nished proportionately to the diminution in the United States. As a
part of the plans of the national government for reclamation of land in
the arid states, imposing schemes have been formulated for such work in
Colorado, including a great reservoir on the Gunnison. One of the
greatest undertakings of the national reclamation service is the
construction of 77 m. of canal and of a six-mile tunnel, beneath a
mountain, between the canyon of the Gunnison and the valley of the
Uncompahgre, designed to make productive some 140,000 acres in the
latter valley.

Apart from mere watering, cultivation is in no way intensive. One of the
finest farming regions is the lowland valley of the Arkansas. It is a
broad, level plain, almost untimbered, given over to alfalfa, grains,
vegetables and fruits. Sugar-beet culture has been found to be
exceptionally remunerative in this valley as well as in those of the
South Platte and Grand rivers. The growth of this interest has been
since 1899 a marked feature in the agricultural development of the
state; and in 1905, 1906 and 1907 the state's product of beets and of
sugar was far greater than that of any other state; in 1907, 1,523,303
tons of beets were worked--more than two-fifths of the total for the
United States. There are various large sugar factories (in 1903, 9, and
in 1907, 16), mainly in the north; also at Grand Junction and in the
Arkansas valley. The total value of all farm property increased between
1880 and 1900 from $42,000,000 to $161,045,101 and 45.9% from 1890 to
1900. In the latter year $49,954,311 of this was in live-stock
(increase 1890-1900, 121.1%), the remaining value in land with
improvements and machinery. The total value of farm products in 1899 was
$33,048,576; of this sum 97% was almost equally divided between crop
products and animal products, the forests contributing the remainder. Of
the various elements in the value of all farm produce as shown by the
federal census of 1900, live-stock, hay and grains, and dairying
represented 87.2%. The value of cereals ($4,700,271)--of which wheat and
oats represent four-fifths--is much exceeded by that of hay and forage
($8,159,279 in 1899). Wheat culture increased greatly from 1890 to 1900.
Flour made from Colorado wheat ranks very high in the market. As a
cereal-producing state Colorado is, however, relatively unimportant; nor
in value of product is its hay and forage crop notable, except that of
alfalfa, which greatly sur