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About The Plattsmouth journal. (Plattsmouth, Nebraska) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (July 5, 1906)
Ill vw ' t " U ' w r n irw."r ii ii -f iBivt Hiii Where Orops Bern fail! In the Famous South Platte Valley, near Sterling, Colorado I! 0 0 o n U M n T-r& -Healthful limate-Kliciht Prices Irrigated Lands In the South Platte Valley y IHlon THE CORONA CATTLE COMPANY own a tract of land near Merino, Colo., twelve miles west of Sterling, five miles in length and under one of the best ditches in the state. Merino is on the U. P. railroad. The ranch consists of 2650 acres of choice lands, and is ready for the market in tracts of twenty acres and upon easy terms. The land is located between two beet sugar factories one at Sterling and oik- at llrush and splendid loading facilities right at the station of Minim. The South Platte Valley is developing more rapidly than any other part of the state and with the sugar factory to handle the output the land is as valuable as in any district of the older portion. This particular body of land has not been offered before in small tracts. The soil is rich and fertile, no alkali nor gumbo, and lies nicely for irrigating purposes. It is especially adapted for beets, potatoes, oats, spelts, alfalfa, wheat or anything you wish to raise anywhere. The depth to water is but a ; hort distance in most places only eight feet. As we have said, the Pawnee ditch is one of the best in the state, with f00 shares and seventeen miles of length. The ditch heads on this ranch. The company owns W shares, or one share with every twenty acres sufficient to irrigate same at all times. The ditch has a capacitv of JIT cubic feet per second, and one-sixth of it surely ought to be sufficient to irrigate any or all of this land. The altitude of the land is about -IJiH) feet above sea level and on that account is very desirable for people wishing to live in a high altitude, yet not too high as it is further up the valley. The sugar industry last year was immense in this immediate vicinity on both sides of the river, being the best growth in the valley. Mr. Propst, who owns a farm across the river from this land, "raised 28 tons of beets per acre, and many have raised from IS to 25 tons per acre. At the price of 5.00 per ton this makes an enormous earning for this land. Many have made as high as S75.00 per acre. The sugar beet industry in the South Platte Valley is in its infancy, the first factory having been built only last year. Land in older countries, where factories IkIvc been established a number of years have rapidly increased in value and has reached the high figure of from S200 to i00 per acre, with no better facilities than has thisland. On this land this year there will be about 600 acres of beets, wheat, potatoes and other crops raised as a test of what can be done here. Beets are sure money makers ami easy to raise. Potatoes can be raised equally as well as in the Greely district. Alfalfa has been raised here for twenty years and has yielded some enormous crops, and the same is true of spelts and barley, and for vegetables, such as onions and cabbage, there is no better place. Hogs are profitable stock and not subject to cholera; they grow and "et fat on alfalfa in summer and with a little grain and sugar beets easily fatten in winter. Wheat averages from 40 to 50 bushels to the acre, and oats from 75 to 100. SOME FACTS About Products of the South Platte Valley It is beyond all doubt that the sugar beet Industry In the South Platte Valley Is a complete success, with Us new factories in operation and still others (joinir up. Eastern capitalists would not Invest millions of dollars If it was not a certainty that this particular valley was the best produc ing country in the United States. The farmers that have made tests the last five years have come to the conclusion that forty acres of beets will make more clear money than KiO acres of corn raised in the eastern states. r. .:, .-.i, ;-.' . " Ditch Scene Near Merino, Colo. Mr. A. E. War ren, living three miles northwest of Sterling, has grown sugar beets on same ground for the past three years and the av erage each season was from 20 to Z tons per acre. S. C. King, six miles northwest of Sterling, found his first crop to run lit tons to the acre, this being a general average of his 40 acre Held. Wheat While the tendency now Is to loolt more to the small tract fanning in the production of sugar beets, potatoes, etc., yet the wheat production In the valley Is very profitable, .ro bushels per acre is not excessive, and as high as i;o and "0 bushels have been raised, and there Is always a ready market for this product. It Is a paying proposition even for a man that farms on a small scale. Corn This is r.o't considered a orn country and is not advertised as such, fur the nights are too cool for this particular product, but at the same time as lugh as ."ii bushels of corn have been raised to the acre in many instances, whicii is e-iua! to the amount raised in the corn states, hut we don't consider It profitable In comparison with other crops. Onions ( mloiis are a success especially the Ilennudas. Mar.y crops have averaged over 5oo bushels per acre. A crop of 1200 bushels was crown on the Schneider ranch, eight miles west of Sterling, adjoining the Corona Cattle Company ranch, and sold for J.o," per hundred pounds F. ( . 1!. at Atwocd, Colorado, which was the nearest shipping point. Alfalfa . This is the natural home of the alfalfa plant which for years has been one of the standard and best paying crops grown in the South Platte Valley. It can be seeded on plow land or disked in the sod and produces from three to four crops every year without resettling. Some of our best fields were planted l. or JO years ago and are still yielding heavily. The roots go down l. or '.'n feet, and as high as i tons per acre have been har vested in one. season. It Is fed to cattle, hogs, horses and poultry. In Conclusion let us say that this tract of land Is one of the best In tie Sooth l'latte Valley, located as it Is on the I'nlon I'aclllc railroad. Ilii) miles east of Denver, 12 miles west of Sterling, In L"gan county, Colorado Every train stops ut Merino for the convenience of all passengers. Wa ter for Irrigation is assured, also the best of water for domes! ic pur poses. The town of Merino Is situ ated In the cen ter of this tract and new buildings are going up In the way of hotels, dwellings, store buildings, etc. The prices of tills land range from .."() to 110 per acre on easy terms at six per cent Interest and Exhibit of Crnin and Crass Crown in this Valley With a Paiil-Up Water Right for l-vcry Twenty Acres W. L. Henderson, two miles due east of Sterling has HO acres of beets in one lield this year. Ills tonnage Is heavy. Last season !o acres of this land produced over 40 bushels of wheat to the acre, and W) acres produced a heavy yield of beets. Mr. Lee Prewitt In the vicinity of Merino, had a 30 acre Held of beets which made 2 tons to the acre. Mr. Prewitt, it Is said, refused 000 for his crop two months before harvesting, the party making the offer agreeing to stand all future expense of the crop. The Sterling sugar company makes alt-year contract with farmers, agr. ring to pay them per ton for all the beets they can raise. Cost of Raising Sugar Beets At the 24th annual session of the Farmers' Institute held at Love land. Colorado, on February is, Mr. W. II. Falrbrothe.r read a paper on the cost of raising sugar beets. Among other things he said that any grower, even if he should be unfortunate enough to raise but an s-ton crop will receive suillcient therefrom to fully cover not only the hand F labor, but allow himself wagesand " m v. 4 ,cam exPenst's i: . ' ; J. ,. - AJ 1 -'A"i -wrn . ..... . . ... ..:, . t . . "ill jSM- r V'.-W'IH ! . - -i v s- '',-: .-'i e.. v. -. " V i--l' 'x-H'1- fs'M' i h Harvest Scene, South Platte Valley, Colorado. ltAf . . -i: Hauling Bocts to Factory at Sterling Potato Raising The tame of the Colorado potato has been heralded the length and hrerlt f t land tin South l'latte Valley Is pa.tlcularly l.Ued for their n o. i ti. the yield helog i.ln.osl Incredible. One 40-acre tract , i 11. J. Powell of lc!il).eastof .Merllug, last year produced from lo'i to ' liushels to t he acre of the very best potatoes, averaging e to live rounds in weight. There Is a large prol.t in potatoes be cause of the enormous yield and the over ready market. That a farmer having land In a fair Mate of culti vation, who vlll lopk after his crop properly.can w ith a fair certainty count on a net profit of ?:'." per acre, or ;.' per cent interest on Ids Investment based on a valua tion of 10" per acre Live Stock The live stock Industry In the South Platte Valley has I ten too well advertl.ied to reijulre much mention In this advertisement. It is well known that cattle, horses and sheep find plenty ( f feed there nl least nine li,' i. fl.s In the year on the free government ranch adjoining the valley, and that more than suillcient winter feed Is grown In the val ley during that time. Poultry A ready market for poultry is found at extremely good prices sup plying the I kmver markets and also the minors. Tills Is an Ideal place for raising turkeys ns well as other poultry. Vegetables Everything of this kind does well en Irrigated lands, and lu re in the South i'iattc Valley they arc of splendid form nnd delicious iLivor and the yield Is astonishing. Everybody can grow plenty for home use and a surplus for lenver people and the mining camps, if so Inclined, and at very lucrative prices. "..'-'U" .; -.r-''41'-'. ft . .. ,.' ' , 'Jt ?"('.'. ' ', - k.':- t - - TiiniM , i' 1 Vi ' t f. t u' .' "T ' .'' ..:.- .'. '...,:: .. .. . , . '----,. .- h.a. v... . . ' ' .'!r-.U,V":,v ' , . . ;. : :-:"'!-v.-y . ; .. .. i - -V: j s : V'V v v Haying Scene Wear Mcr'no At this point we want you to stop and con-oder H"- v a in- of Mils land. The (UK) acres that are In crop this year nr.- all l.'Uvd in Creely people who have lived there in that com. try tor cut and thev :t--e pay ing a cash rental of tin per acre'. Can you ffnd any land in the east for double the price we are asking for this land with an equal cash rental value? We can substantiate everv word wesav In tl.lt advi.ri ; ."it, jtnd can convince you by showing von to. land A Ih.oh m 4' rn'i- "f Ibis land lseiual In value to P;o in-res of penile l.n.d uu-t depend upon rain for your crops. The market facilities :m n good Ho wb-" o. n.e.' :ii'' the amount that yau produe.' oif n foiiy ace tract of i.n-l n -ii cr'uig loany one who is not acquainted with tie count . y Let us show you this properly, and if you don't say its tlic beat piopcrty for the money yo:i ovor saw. wo won't expect yon '.ob.iy. Take the Union Pacific at any point and buy a ticket for Merino, Colorado, near where this tract of land is located. All trains stop there. Excursion Rates first and third Tuesday of Each Month THE t3A ATTL For further information J p Faltei PlattSITIOUth, Neb. PAWY 0 0 ft call on or aaurcsa 3C 3C DC 3C 3 cm ZD( It K DC