La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1917-01-13
TRIP UP NORTH
Agricultural Editor Views the Land.
scape Ger in Dry Farming Ter.
ritory of Lincoln County

will present for your consideration
a few facts and observations
! gathered on an automobile tour
made by IL. b. Yoder, of East Hol-
brook. accompanied by the agricul-
tural editor
We left home Thursday morning.
going north and continuing in that
direction until we came to Hugo, the
county seat of Lincoln county, situ-
ated on the Union Pacific. After
leaving Holbrook the first thing was
about 90 miles through the immense
Scott and Davidson pasture. After
you get through this few small
home stead shanties are seen. and 1t
is about the same thing to the
northern state line-although we
ala not go that far-just far
enough to get fairly good idea OF
the country.
The first town is Arlington,
weary, detected looking clump of
buildings on the Missouri Pacific.
Six or seven miles northwest OF Ar
lington we stopped perhaps an hour
at the ranch of the Givens Brothers
VIII and John. These boys have
been located there about ten years,
and are. as far as we were able to
learn, the most successful of the
ranchcrs in that vicinity. They own
Is0 acres and lease other land. ac-
cording TO their needs. They usually
run about 400 head OF cattle. They
count twenty acres OF grass for
each animal, for years feed. In
this seton everything not under
culation is correct. $40 acres is not
any more than a man would need,
to max a bare living. as this would
pasture only thirty-two head OF cat
tie, and the more settlers that come
In the less free range there Is. On
account of tn. dry season practically
all the cattle have been shipped. only
the necessary stock cattle remain
ing.
In reference TO dry farming Mr..
fGwehs said. DRY farming here IL
failure" " The soil is adobe and the
rainfall too deficient. so their sole
reliance IL on cattle. When moro
feed is needed during the winter. oil
cake Is fed and some native hay.
which they put up from the growth
of the native gramma grass. Alfalfa
Is never used. because II a steer In
put In his time standing around
waiting for more instead OF going
out and rustling such grass as no
can find. Well. AS We looked over
the miles OF prairie covered with
extremely short, dry grass. We really
didn't blame the steers much
While here We also learned more
of the Colt irrigating project This
is floodwater proposition and
taps three streams-Sand and Mus
tang arroyas and Adobe creek. Tho
water obtained from these streams
In flood times helps a little. In grow
ing feed. but not very much and Ia.
OF course. not dependable.
Leaving here We continued north.
The county Is fairly well settled.
the houses being from two to five
or six miles apart and perhaps II IL
Just about AS thickly settled as tho
nature OF the country will support.
Perhaps fifty miles south OF Hugo
the so-callod rain-bcl, or dry farm
INK belt begins. The soil here In no
longer adobe. but n rich sandy loan
and II takes only a minimum OF
moisture to make II produce some
thing, although. OF course. this last
season was a total failure 80 far a.
dry farming was concerned. Previous
TO this year. however. those people
had three good seasons and some
had feed enough TO run them through
this winter. Corn yielded from ten
To thirty bushels an acre and somo
had all the corn they needed left
over.
The Missouri Pacific has every
other section OF land. obtained
through land grants, In part OF that
district. lying near that road. and
this Ii now In the hands OF specu.
intors-so We were informed
although the range on this land IL
free.
This country. from here on 10 Hu-
go. and further for that matter. IL
about the samc-all short grass
prairie. but more or less roiling n
character. with fine soil. The oniy
thing lacking Ia moisture. IN fast.