The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1921-05-14
COLORADO NEWS NOTES.


able decrease in acreage under culti-
vation in Colorado this year. though
earlier reports from other sources in
dicated that the cultivated acreage
would he materially decreased on ac-
count of inability on the part of farm
ers to obtain needed financial support.
Reports have been received from some
thing more than $500 farmers and the
total of thes reports show larger
amount of land under cultivation than
the total shown by the first $500 re-
ports received last year. Increases in
cultivated acreage are indicated for
Kiowa, Bace and Las AnimaS counties,
while most of the other counties from
which partial reports have been re-
ceived show little indications of
changes from last year. Contrary to
the expectation of many persons well
informed on agricultural subjects,
there apparently will be an increase
in the acreage of spring wheat as COM
pared with last year. A few of the less
developed counties in eastern Colorado
show increases in acreage of winter
wheat as compared with last year. A
few of the less developed counties in
eastern Colorado show increases in
acreage of winter wheat, but apparent
ly there is a decrease in the principal
winter wheat districts, though most Of
these same districts are showing in
creases in acreage of spring wheat.
Preliminary reports from the census
for 1920 show that the average size of
farms in Colorado is 40S.1 acres, COM
pared with 2931 acres in 1910. This
increase has been going on steadily for
several years and is due to several
causes, chiefly which are as follows:
Most of the homesteads that have been
filed on in the state in the past four
years have been from 800 to $40 acres.
During the past five or six years many
farmers in the non-irrigated districts
have been increasing the size of their
farms by purchasing adjoining land. In
the leading fruit growing districts
there has been a tendency for at least
eight years to consolidate small fruit
farms into larger farming units
Many small farm units in GER
tain sections of the San Luis val
ley also have been consolidated into
larger farms within the past three
years. A number of large tracts re-
ported as single farms in 1910 have
been broken up into smaller farms
since that time, but the effect of this
has not been nearly sufficient to coun-
teract the tendencies toward larger
farms as outlined above.
Reports of the census bureau on the
agricultural census for 1920, recently
completed, afford statistical evidence
of the wonderfully rapid development
of agriculture in Colorado in the pas
thirty years and emphasize the in
crease in agricultural production fol
the state in the past ten years. Com
pilations from this report and from
previous reports, now being compiled
| by the State Immigration Department
| for publication in the Colorado Year
Book, show that the value of farm
| property in the state at the beginning
of 1920 was about nine times as great
as in 1890 and 119.1 per cent greater
than in 1910. The value of all farm
property in the state in 1920 was ST.
07e, ,749. compared with $491, All ,S06
in 1910 and $117, ,439, ,55S in 1890. The
| actual increase for the past decade
was greater than for any preceding
decade, and the percentage of increase
was greater than for any decade in the
period except that from 1900 to 1910.
The Denver & Rio Grande put TO
work between 100 and 200 men May D.
most of them In the maintenance de-
partment of the road. The Durango
Lumber Company has Sanounced the
reopening of their saw mills, employ
ing $50 men. Numerous school dis
trfcts of the county have voted favor
ably on propositions to erect larger
school houses and let contracts for the
buildings, which will employ many
men,
J. W. Rainey of Greeley has taken
up his duties at Fort Collins as the
new secretary of the Chamber Of Com
merce. At special meeting of the
board of directors of the chamber
Thursday noon Mr.. Rainey was Sc
lected from large number of candi-
dates for the position to succeed o. j.
Watrous, who has resigned. Mr.. Raj
ney, who is a civil engineer, was as
sistant city engineer at Greeley for two
years, associated with City Engineer
X. w. Gelder
1t was definitely determined by the
city council of Colorado Springs that
the Stratton estate is to get the CON
tract for paving the four main thor
oughfarcs in Colorado Springs at a
maximum of $500 600, exclusive of the
street car company's right of way
Work will start Immediately after May
81. All four streets are TO be paved
with asphaltic concrete on concrete
basis.
Fire of unknown origin which threat
ened for a time TO destroy the entire
town of Calhan, burned the Groves
drug store to the ground, partially de-
stroyed large community store ana
caused a damage estimated at nearly
100000.