Sight-seeing In Colorado

Coming out of tho Boulder Canon - up which we tried to take tho Augus reader in our last paper- and leaving tho mountains hehind us, we rcach Denver by stago to Erio and cabooso frora thence. And on tho way wo cross a seution of the Boulder Valloy, said to be the agrioultural valley of the Territory. So just here we muy as wcll say our say about OOLOKADO FARMIXQ. And preliminarily wo inay reniark that during spring, suinmer, aud autumn thero are no rains in all this región, and that winter is not a " rainy season," as in California. The heavy snows of the mountain, to use a homely expression, " slop over " upon the plains in sleet, snow, and rain, a choice mixturo, with occasionally a real shower. But no rcliance is placed upon these storms in agricultural calculations, as they come at tho wrong season of the year. In fact tho farmers, or rauchmen - for evesythfng here is a rancho - ■ boast of being independent of rains and drouths, relying from seed timo to ■est, year in and yoar out, upon irrigalion. And this is how the irrigating is done, taking the Bouldor valley as a sample. As the Bouldor - -and the same of any other stream - issues from the mountains, it is tapped by im irrigating ditch, owncd by a stock company. This ditoh, from four to eix feet wide and of the rajnisite depth, is carried along the base of the foot-hills, from ten to fifteen miles, moro or lessr keaping as high an elovation as is practicable. Hero and there it is tapped by lateral ditches, each lateral also supplying several branches. In the village ei Boulder these laterals run along the streets, through gardcns and yards, and furnish the water for all household purposes except drinking and cooking. A ixnmber of laterals will also run across a farm, and whon a wheat field or other erop is to be irrigated the water is lot into the upper end, tho lower dammed up - a work of but a moment, as they aro but Jittle,. if any, largor than a f urrow - and the land adjoining flooded. Then another and another is served in tho same way, untü tho forty, eighty or one huudred acre field is gone over. This is repeatcd three or four times during the season, and abundant crops are secured. Wheat turns out from fifty to sixty toushels per acre, and ripening without dew or rain never rusts or grows, and is always of superior quality. Wo should say, in passing, that nothing but spring wheat is raised, which, however, equals - the Coloradoian would say excels - tho best quality of whito winter wheat of Michigan or the Geuesee valley. Potatoes, beets ouions, cabbages, and all other vegetables aro also produced, of fine quality and enormous size. Corn is not muuh relied upon, the nights being too cold. Fine strawberries aro grown - the yield being abundant, and ono man told usof selling, last season, 3,850 lbs. of pie plant f rom about one-fourth of anació. The hay-cro;j is yet conüned to native grassen but is abundantand of good quality. Whcn S miles south of Denver, in tho valley of the Fountain, a livery man pointcd us to some stacks of hay, the clip of sixty acres, for which he and his partner paid 3,000. As the price was $25 a ton, riie clin per acre ean easily be figuretl. Our informant, who was a Michigan man - but twülve yearsa resident of the territory - Msested however, that oive ton. of it would gi :is far as two tons of Mida gan h.iy. Tliis is owing to its being cured withuut its nutritious juices and substanoes being washod or bleachod out by tlie altérnate; showen aud sunshino of ■a Michigan haying season. Nothing or next to nothing has yet been done inorcharding of any kind. A fiw yeurs ago a largo number of trees wcre set out,,vl)ioli wcrc killed by the first winter. ïhis rcsult was atlributed fcy some tosudionch;uiges, which Colorado is as subject to as Michigan, and by others to the vitality of the trees h&ving ïraüy boon last while being wagoned across tihe plains. Staat confidouce is oxpresscd Ihat all kinds of fruit, especially smnllfruits :md grapos, Mm be raised in nbundancc. And sceing wbait has been done by theso enrcrijrising pioneers, who eau put uny limit upon thoil achievoments ? Exporience, energy, and will, with irrUation - as the word is sometimos perversely or ignorantly spoken. - will ueCQmplish wonders. The aplaudí - or landslying abave the elevation of the systems of ditches - ai-e not plowed or tilled, but produce a native grass upon which cattle fecd, thrive, and fitten. In fact " upland hay " is quoted higher in market than " second bottom " Of " ulough " hay. Stock caltlu graze the ontirc winter, hay being cut only for working cattle and horses, and even working cattle are ïeported as preforring graziug to boireg fod. And if excollent butter is cvideuoo oL a good grazing country, wc had bofch t-hü eridenoG of eyes and t vsto to conlirm what mis told us. Such is the modo of furining in Colorado an.l its rosults. Our readers can judge lor themselves how they would like it. Por ourself, we are ÍCM to sr.y tluit ice think that a well-situated and wull-tu-do farmer in Washtcnaw or any other Jliohigan county is foolish to sell out and go to Cjlorado - notwithstanding the Colorado farmer is independent ol' rains and can c ï.t 1 '.. g own water privileges, - that is tmteH he wishes and ncqds a chinige of tíimute, ♦ 1 "SVo should havo said a few word3 about prices of farm produce Wheat was selling at '2@'2,'.jo. a pouiul, or fl.36 a bushei; corn, %c. por lb. ; outs 2c. per Ib. ;potat068 atl'.o. por lb. ov 00c. a bushei; hay, , f 20@27.60 par ton; butler, 40c. a lb. ; cheeso - factory- lóc; and eggs, tho only artielo not aold by the lb., 35c. a dozon. Labor, both male and fcinale- the latter diffioult to gflt- highthan hore, and nioney from 2 to 3 por cent a month. These ure, in biiuf, the two sidos of tho farming quostion.