Rocky Ford enterprise., 1911-05-19
FARMING A SCIENCE
Booster Finds Men Making Living on
Acre Of Ground Near Rocky
Ford

Ford
James W. Barrett, a special writer for
the Denver Times. visited Rocky Ford
last Friday and thus details his impress
sions Of the country:
''ln the Arkansas valley there are near
ly 10000 acres of~wsll irrigated land.
OF these there are 200, 900 acres with
in otsro county. What Is called the
Rocky Ford district 10 an area Of irrigat-
cd and cultivated land twelve miles
square. Immediately surrounding Rocky
Ford.
In the Arkansas valley they raise al
falfa. sugar bests. eAntaloupes, wheat,
oats. apples. cherries. plums. berries.
watsrmslons, tomatoes. sweet potatoes.
beans. celery, cabbage. onions, peanuts.
asparagus. Irish potatoes. vine seed.
chickens that lay eggs. cattle. sheep.
hogs and children. Not all Of these grow
in every ssetin Of the Arkansas valley;
some flourish better in one section: others
in another section. but they all grow lux
uriantly in the little district that sur
rounds Rocky Ford.
Farming around Rocky Ford Is done
by the square inch. On several farms
in the district . square inch Of land will
produce just $1,000 every year. That
old saying. "as cheap ~ dirt. ." has lost its
force here. An acre Of land sells for
500 to $500. Space enough to turn
around in will cost you just about 10
cents.
This comes very near to being the
acme Of intensive farming. The greater
portion Of the land around Rocky Ford
Is held in small tracts. Twenty acres
is the size generally preferred. but some
farms will run a. small a. three. two and
even one acre and will support = family
at that.
Why. bless your soul. with less than
one acre Of ground and $50 worth Of
hens = man can support himself and a
wife in comfort at Rocky Ford. With the
same land and 500 worth Of hens hs can
afford wife and several children. o. c.
Frantz. whose chicken farm 10 one Of
the places around Rocky Ford whsrs
tourists are taken to b astonishsd. says
that on less than an acre Of ground. and
with l<o chickens. his eggs alone in nine
months nsttsd him S4o5.l7.
An acre Of sugar bssts At Rocky Ford
will bring in from SIS to $4,000 = sea-
son. An acre Of alfalfa will produes as
high a. $3.50 in three cuttings The av-
srags yield for eantaloupes 10 SIPS an
acre. Wheat averages Afty bushels to
the acre. oats eighty bushels. Tomatoes
will bring you 5000 an acre and swss,
potatoes $3.50 an acre.
With perseverance, and an accurate
bookkssper man with an acre ofground
At Rocky Ford ought to be able 10 figure
out the actual value Of = grain Of dir,
and the cash returns from It. Since 1870
when George SwInk first moved to the
site Of Rocky Ford from Kentucky. the
value Of an acre Of land has risen from
almost nothing At all to $500. The As.
sssssd valuation Of property in all Otsro
county in 1890 was $2.222.4 2.42s.2l.
Today the assessed valuation Of the
Rocky Ford district alone Is 5 5000. 900.
All this is based on mere facts and
figures. On rapsr they mean little. It
Is only when you are actually in the
midst Of this richest section Of the Ar
kansas valley that you begin to ask for
the figures Of your own accord. Even
when you have them and have the land
they represent actually before your eyes
the mere figures do not express the vivid
ness Of the impression. What = sight
this patch Of ground will bs half = cen.
tury hence. when = transeontinsntal air
ship line psssss over it! The airship
conductor will have to make . point Of
slowing down over this country while
the passengers rush to the bottom Of the
ship TO get glimpse Of It.
The ground has been tiled and eulti-
vatsd to the last inch. Orchards. al
faifa fields. grain fields. grazing land.
poultry yards and vegetable gardens
make crazy quilt Of the landscape.
The little city Of Rocky Ford is the
rose Of this garden. It has been made an
ideal gathering place for an agricultural
folk. The streets are bread and shaded.
The stores are attraetivsly fitted up
The houses. most Of thsm. are set well
back In green lawns and look more like
homes than prstsntious residences. The
people appear to Be- quiet and lsisursly.
and have about them an air Of assurance
and rsposs. The population is $500.
The one great manufacturing industry
at Rocky Ford is, Of course. the beet
sugar factory Of the American Beet Su-
gar company. This company has three
factories in the valley. the others being at
Las Animas and Lamar. These three