF water
for irrigation. Bright minds and In
dustrious people then complete the
category and all these Colorado has.
In seven years the state Is supply
ing $15.O00.000 worth Of sugar. What