Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-08-29
EXPERIMENTS SHOW
THE FUTURE Of
COLFAX
Aside From Mineral Wealth,
Agriculture is Believed to be
Coming Great Industry in
Northern New Mexico.
cRaton Reporter

NftdlbH Icbpt III
What agricultural developments win
the vicinity of Ration present ten years
| from now? This is a question affect
Ing vitality the interests of Ration.
The sophisticated old-timer, il there
are any left, will tell you that the
effortse OF years to make this semi
arid region a garden spot have been
almost wholly u%navaiiing, and that IT
Is the Almighty's will to reserve it for
ever for the prairie dog and what
few cattle may find sustenance upon
it. To the new blood, however, the
signs all point another way. Lying
between the city and the hills twenty
miles to the southeast is a vast fall
low tract of tillable land. which, in
the coming decade, will be occupied
in farms, supporting an agricultural
class that shall contribute very sub
s~tantially to the greatness of Ration
as the northern metropolis Of the new
state. Who but ? thorough going
pessimist will ATTEMPT to refute this?
Ration as a continuous thriving
community must look to the a%gricul-
tural Improvement of her contribu-
tory territory as her greatest asset
for substantial growth. The railroad
has already made the town, and the
possibilities of the city for becoming
some day the central clearing house
for a vast coa industry make her flu
ture doubly bright, but after all 1t is
only the tremendous potential re-
| sources of ColfaN county soil that our
city can fearlessly depend on for an
unfailing source oil strength in the
time to come. Panics and "cut-otfs'
force railroads to reduce their shop
! forces and depopulate towns, and the
/ flnntt,affpoe laVNunA fpVl caal 1afar-I
mines the corresponding rise and fall
In activities al the coal camps; but
no such rapid and depressing changes
could possibly result from sudden ad-
versity brought upon our farming
classes. The agriculturist must re-
main a fixture in the community in
which he has cast his lot, inc he
| must continue to contribute at least
n minimum amount of business TO
the channels OF trade, no matter what
reverses are met with. on our agri-
c~ulturalist class, therefore, depends
the issue of ultimate moment. how is
the future greatness of Ration to be
insured?
Al present, there are a number of
%irrigating projects in the neighbor-
hood OF Ration taking shape, n also
a numbe of interesting experiments
I'm dry farming being made that will
demonstrate 10 che most sceptically
inclined the great possibilities that
lie ahead of this section of the terri
tory as a producer of grain and for
age crops Wheat. sugar beets and
the various crops for the feeding of
stock will eventually be the three
great profit-making industries that
win place this vicinity on the agricul-
tural charts. Practical and expert
mental farming have already demon
strated what can be done with these
three money-making crops in north
ern New Mexico. where the latest
methods in scientific farming are ap-
piled.
The Rocky Mountain railroad is
now conducting an experimental
farm six miles below Ration, at Cliff
ton, where some very surprising re-
suhs have been secured this year I'M
der the most adverse conditions.
Sugar beets, potatoes. barley. Kaffir
corn. millet, broom corn, peas, beans,
corn. wheat and sorghum have been
planted and data kept on
the results obtained. The . LIZ acres
of beets now under cultivation are
showing remarkable progress under
the effect of the recent rains. and the
superintendent OF the experiments
states that he will be greatly sur
prtSed II the tests 90 not
show rs and possibly 20 per cent of
sugar, IS per cent being considered a
good test. The broom corn planted
this year is an innovation. and is out
doing the expectations OF the expert
mentors. BrOom corn Is particularly
suited to growth on new land, north
western Oklahoma raising IL almost
exclusively for the first few years OF
tilling. The price per ton on this
product has advanced from $50 and
$50 TO S100 ana s125. practically
doubling within the past ten years,
No doubt exists in the minds of those
informed on soil conditions in this
county that this staple. which is also
"a splendid food for stock. is soon to
become n leading product IN ColfaN
county. Sorghum produced yer ten
tons To the acre this year, and frijole
beans produced their usual good
average. The latter is one of the
crops always grown successfully on
New Mexico soil and distinctivelN n
southwestern product At the com
ing land show held IN Chicago in
November. Secretary Henins. Of the
Immigration Bureau. is planning TO
serve hot irijole beans At the New
Mexico booth IS 2 means Of adver-
Using the territory.
What Ration must hive Is a flour |