The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1918-12-26

nc1Ity 50 iuuCu per acre 40 tuat CuitI
waited in previous years, a very large
percentage 6f which was irrigated. As
the ratio OF non-irrigAted to irrigated
wheat land rises from year tosyear
We may expect TO see the average
yield per acre continue to decrease.
In the past we have referred with
considerable pride to the high per
acre Yields Of wheat and other small
grains In Colorado as compared with
other states. but II we expect to de-
velop our nonirrigated agricultural
lands we must be content in the fu-
ture to see these averages drop until
they approach much nearer the low
levels OF such states as Iowa, the Da-
kotas.. Kansas and Oklahoma. Tho
average yield of wheat per acre for
1918 was approximately IS bushels. AZ
compared with . ten-year average Of
234 bushels.
The third crop in acreage and value
corn reported by the bureau of crop
estimates for Colorado was 10000
acres. In 1918 1t was 5e7.0Oc acres.
with a total yield OF l1.067.0 900 bushels.
the largest crop on record here Its
value at prices prevailing November
] was SIS 5.6O4.470. In addition to this
acreage cultivated for grain there was
considerable amount OF corn culti-
waited for siIage. This is proving to
be one OF the most satisfactory ensi'-
age crops grown in the state and In
dications are that the acreage of corn
grown for ali purposes in Colorado
may soon equal that OF wheat.
There was a considerable decrease
in the acreage devoted to sugar beets.
chiefly because the governments
recommendation OF a price of SO a
ton for beets was not made till a con-
siderable amount of beet land had
been planted TO other crops. The
price paid for beets WAS the highest
on record. however. so that the total
value OF the crop TO farmers was
somewhat greater than that of the
1917 crop.
The acreage OF oats harvested last
year wns substantially the same as
that for 1917. but the yield was about
200. 600 bushels less. Oats is the one
grain crop that has shown a decrease
In acreage In the past five years. tho
acreage cultivated in 1918 being fully
30 900 acres less than that for 1913.
Barley, on the other hand. has shown
q very substantial increase. The bu-
reau OF crop estimates reports 100000
acres in 1918 The total yield vas s.
652 900 bushels. worth s5,s57.ooo.
The fruit crop vas considerably
short OF that for 1917. which Was not
a banner crop by any means. Both
apples and peaches were far below =
normal crop. while smaller fruits
made a somewhat better showing but
hardly kept up to the average. The
1918 fruit crop brought growers only a
little more than SIS per cent as much
as that OF 1917.
The acreage devoted to pinto beans
was not much different from The 1917
acreage. The experiences Of growers
with the 1917 crop was not wholly sat-
isfnctory. either with the yield or the
market. II conditions had been more
favorable for the big crop OF 1917 II
is more than possible that the acreage
would have been greatly increased
last year. with thu result that the mar.
ket would have been heavily over
stocked and prices would have been
much less satisfactory than they are
at present The pinto bean has
proved It's value in this climate a. .
drought resistant crop. but the acre
age devoted to II can very easily be
extended far beyond what the market
for the bean justifies. thus discour.
aging growers and destroying the pros
poets for making II one Of the lead
ing cash crops for the non-irrfgated
districts before q market for Il has
been properly established
The area devoted to all crops in
1918 was approximately 1880
acres. being very slight increase
over the 1917 acreage. The reasons
for tho email increase were manifold.
In the first place Colorado sent co..
900 young men into the army. many
OF them going direct from the farms.
In tho development OF essential war
Industries it became necessary for
many Colorado men to 60 into factor
les IN other states. and the farms suf-
fercd along with factories and mines.
Then the, government discouraged
general movement of farmers from
one state to another during the period
of the war. on the theory that each
farmer could best serve his countr,
by remaining At his post and produe-
ing as much wheat and other food
crops as possible. The result was that
immigration 10 the state was at q
lower ebb than It has been in q de-
cade.
Metal mining is the one industry In
Colorado that has not been given
somewhat OF boom by the war,
Prices Of most metals with the excep-
tion of roid have advanced. hut gold