Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-02-14
WANTS 1000
And .otero Agricultural Club
is Going After Them
MEETING SATURDAY
We'll WORTH ATTENDING
Interesting and Instructive Papers
by Hunter James and viii Nor
rison, Well-Posted Members

riSOn, Well-P0Sted Members
AT the regular meeting of the Otero
Agricultural Club last Saturday after
noon-which, by the way, was large
ly attended and bne of the most in
teresting recently held-the president
introduced communication from
Secretary Jenkins of the Pueblo Com
merce Club, which opened up the
question of increased membership,
and it was resolved that the president
should appoint committee OF thirty
to canvass the county for members,
This committee will he composed OF
boosters from every section of the
county, and it is proposed to make a
systematic visit to every farmer in
tie county if possible. With the con-
elusive evidence that it will amply re-
pay them to enroll it is confidently
expected that the membership of the
club will be increased to thou
sand.
Here is Mr.. Jenkins letter:
Pueblo. Colorado, February 6, 1913.
"Mr. w. R. Dye, Pres, .Otero Agri-
cultural Club:
cannot refrain from commenting
upon and comrlimenting the work OF
your Agricultural Club, which has
eliminated in he magnificent display
thar you have placed in Denver. We
have h.ped ti,at some day Our. Club
would be in a losit;cd to furnish
store rucm for sucii an exhibit from
your county.
We doubt whether the people at
Rocky Ford fully appreciate the as
set that they have in the way of the
Agricultural Club. l have come in
contact through the National Asso-
ciation Of Commercial Clubs with
boosting propositions in the various
parts OF 'he country, and l want TO
s.y ia. nothing has come .sithiu r,s
observation that will touch the Otero
County Agricultural Club, especially
when we realize that this organiza-
tion is made up and officered by farm
ers; by which, we mean men who
have much of their time taken up
with the big proposition OF making a
living.
l want to say that if we can do
anything here to encourage the work
which you are doing, we will be very
glad to do so. l certainly want to
court your cooperation and the in
spiration that comes from contact
with the real live hustlers.
Yours very truly,
]. H. JENKINS,
General Secretary.
AS evidence of the interesting and
instructive topics discussed at the
club meetings, the Enterprise here
with reproduces the papers read by
r. II. James and Will Morrison at
this last meeting:
Are Land Values at Rocky Ford
High Compared to Other Lo-
calities?
Mr.. President and Gentlemen:
make no apology for taking your time
with this topic. To be sure these
meetings are for the primary object
of learning more profitable methods
of crop production. But l ask, what
is the use of it all if we do not at
the same time keep alive a just ap-
probation of the advantage we pos
scss. For without this appreciation,
after having devoted our lives, or at
least the best years of our lives, to
the accumulation of the little surplus
we all should have for the protection
of old age, we are apt to go off on a
bonanza seeking trip and lose the
reward of a iifetime's toll and self
denial in some fake land project.
You are all familiar how by the skill
full use of almost limitless advcrtis-
ing and the best of salesmanship.
Enterprise. ggwg(e tn
.cowpunchers are induced to take up
fruit farming, trained horticulturists
and gardeners are placed on large dry
farms, the native of Southern Texas
is found with his last deilar invested
in a Colorado irrigation enterprise,
which has not nor never will have
either water or canal while the Rocky
Ford man of salaried position is
economizing that he may become the
owner of Texas orange farm at S4oo
per acre. Now these are not imagin-
ary cases. Each of these men are
perfectly competent to make invest
ments where they are familiar with
conditions and their familiarity with
those conditions would have been a
very great factor in their success or
failure. AS it is, not one would say
ANYTHING but that the man who
bought in his locality was swindled.
While / do not claim that emigrants
do not sometimes better themselves.
still we generally find in an old set
tied country the old settlers have fig-
ured out pretty accurately what the
land is capable OF producing and
have made their prices accordingly
and in a new country we soon find
the old saying, it is more profitable
TO be the third person to own a tract
of land than the first, is mighty
true one. As the real estate business
of the country is now conducted the
chances are much against the emf
rrants success while it is patent to
any one who visits most of the ex-
plotted country that terrible percent