124 



COLORADO. 



merly. There are 4,853,496 acres in the State, rang- 

 ing from $5 to $100 an acre. Their increased value 

 in1891 over 1890 is $2,966,513.56. The total valua- 

 tion of agricultural lands, as per State Auditor's re- 

 capitulation of abstracts of assessment for the past 

 year, is $28,733,567.62. The valuation of the less pro- 

 ductive grazing lands has decreased about $750,000. 

 I have been supplied by the State engineer with a 

 table showing the number of acres of grasses irrigated 

 in different water divisions : 



The great profusion of flowers in the State 

 makes the bee industry especially important. 

 The secretary of the State Bee Association re- 

 ports that there are 6,000 colonies of bees, pro- 

 ducing annually 300,000 pounds of honey. 



Sugar Convention. A State convention 

 was held in Denver, March 23-25. for the pur- 

 pose of promoting the production of beet sugar. 

 A large part of the agricultural portion of Colo- 

 rado lies in the area found to be most favorable 

 to the production of the sugar beet, as will be 

 seen by the following extract from the report of 

 the chemist of the Agricultural Department : 



As a result of many years of careful experimenta- 

 tion, it may be said that, as far as temperature alone is 

 concerned, the sugar beet attains its greatest perfec- 

 tion in a zone of varying width through the center of 

 which passes the isothermal line of 70 F. for the 

 months of June, July, and August. This isothermal 

 line, for the United States, begins at the city of New 

 York and passes up the Hudson river to Albany; 

 thence, turning westward, it runs through Syracuse, 

 and passes in a southwesterly direction, touching the 

 shore of Lake Erie near Sandusky, Ohio; turning 

 then in a northwesterly direction, it passes into Michi- 

 gan, and reaches its highest point in that State near 

 Lansing ; then, passing in a southwesterly direction, it 

 enters the State of Indiana near South Bend and 

 passes through Michigan City ; then in a northwest- 

 erly course continues through the cities of Chicago 

 and Madison, reaching its highest point near St. Paul, 

 Minn.; thence it passes in a southwesterly direction 

 until it enters the State of South Dakota ; thence it 

 turns again northwest, and reaches its highest point 

 in Dakota just above the forty-fifth parallel of latitude, 

 where it crosses the Missouri river. This isothermal 

 line then turns almost due south, following very 

 closely the one hundred and first degree of longi- 

 tude, until it leaves the State of Nebraska near the 

 northeast corner of Colorado. Passing in a south- 

 westerly direction through Colorado, it reaches, at 

 Pueblo, almost to the one hundred and fifth degree of 

 west longitude, whence it passes in a slightly south- 

 easterly direction into New Mexico, turns to the west 

 and crosses the one hundred and fifth degree of 

 longitude at about the thirty-second degree of lati- 

 tude ; thence, turning westward, it passes in a very 

 irregular line through the States of California, Ore- 

 gon, and Washington. Extending a distance of 100 

 miles on each side of this isothermal line is a belt 

 which, for the present, may be regarded as the beet- 

 sugar area of the United States. There are doubtless 

 many localities lying outside of this belt, both north 

 and south, in which the sugar beet will be found to 

 thrive, but this will be due to some exceptional quali- 

 ties of the climate or soil, and not to any favorable 

 influence of the higher or lower temperature. A 



mean temperature of 70 F. in summer, however. 

 must not be regarded as the only element of tempera- 

 ture which is to be taken into consideration. In 

 those localities where winters come early and are of 

 unusual severity, will be found greater difficulties in 

 the production of sugar from the sugar beet than in 

 those localities where the winters are light and mild, 

 although the mean summer temperature of both lo- 

 calities will be represented by 70 F. 



The convention continued three days. Reso- 

 lutions were adopted favoring free coinage and 

 the cession of the arid lands to the States and 

 Territories. On the question as to whether the 

 State and Federal bounties should be given to 

 the farmer that raises the beets or the manu- 

 facturer that makes the sugar, there were two 

 reports, the majority report being : 



Resolved, That we favor a State bounty of 1 cent 

 a pound to be paid for the manufacture of bc-ut sugar 

 within this State, to be divided between the farmer 

 and the manufacturer. 



The minority report was the following: 



Resolved, That we favor a State bounty of half a 

 cent per pound for ten years to be paid manufactur- 

 ers of beet sugar in this State ; provided any manu- 

 facturer receiving such bounty snail not raise more 

 than one tenth of the beets used by him, and shall 

 pay not less than $4 per ton for beets containing 12 

 per cent, of sugar and having a coefficient of 80 per 

 cent., and shall further pay 25 cents per ton for each 

 additional per cent, of sugar. 



The result of the discussion on the two reports 

 was the adoption of a compromise resolution 

 favoring a State bounty upon the production of 

 sugar beets and their manufacture. 



A permanent association was formed, to be 

 composed of two representatives from each 

 county, and to meet annually, beginning in 

 January, 1893. 



The 'Arid Lands. The sentiment in favor 

 of the cession of the arid lands by the Fedora 1 

 Government to the States and Territories in 

 which they lie is very strong. The argument is, 

 that the Government can not expend upon them 

 the amount necessary for irrigating and making 

 them productive on account of opposition from 

 Eastern States, where it is objected that the Gov- 

 ernment would thereby be using the money of 

 Eastern farmers to promote competition against 

 them in the West. But if the lands were ceded 

 to the States the reclamation could.be under- 

 taken by them ; and all danger that the land 

 might fall into the hands of speculators and cor- 

 porations could be averted by the passage of 

 laws similar to the homestead laws of the United 

 States. 



Much has been said of a project for a State 

 ditch in Mesa County. The Legislature passed 

 an act providing for its construction, and for 

 the employment of convict labor on the work. 

 The constitutionality of the measure was ques- 

 tioned. A tunnel nine miles long, connecting 

 with Grand river, will be necessary. It is esti- 

 mated that 75,000 acres would be open to pro- 

 ductiveness by the building of the ditch. 



Following are the facts, in reference to the 

 State, given out by the irrigation survey as the 

 results of the third year's observations : 



The area surveyed lies in the drainage basin of the 

 Arkansas river, and entirely within the limits of 

 Colorado. 



The sources of the Arkansas . river arc among 



