La Junta tribune., 1909-10-23

I
naturai reveals His power sufficient
iy, and the supernatural is the natur.
al not Yet understood-So breaches
Elbert Hubbard.
Durlhs the visit of number of |
iand seekers in La Junta this week
the Town was very industriously cir
cuiarized by one or two disappointed /
previous land buyers who had
crop failure under the Otero during
the past year The circular made
venomous attack upon the La Junta
Land Company, rehearsing the un-
fortunate history of the Otero canal
from its incipiency and holding up
past and proposed bond issues of the
irrigation district as scarecrows.
There was nothing in the circular
that was new, and it was simply a
repetition of the tale that has been
recited by local knockers from time
immemorlal, There was nothing in
the circular that would cause any
REASONABLE man to lose faith in the
ultimate success OF the Otero canal |
There is too much money invested |
In the Otero canal to even think OF
abandoning the project. which some
OF the knockers seem inclined to ad- |
wise. Competent engineers declare
that there is not qustion of the
possibility of making the canal one
OF the best in the valley providing
the improvements which they rec.
ommend are carried out. IL the ditch |
had been in shape to carry the avail
able water this year every acre OF
land under the Otero would have been
veritable Garden of Eden. Instead
OF knocking, much wiser course
would be to boost for every project
having for its purpose the improve
ment OF the canal and putting 1t In
such first.class condition that neither
the acts of providence nor the neg
ligence OF man can put It out Of COM
mission,
| One thing that the premium com.
mittee overlooked during the Far
mers' FAN Festival was potatoes,
probably for the reason that the pro-
moters did not know that potatoes
were successfully raised In Otero
county. The editor OF the great fam
lily Journal blowed in SIS this year
trying to raise a crop OF spuds on
part Of two and one-half acre tract
south of town, but the result was
not very encouraging. The entire crop
amounted TO one-half dozen spuds,
none of them larger than an egg.
This does not prove that potato rails
ing around La Junta is failure by
any means. Twenty years ago there
was only one man In the Greeley dis
trict that could raise potatoes sue
cessfully, but at the present time
Greeley is one OF the most famous
potato raising districts In the coun-
try. Potatoes can be successfully
grown around La Junta, however,
this fact being demonstrated ty the
exhibits at the Farmers Fall Festival
Dave Bole was awarded the first
premium on potatoes. He only had
n very small tract this year, Just suf-
ficient for his own needs. Two years
ago. however. he had in two acres
and the yield aggregated n total OF
450 bushels. About three carloads.
or 800 bushels OF potatoes. are used
In La Junta every week. At the
present time they are selling for
$i.75 per hundred weight, or $l.05
per bushel, and every bushel is
shipped In from some distant point.
Farmers should find out the secret
OF growing potatoes by irrigation.
There is a good market right here at
home for potatoes. and the net rev.
enue per acre will be equal to sugar
beets or cantaloupes. with neither the
analysis for sugar content or the
wiles II cantaloupe commission men
to contend with.
In another column OF this issue will
be found very interesting article
on winning the World to Absti.
nence II Is one OF the best ar
guments for the cause OF temperance
that We ever read and exposes every
fallacy that was ever advanced In
favor Of the liquor traffic. We espe-
cially commend the reading OF this ar
ticle 70 business men who believe
that thc dispensing Of booze In a
town makes business. also TO the
booze fighter who gets up In the
morning after the night before and
swears to high heaven that he Will
never again. not as long as he lives.
/ ks. -, h.. uflI