THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



399 



BAYFIELD, COLORADO. 



(Special Correspondence.) 



This village of 400 industrious and prosperous inhab- 

 itants is the metropolis of the Pine River Valley, one 

 of the most productive in the whole San Juan basin. The 

 town itself does not make any great pretensions as a 

 city, yet there are numerous substantial business houses 

 and fine homes. It is the business center of a large acre- 

 age of fine irrigated farms, located on the banks of the 

 beautiful Pine river, ten mils north of Ignacio, the nearest 

 railroad station. 



It is to the great possibilities of this section in agri- 

 culture, horticulture and stock growing that we desire to 

 attract attention. The Pine river has its watershed high 



land between the two streams on either side, and the 

 number of acres of land, as good as there is anywhere, 

 exceeds 200,000. For the irrigation of this vast body 

 no provision has yet been made. 



Our soil is the sandy red loam, covered with sage- 

 brush, in places as high as a horse. There is a good 

 sprinkling of cedar and pinon timber, supplying posts and 

 fuel. 



The elevation of the valley varies between 6,000 and 

 7,000 feet, just right at the altitude for the growing of 

 the different kinds of grains and grasses timothy, alfalfa, 

 potatoes, vegetables and the hardier fruits. Wheat pro- 

 duces as high as 50 and 60 bushels to the acre, and oats 

 up to 100 bushels. Two and three crops of alfalfa grow 



C. HARDER'S HOME AND FIVE-ACRE FARM NEAR TWIX FALLS, IDAHO. 

 Wonderful Success Attends the Growing o Small Fruits as Well as Tree Products in the Twin Falls Country. 



up in the mountains, where snow is everlasting, thus 

 assuring a large flow of pure mountain water throughout 

 the summer season. It is one of the biggest feeders of 

 the San Juan river, and eventually of the Colorado river. 

 About twenty miles above Bayfield the valley begins 

 and as we come down stream the valley gradually widens 

 until Ignacio is reached, where it might be said to extend 

 to the Piedra river on the east and the Florida river on 

 the west. 



While irrigation here is still in its primitive age, yet 

 water from the Pine is now carried over the divide on 

 the east through the Pine river canal and over the divide 

 on the west through the King-Consolidated ditch. But 

 these canals water only a small portion of the irrigable 

 land in this section. Several other canals are now being 

 promoted, and which it is hoped will be constructed in 

 the near future. 



With a system of reservoirs constructed, the Pine 

 river can furnish irrigation water for all the available 



in one season, and the yield is enormous. Timothy grows 

 to the height of six or seven feet. 



We can grow the very best of potatoes in this val- 

 ley, and they beat anything in this state as to quality 

 and size. 



Only a half dozen years ago the planting of fruit 

 trees was begun in this valley, and the experiment is 

 most gratifying. The young apple trees, four and five 

 years old, were last year loaded down with large, glossy 

 red apples, as fine looking specimens as can be grown 

 anywhere. Now every farmer is planting fruit trees this 

 season. 



Just now the building of a sugar beet factory is 

 being promoted, to be built at Durango. This valley has 

 the proper soil for the growing of sugar beets, and once 

 a factory at Durango it will not be long until there will 

 be several on Pine river. 



(Continued on page 408.) 



