The Holly chieftain., 1919-01-02
RESOURCES OFTHE.
GREAT ARKANSAS
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Continued from Page ~
ed States government has been hay
ing large quantities of vegetables
grown for seed in this valley, the
climate being especially favorable
for the production of high grade
seed In recent years numerous
leading seed houses have been con-
tracing large acreages of seed crops
here. The total acreage of vegeta
BILE seed grown in the state in 1918
is estimated by the seed reporting
service of the department of agri-
culture at 37,l3l acres. Perhaps 20
per cent of this acreage was in the
Arkansas valley The seed crops
included in the list are sweet corn,
beans, peas, turnips, sugar beets.
cucumbers, cantalOupes and other
muskmelons, WnterlnelOns, squash
spinach. onion seed and onion sets
Everyone of these seed crops, with
the exception of turnips, is report
ed for various counties in the Ar
kansas valley, Otero county lead
ing in the arieties produced and in
total acreage devoted to seed crops
The acreage of vegetable seed crops
grown in the state is increasing
steadily each year, and the Arkan
sas valley already rivals southern
California in the variety of seed
crops grown in thiS district in 1918
was slightly in excess of $1,00O,0OW.
No definite figures are available
on the acreage and production of
other seed crops in this district. AL
falfa seed is grown to cOnsidera
BILE extent, while the production of
various grain, sorghum and grasses
for seed is steadily increasing. The
rainfall here is light, water for IL
rigation is abundant, the percent
age of sunshine is very high, the
summer days are warm and the
nights cool. These conditions all
unite to make this district an ex-
ceptionally favorable seed growing
area, both for vegetable seed and
for general agricultural seed crops
Flower seed of several varieties al
so are grown here successfully.
Sugar factories in the Arkansas
valley are located at Rocky Ford,
Sugar City, Las Animas, Swink and
Lamar. The factory at Lamar is
not now in operation. A factory
built at Holly in 1909 was removed
to Sheridan, WyO., in 1915. The
other factories are in operation at
present and have handled fair
beet crop this season The acre
age was not so large as the price
nf nfs ri.
ed by the government, was not an
nounced until farmers had planted
a considerable acreage of their beet
land to other crops.
Sugar beets made a good yield in
this district and show a high sugar
content. 1t is the second largest
beet producing district in the state,
first place being held by the South
Platte district. Under favorable
market conditions there would be
a considerable Increase in the acre
age of beets cultivated here, for the
factories of the valley have never
handled all the beets they are ca
able of working.
Grain crops are not grown as eX-
tensively in this district as in some
other sections of the state, for the
reason that other crops yield high
er returns under ordinary cOndi-
tions. The high prices prevailing
for wheat and other grains resulted
in large increase in the acreage
of grain crops cultivated both in
1917 and 1918. particularly of wheat
and barley. Average yields of all
grains in this district are much
above the average for the state at
large, and compare very favorably
with the yields in other irrigated
districts Yields of 40 bushels of
wheat and GO bushels of oats per
acre were not uncommon here last
year, and higher average yields on
tracts of considerable size are com
mon every year.
There has been marked in
crease in the acreage of corn culti-
waited in these counties in the past
few years. Every county in the dis
trict produces considerable corn,
but the largest increases have been
in the non-irrigated parts of the
valley, where corn is one of the
most important crops. Grain sor-
ghums also are grown extensively
in the nOn-irrigatcd sections, and
the acreage cultiated is increasing
steadily. Beans are grown exten-
sively, both for feed and for the
general market.
Fremont county is one of the i'm
portant fruit-grOWing counties in
the state, it's principal fruit crop be
ipU annlrS AnplpS and other fr1litS