12 



ern Nebraska. In the semiarid rej[?ions considerable areas were at one 

 time cultivated, but, after a few years of unsuccessful attempts at rais- 

 ing corn, oats, a!id wheat, the land has been allowed to revert to j^rass. 

 The several branches of the Republican IJiver rise in the sand-hill region 

 of eastern Colorado. This section of the State has become famous as 

 a stock country and is seemingly prosperous. Nearly every farmer is 

 provided with a neat house. Windmills are numerous for the purpose 

 of providing water for the stock. The country to the north, drained 

 by the Platte, is likewise largely devoted to the cattle industry. The 

 most conspicuous grasses are considered in detail elsewhere in this 

 paper. Though the rainfall is limited, there are thousands of acres of 

 fine meadows and grazing lands covered with a dense growth of Grama- 

 grass. In some places this grass would yield a ton of hay to the acre. 



FORAGE CONDITIONS OF THE PRAIRIES AND SAND HILLS. 



Turkey-foot-grass, or Big Blue-Stem, 4 to 5 feet high, grows very 

 luxuriantly over the sand hills. Western Wheat-grass, from 2 to 3 feet 

 high, grows on the open prairies where not pastured. The year 1890 

 was certainly most favorable for the growth of these wild grasses. Such 

 a season demonstrates what this region can do in the way of grass 

 production. In Washington County, in the vicinitj^ of Akron, with a 

 higher altitude than at Robb, Wray, and Yuma, the ranges were in 

 excellent condition, though T^ot as good as in the sand-hill region. In 

 the vicinity of Fort Morgan the range conditions were not so good; 

 there was less rainfall and the grasses were closely cropped. Still the 

 region afforded some good grazing, consisting chiefly of Blue-Stem, 

 Indian Millet, Western Wheat-grass, Blue-Grama, Buffalo-grass, Wild 

 Rye, Feather Bunch-grass, and Needle-grass. 



In the country surrounding Fort Morgan the ranges are chiefly used 

 for sheep raising. Along the Platte to the east and west are several 

 large irrigation ditches. The chief forage plant grown here is alfalfa. 

 Too much i)raise can not be given to this plant. There are thousands 

 of acres of it. Three crops are cut in a season, and the hay brings from 

 $3.50 to $4 a ton. In many cases the farmers allow their sheej) to run 

 on the range in the summer and in the winter feed them on alfalfa hay. 



Greeley and Fort Collins in northern Colorado are famous for the 

 large areas under irrigation. Some of the jnost valuable irrigated lan<ls 

 of the State are located hen^ The principal streams supi)lying water 

 for irrigation are the Platte, Cache la Poudre, Big Thompson, Clear 

 Creek, and Boulder Creek. Here, as elsewhere east of the mountains, 

 alfalfa is one of the chief crops. At several points dairying is an 

 important industry, and the fattening of sheej) and cattle on alfalfa is 

 assuming considerable imi)ortance. The fact that alfalfa is a bulky 

 crop makes it iiior<' profitable to ship cattle to points where this croj) is 

 grown than to ship the fodder great distances. It would seem, how- 

 ever, that Colorado can not at present produce enough alfalfa to supply 



