The Dolores star., 1920-12-31
COLORkDO'S CROP
REPORT FOR 1920
state Crop Service Bulletin Shows
Greatest Production in His
tory of State
Western Nsvspape: Union Nes. serfre.


heporting Service from the reports of
county assessors, was 5,G3I.339 acres.
compared with 5,650,9J1 acres in 1919.
The total farm output for the season
just ended far exceeds that for the pre-
cedlng season. One example will il
Iustrare this. The area devoted to
wheat in the state in 1920 was 1.47l,242
acres, compared with l,524,504 acres
the preceding year. The 1920 output,
however, was Pill 900 bushels. com
pared with only 1S,435,00O acres in
1919
But the value of the 1920 crop was
more than S3O,OOO,000 less than that
of the 1919 crop, the result of Il very
sharp falling off in the prices of all
farm crops since harvest time The
value of all Colorado crops. including
fruits, for 1920, based upon prices pre-
vailing on or about Dec |, was $751;
J53,934, compared with S199,947 900 for
the 1919 crop at prices prevailing on or
about Dec. l that year. While the
1920 wheat crop was more than 5000
600 bushels greater than that of 1919
its value was only S36,6OS, 900, com
pared with value of S37 ,240,OOO for
the 1919 crop. The 1920 potato crop
was only about 100000 bushels less
than the 1919 crop, but the value of
the former at prices prevailing on Dec.
l was only $500, 900, compared with
value of SlS,S!'O,0OO for the crop of
the preceding year.
Yet the value Of the 1920 farm out
put was greater than that for any pre-
Vious year except 1919. The 1918 crop
was sold at war prices, but its total
value was only about S1J1 100000
while the 1913 crop, which was mar
keted before the World war began,
was worth considerably less than half
as much as that Of 1920.
Wheat was Colorado's leading crop
in 1920, both in acreage and value.
Most of this crop is winter wheat, the
area devoted to the winter grain show
ing rather substantial increases each
year, while the acreage of spring
wheat remains about stationary. Win
ter wheat is grown chiefly without ir
rigation, while the reports of county
assessors TO the State immigration De
| pnrtment show that about 30 per cent
of the spring wheat irrigated.
Corn is the second crop in the state
in acreage and fourth in value. Re
ports of assessors show LOS, 1872 acres
| devoted to corn in 1920, of which 10
| per cent was harvested for grain and
| the remainder cut for silage or fodder
or fed in the field. The total value of
! ,I IittIn IN, of
coo. 900. Of which Sl2,21O.OOO was the
/ value of the grain harvested. This crop
| is growing rapidly in popularity in the
| state. the corn area aS reported by the
census bureau in 1909 going only about
$500 acres. 1t is grown chiefly i'll
| the eastern part of the state, Yuma
county being the leader, with about
| 12S.OOO acres.
Alfalfa is the third crop in the state
! IN both acreage and value. Reports of
! assessors showed about $4,000 acres
devoted TO alfalfa in Colorado in 1920,
and the production was 2,lI3,OOO tons.
This was worth at prices prevailing on
. Dec. | about $26,0OO,OOO. The total
! area devoted to tame hay is about l.
| 100000 acres, other varieties being
timothy, red clover, timothy and clover
mixed, sweet clover, millet, sudan
grass, field peas, other tame grasses
and grains cut green, chiefly rye, oats
and barley. The total production of
tame hay in the state in 1920 was about
2.S03.O0O tons, worth approximately
S33, ,G37 900. There is also about 254,-
| 600 acres devoted to wild hay, with Il
production of $4,000 tons, worth about
$4115,500.
Sugar beets is the second crop in
the state in value and eighth in acre
age. Reports of the sugar companies,
operating in the state, show that about
22l 800 acres of sugar beets We're har-
vested in Colorado in 1920, producing
2.364, 1907 tons, worth to the farmers
S27. 135, l35. This crop is grown almost
exclusively under irrigation and has
proved to be one of the most remuner-
ative crops grown in Colorado. Re
ports of sugar companies indicate that
the average price paid farmers per ton
for their beets in the state in 1920 was
$11.45.
The potato crop was fifth in value
among the states crops in 1920, rank
ing next below corn. Last year, how
ever, it was fourth in value, surprising
corn by about 100000, and ranking
only slightly below sugar heets. 1t
comes far down the list in acreage, be-
ing surpassed by oats, barley, rye,
grain, sorghums and wild hay.
The sorghums rank fourth in acre
age in 1920, with II total of about 44a,-
600 acres. consisting of 29S,T2O acres
of grain sorghums, 112,79S acres of
sweet sorghums and 23,329 acres of su-
dan grass. The total value of all
sorghums for 1920 was above SS,OOO,-
600.
The acreage devoted to beans in
Colorado in 1920 was considerably
short of that for 1919, though the pro-
duction was slightly larger, due TO "A
,,,.,,,, r,yorublp SpnSon Assessors re-