Rocky Ford enterprise., 1915-10-15
EXHIBIT GETS f.,
GREAT PRAISE
Tho 1t Did Not Draw Down
the Big Prizes
AT INTERNATIONAL SOIL
PRODUCTS EXPOSITION
What the Farmers of Otero County
Have Accomplished by Cooper
alton Successfully Shown

Have Accomplished by Cooper
alton Successfully Shown
The following from the Denver
Record Stockman of Oct. 6, shows
what was thot of our exhibit at the
International Soil Products ex-
position, even if Otero county
failed to win the big prize because
of the fact that sufficient space
could not be secured to place the
display in one building.
when Otero county came to the Inter
national Soil Products exposition at Dem
yer they brought along enough exhibits
to nearly make the whole show. The
other counties in the County building
protested against Otero county having
any more space than the rest Of them. or
they wanted that county handicapped.
so they were allowed the usual 2O-foot
space IN the County building. and then
occupied about 80 feet more in one of the
States buildings on l4th street. None
of the exhibits attract more attention
than that from this little county in the
Arkansas valley. In their booth in the
Colorado building is frame containing
almost countless ribbons won at various
fairs and shows and a number of hand
some trophies. including the celebrated
Hearst trophy which was awarded to
that county at the National Irrigation
congress in Pueblo IN 1910.
While many of the counties are in
ened to be little jealous of the showing
made by Otero county, there is not an
agricultural county in Colorado that could
not accomplish fully as much. if not more.
IL they went about it in the same way.
Five years ago Otero county was strug-
Cling along very much like all the other
counties. Tnen a number OF the widea-
wake farmers got together and organized
the Otero County gricultural association
which has since been incorporated. The
business men Of Rocky Ford took an in
terest in this organization and provided
club room in town and lately the county
commissioners got behind them with their
advertising fund, which is made up OF a
tax levy of one quarter OF mill, as
provided by law. This agricultural as
sociation holds meetings every other
week during the winter period. from
November | to April /, and in addition
they operate five acre experiment
garden tract where they try out all kinds
of agricultural products and demonstrate
what Can be done. Thru this assoc ation
and its little experiment station has large
ly come the development work in agri-
culture for most of the Arkansas valley.
At the semi monthly meetings during the
winter. all of the farming problems OF the
valley are brought up for discussion and
consideration. The club now has soma
400 members, each OF whom pays an
annual due OF one dollar.
Mr.. J. L. Miller, the secretary OF the
association, is in charge of the exhibit at
the exposition He is enthusiastic over
the work done by the association. and is
firmly OF the belief that every agricultural
county in the state should have similar
ganizatlon.
I'VE really knew nothing about farm
ing until we formed our association and
went into agriculture in common sense
and scientific way" said Mr.. Miller.
Five years ago. for instance. there
was no corn raised in the Arkansas valley
or in our county. We thought we couldn't
do 1t. There you see what we are dong
now" and he pointed to the piles Of ears
of prosperous looking corn in his big dis
play. "Five years ago when any Of our
farmers wanted to plant oats or wheat
they went to the grain man in town and
brought some oats or wheat for seed.
They did not ask what the variety was
or the quality-they simply wanted oats
or wheat. They planted their grain with
out giving 1t any treatment for disease
and then were wondering why they could
not produce good crops. Today the farm
ers Of our county are as particular about
the seed they plant as any scientific
farmer could be. They ali know how to
treat their seed to prevent disease. and
where our farms used to produce dollar.
today they are producing two and even
three dollars.
When we first began to hold meetings
FIVE years ago. few of US had to do most
of the talking, but today we have hardly
a member who does not take part in the
discussion, and we have some very in
teresting ones at our bi-monthly Saturday
meetings. In my opinion. our agrieul-