Gilpin observer., 1907-05-16
| 10000 COMING.
SETTLERS POURING INTO EAST
ERN COLORADO DAILY.
ARID LANDS BLOOM AS ROSE
The Land That Has Known Naueht
But the Tread Of Grazing Cattle to
Be Stirred by the Plow.
BY Alvin T. Steinel.

Like mighty army, settlers are
Canadian border on the north to the
Gulf of Mexico on the south, from
every state as far east as Indiana, de-
serting the humid regions of the Mis-
sissippi valley, buying ranches or filing
on homestead land in the semi-arid
counties that are now being titled and
made fruitful under the dry soil cul-
ture system.
At Denver's back door there has
been an influx of population estimated
by the most conservative citizens at
10000 in the past twelve months.
There is room for 10000 more. Every
train is bringing it's quota of home
seekers who become home-finders and
establish farms where once the cattle
kings held undisputed sway.
A generation ago there was just
such movement, flank Of the west
ward-bound army going into Colorado.
But it was made up of vastly different
material There were school teach
ers, invalids, Adventures and fugitives
from justice, hundreds Of whom came
to secure shoestring titles to home
steads on which to borrow money
They got the money and left the coun-
try. Those who remained were too
poor in cash or experience to tackle
the raw prairie hundreds Of miles from
established settlements. They gave
up the struggle after the first year Of
drouth and returned to the settle
ments with tales of woe that have
scarcely been lived down by Colorado
in twenty-five years.
Ninety cents an acre used to te the
price of land along the Union Pacific
from Denver to Cheyenne Wells-and
nobody wanted it at that. The Union
Pacific owned every other section for
twenty miles back on both sides of
the track-an enormous grant given
by the government as a subsidy. But
even the shrewd men at the lead of
the great railroad system did not real
ize the value of the land. 1t was just
} SO much waste-a veritable white ele-
phant on the hands Of the mana cement
that finally was disposed of at from 81
to $3.50 an acre-good riddance 1T that.
1t was due to the railroad officials
J themselves that Fasteners began to
get interested in eastern Colorado
lands. The railroad men said it was a
good buy" But they really didn't be-
lieve. it. was. The tale was SO oft re-
peated that the railroad company's
land agents began themselves to be-
lieve. This self-hypnotism having been
accomplished. it was comparatively
| =, l., = +,
ers of Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and
farther east, that their opportunity laid
in Colorado. Homeseekers' excursion
rates furnished the opportunity for
visit and they came-from Pike county
and Podunk, Oshkosh and Kalamazoo.
And they bought-first at SO and IS an
acre and, as the demand grew, from Sc
to $40 and $12. Buying stimulated
homesteading and now the tide Is at
, flood, homeseekers and purchasers of
decided land pouring into every town,
village and hamlet from the Arkansas
: basin to the valley of the Platte and
| from the eastern boundary of the state
| to the foothills, filling vast empire.
, heretofore devoted almost wholly to
grazing with a population of expert
enced American farmers. from the best
agricultural sections of the Mississippi
: valley.
, A bulletin by Professor Olin gives
the fundamentals of soil culture as fol-
lows:
After the SHOWS of winter have
melted, plow the ground at least seven
or eight inches deep. With disc har-
row, corrugated roller imperial pulver-
, izer or packer, level and Arm this
ground as soon after blowing as pos
sible, at least not later than each half
day, and follow up with smoothing har-
row to establish the earth mulch to
J check evaporation. This mulch must
} not be too fine. as the winds OF the
plain tend to rift the soil or blow the
earth mulch entirely away. If possible,
stir the surface soil with good spike
tooth or acme harrow several times
J through the summer from two to four
inches deep. Follow every summer
rain with a good narrowing OF this
: summer cultured ground, preventing
: the formation OF a crust at the sur
face. Keep this ground clean-free
from weeds.
1 Ground that has been well cult
\ waited for several years will produce
two crops in succession and can be
given summer culture. In this way
It is possible to grow two crops in
! three years on well-tilled soil. If a
}. farmer expects to cultivate eighty
y acres, he should divide 1t into two crop
divisions-cropping forty acres the
first year and giving summer culture
to the other forty acres. This gives
i him a crop on one.half his land each
year while he is storing up moisture
in the soil reservoir Of the other half
: to make the next years crop.
I "a farmer on the non-irrigated lands
in Weld county last season, after seed
ing his spring crop, at once prepared
Q his fall wheat seed bed-150 acres.