Gilpin observer., 1919-12-18
CROPS WORTH
$191,oo0,Ooo
THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF
STATES RESOURCES SHOW
HEAVY.
HIGH PRICES PREVAIL
WIDE COMPARISON BETWEEN
1899 AND 1919.
FURNISHED by the Cooperative Crop
Reporting Service.)

upon the prices prevailing on or about
600, 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 S165,000,000, the largest re-
ported to that date.
A fair idea of the rapid development
of agriculture in the state may be
gathered from comparison of the
value of the output for 1919 with that
of previous years as reported by the
federal census burenu. 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
SIT T,OOO,OOO. Ten years later the same
bureau found the value of all crops
grown in the state to be somewhat
short of SOL 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,OOO acres. Re
ports of county assessors, as tabulated
and revised by the State Cooperative
Crop Reporting Service. show $685.
62S acres devoted to crops in the state
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
it 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 S172 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 n
year ago, perhaps in the neighborhood
of S20O,OOO,OOO.
The value of dairy products market
ed from the farms during the year ac-
cording to the best information avail
able is i'm the neghborhood of S25, ,0OO,-
600, while eggs and poultry marketed
from the farms have brought in ap-
proximately Ss,OOO,OOO. The value of
the wool clip for the year was approx
imately $4,50O0OO and the honey out
put, most of which is produced on
farms, was worth at prevailing prices
in the neighbOrhood Of 81, 100000.
Hay has always been COlorado's larg-
est and most valuable crop and 1t re-
tans that position in 1919. The value
of all hay crops produced was above
S52,OO0,0OO, while dry forage, silage
and crops hOgged off account for near
ly S1S,OO0000. Adding to these two
items the value of corn for grain we
find tIat 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
the wheat crop for the year was near
ly S3J,0O0,0 ,00O 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 onc-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 n much larger percentage of
the spring wheat Is grown under irri-
CATION than winter wheat. Reports of
county assessors showed that about L.
per cent of the winter wheat planted in
Colorado for the 1919 harvest was ir-
rigated. while approximately 40 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 S10O000,000.
The acreage devoted to nearly all inn
portant crops In 1919 was greater than
that for 1913, the exception being oats,
barley, rye for grain, potatoes and dry
beans. The only large decrease in
lcreage for any crops was that for
dry beans, the falling off being due
chiefly to unsatisfactory prices re-
rcivcd by growers for pinto beans In
1918. The increase in acreage culti-
vated this year over 1918, according to
the final tabuIntions prepared by the
State Crop Reporting Service, was