The Elbert County tribune., 1919-12-19
THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF
STATES RESOURCES SHOW
HEAVY.
HIGH PRICES PREVAIL
WIDE COMPARISON BETWEEN
1899 AND 1919.
FURNISHED by the Cooperative Crop
Reporting Seryice.)


The value of all farm and orchard
crops grown in Colorado in 1919. based
upon the prices prevailing on or about
Nov. l, was approximately S19l, l,OOO.-
900, which is much the largest in the
history of the state. Revised esti-
mates show that the value Of crops
grown in the state in 1918 was approx
imately S165,O0O,OOO, the largest re-
ported to that date.
A fair idea of the rapid development
of agriculture in the state may be
gathered from a comparison of the
value of the output for 1919 with that
of previous years as reported by the
federal census bureau. In 1899, the
first year for. which the census bureau
compiled complete data showing the
value of all crops, the farm output of
Colorado was worth little short Of
Sl7,000.O00. Ten years later the same
bureau found the value of all crops
grown in the state.to be somewhat
short of Sj1 100000
The census bureau report shows that
approximately 1,650,000 acres OF land
was In cultivation in the state in 1899,
while In 1909 the area in cultivation
was Approximately 2,614,000 acres. Re-
ports of county assessors, as tabulated
and revised by the State Cooperative
Crop Reporting Service show 5,533.-
In 1919. exclusive of orchards. In 9th
er words the acreage in cultivation in
Colorado has more than doubled In
the past ten years and is now about
three and one-third times as great as
1t was in 1899
The Bureau of Crop Estimates of the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture found the value of all livestock on
farms in Colorado on Jan. !, 1919, to
he about S1T2,O 100000. Assessors re-
ports show an increase in practically
all classes of livestock in 1919 over
1918. so that apparently the value of
livestock on farms Jan. 1, 1920, should
be considerably greater than it was
year ago. perhaps in the neighborhood
of 5000. 100000.
The value of dairy products market
ed from the farms during the year ac-
cording to the best information avail
able is in the neghbOrhood of S25, ,000,-
900. while eggs and poultry marketed
from the farms have brought in ap-
proximately SS.OO0,OOO The value of
the wool clip for the year was approx
imately 81. 100000 and the honey out
put. most of which is produced on
farms, was worth at prevailing prices
in the neighborhood of $1,5O0,OOO
Hay has always been Colorado's larg-
est and most valuable crop and it re-
tains that position in 1919. The value
of all hay crops produced was above
$52.0OO.000, while dry forage, silage
and crops hogged off account for near
ly S1S,0OO,000. Adding to these two
items the value of corn for grain we
find t-iat feed crops account for APP
proximately 45 per cent of the value of
all crops grown in the state. Since
most of these feed crops are fed to
livestock within the state their ratio to
the entire agricultural output of the
state affords good index to the i'm
portance of the livestock industry in
Colorado.
Next to hay Colorado's most import
ant crop is. wheat. The total value of
the wheat crop for the year was near
ly S35.000,000, which is much the larg-
est value ever reported for this crop
in the state. The area devoted to
wheat also was much the largest on
record, being nearly one-fourth the
area devoted to other crops. Winter
wheat is much more popular In this
state than spring wheat, as is shown
by the fact that nearly three times as
much winter wheat is raised as spring
wheat. The average yield of spring
wheat per acre is larger, however, not
because spring wheat is more suita-
BILE crop for our soil and climate. but
because much larger percentage of
the spring wheat is grown under irri-
CATION than winter wheat. Reports of
county assessors showed that about II
per cent of the winter wheat planted in
Colorado for thes19l9 harvest was ir
rigated, while approximately 45 per
cent of the spring wheat was irrigated.
No accurate data are available show
ing the value of livestock slaughtered
in the state and shipped to other
states during the year, but it is esti-
mated at approximately S1OO,0OO,0Oo.
The acreage devoted to nearly all i'm
portant crops in 1919 was greater than
that for 1918, the exception being oats,
barley, rye for grain, potatoes and dry
beans. The only large decrease in
acreage for any crops was that for
dry beans. the falling off being due
CHIEFLY to unsatisfactory prices re-
ceived by growers for pinto beans in
i9iS- The increase in acreage cult
Natnl this yanr 1arot 1n1o ..-.-.-...-1.-