DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

WATER-SUPPLY 

AND 

IRRIGATION PAPERS 

OF THE 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

No. 10 

WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMEN'l' PRIN'l'ING OFFICE 

l~H8 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

CHARLES D. WALCOTT. DIRECTOR 

IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO 

BY 

F. C. BARI~ER 

WASHINGTON 

GO"VERNMENT PRINTING OFFIOE 

1898 

CONTENTS. 

Letter of transmittal ......••••...••••..........••.......•••••••.•••••..•••.. 

Location and history ...............••.•.........••.....•.•.••••...••...••••. 

Climate ..............................•.•.....•...•••...••••..••••....••.••.• 

Water sul1ply .......... -. -----· · · ·-· · · · • • • · • • · · • · • • • • · · · · • • • · · · • • · · • · • · • • • · · Flow of the Rio Grande ..•.•...........•...•••...•.•.....•..........•••. 

Summer droughts ....................................................... . 

Water storage ...................•....•••...•.•..•••....••.....•...••... 

Quality of water .......................••..•.•........•••.•.••.......... 

Canal system ................................•.•.....•.•....•......•...•••.. 

Management of the canals ..•.••........••••..•.•...•••..•.••..•...•••••. 

Distribution of water ...............••..•.••.••••.......•...........•... 

Methods of applying water ..•••.....•......•••..•••••..••••.•.•..••••••••••. 

Flooding in checks ......••••..........•....•••••....••..••••..•••.•..... 

Furrow irrigation .............••.......•••..........••..••••.••..••••••. 

Quantity of water needed ...................•••..•........•....... · .......••. 

Cultivation after irrigation ...............•.....•••.•.....•••.....•...•..... 

Winter irrigation .....................•.••.....•••••........•....•••.....•.. 

Garden irrigation .................................•.••........•...•.•..••... 

Pumping water for irrigation ....................•.•••...............•...••.. 

Windmills •............................•.......•...................•.... 

Steam pumps ...............•...........••....•.....•.................... 

Soil of Mesilla Valley ...•...................•..........................••... 

Alkali ......................................••.•...•................••.• 

Necessity of fertilization ....................••......................••.. 

Native farmers and irrigators ...................•..•......................... 

Irrigation and cultivation of various crops •....•••.....•.................•.. 

Wheat ...................................••..•...•••...•••.•...•......•. 

Corn ..........................•.•.......••••••.....•.......••..•.•..•••. 

Alfalfa ..................................•..•........••.•.••••..••••••••• 

Vegetable gardens .•...........•••.....•..••............••...•••...••••• 

Orchards and vineyards .•............................••••............••. 

Ad vantages of irrigation ••••••••••••••••••••.•...••••..••••••••••••••...•••. 

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ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PLATE I. Map of Mesilla Valley ......................•... _ ................•. 

II. View of river and new canal near Fort Selden ... _ ................ . 

III. View. of canal head at the river ...........••...................... 

IV. Irrigating canal in the Mesilla Valley ............................. . 

V. View of ditch, showing accumulation of sediment ... _ ............. . 

VI. Irrigated farm in the Mesilla Valley .............................. . 

VII. Reservoir at Shalem Colony ...................................... . 

VIII. Buildings on a fruit farm ............................ __ . _ ........ .. 

IX. View on Las Cruces Canal ....................................... .. 

X. Contra-acequia and lateral in the Mesilla Valley .................. . 

XI. View of a small irrigation ditch ................................. .. 

FIG. 1. Diagram illustrating rise and fall of ground water of the valley ..... . 

2. Diagram illustrating method of diverting canals from the river ...... . 

3. Box for taking water from main ditch .............................. . 

4. Diagram illustrating method of flooding in checks ....... _ .......... . 

5. Plan of an irrigated garden of one-half acre .................••...... 

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LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 

DIVISION OF HYDROGRAPPY, 

Washington, April 13, 1897. 

SrR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a manuscript entitled 

Irrigation in Mesilla Valley, and to recommend that it be putlished in 

the series of Water-Supply and Irrigation Papers. The statements 

therein contained have been condensed and rearranged frot'l a somewhat detailed discussion prepared by Mr. F. C. Barker, of Las Oruces, 

New Mexico, and a few facts pertaining to the flow of the Rio Grande 

at El Paso have been added. 

In this paper the methods of irrigation and cultivation in common 

use by the natives of the valley are discussed with a consideralJle 

degree of detail. For a full understanding of the possibilities of the 

development of the country, it is necessary to possess a general knowledge of the habits of the native population and to know something· 

of the methods of agriculture which have been adopted, for, although 

these may not be the best, yet they are the result to a certain degree of 

the peculiarities of climate and soil. A thorough comprebensi0n of the 

natural conditions which have led to the adoption of certain practices 

and their continuation through a long period of time is highly important. One of the greatest sources of loss and disappointment to the 

newcomer is the result of his unwillingness, in so many casef', to conform to practices that have been found beneficial through centuries 

and his attempt to introduce methods valuable elsewhere but unsuited 

to local conditions of land, water, and labor. 

Very respectfully, 

Hon. CHARLES D. WALCOTT, 

F. H. NEWELL, 

Hydrographer in Charge. 

Director United States Geological Survey. 

9 

U. S. GEOLOGICAl.. SURVEY WATER·SUPPLY PAPER NO, 10 PL.. I 

0 

MEXICO BOUNDA~ 

MEXiCo- • •-. LiN£ .. -· 

MAP OF MESILLA VALLEY. 
IRRIGATION IN ~IESILLA VALLEY, NEW Mf.,XICO. 

By F. C. BARKER. 

LOCATION AND HISTORY. 

Mesilla Valley is in the Territory of New Mexico, lying on both sides 

of the Rio Grande and between two spurs of the Rocky Mountains. 

It extends from Fort Selden, New Mexico, on the north, to within 3 

miles of the city of El Paso, Texas, on the south-about 55 iriles-and 

for the greater part of this distance it varies in breadth from ;) to 7 

miles. Along its. entire course it is bounded on the east and west 

by lofty ranges, the highest of which-the Organ Mountair<q, distant 

some 12 miles to the east of "the valley-rise to a height of 8,000 feet 

above sea level, or 4,000 feet above the agricultural lands along the 

river. 

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad traverses the entire 

length of the valley, the principal station being at the town of Las 

Cruces, New Mexico, while tlle southern end of the valley is tapped at 

El Paso by the main line of the Southern Pacific, Texas Pacific, 1\Iexican Central, and Galveston, Harrisburg· and San Antonio railroads. 

Along the Rio Grande are several other valleys, somewhat similar to 

the Mesilla Valley, but smaller. The nearest are those of Colorado, 

Lorna Parda, Palomas, and Valverde on the north, and Y sleta Valley 

on the south, just below El Paso. The soil, climate, system of irrigation, and methods of farming are so identical with those of the Mesilla 

Valley that only a passing reference will be made to them. In aU of 

them progress has been considerably retarded through lac1r of sufficient water, but with the building of storage dams along the river 

those to the north will secure an ample supply, while the Ys1eta Valley 

is relying on the international dam which it is proposed to build at 

El Paso in order to furnish a constant supply of water to the Mexican 

Valley on the right bank of the river and to Ysleta on the left. With 

the building of these dams a chain of valleys, extending over 100 miles 

and unequaled in fertility and climate, will secure all the water needed 

and be brought under successful cultivation. 

The methods of irrigation and agriculture as practiced in tl' ~ Mesilla 

Valley are, so far as I have been able to ascertain, the oldest that exist 

in the United States. The system established is of especial interest to 

11 
12 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. [No. tO. 

the student of farming under irrigation, as much may be learned from 

the native Mexican farmers, whose fathers and forefathe"'s have practiced irrigation from the time the Spanish Jesuits settled in Mexico, 

more than three hundred years ago, and taught the subje~ts of Montezuma the art of agriculture. The Spaniards had the~sel ves been 

taught how to farm with the aid of irrigation by the Moors, who held 

southern Spain from the eighth to the fifteenth century, and who, in the 

early part of their occupation of that country, laid out tlwse magnificent irrigation works which exist to the present day. Having passed 

several years of my life in Spain, I have had abundant opportunities of 

studying the ancient systems of irrigation as there practin.ed, and during a long residence in the Mesilla Valley I have been able to compare 

the two systems, which I :find almost identical. 

Although there is abundant evidence that all this part of the continent was densely populated in prehistoric times, little or nothing is 

known of the Mesilla Valley prior to the year 1841 beyond the fact that 

an attempt was made in 1825 to colonize the valley by citizens of Old 

Mexico, and that the enterprise had to be abandoned owing to the 

hostility of the Apache Indians, who infested the coup. try. 

In 1841 the Mexican Government at Juarez, a town on the Rio 

Grande, opposite El Paso, and now the nOrthern boundar;: town of the 

Republic of Mexico, was induced to give to its citizens g":'ants of land 

in the Mesilla Valley. Two reasons led the Government to adopt til is 

course. In the first place, the valley of the Rio Grande around Juarez 

bad become thickly settled and land was getting scarce; in the second 

place, the Government was anxious to establish a settlement higher up 

the river, which might serve as an outpost to stop the incursions of the 

Apaches. 

In that year some fifty families of native Mexicans from Juarez were 

tempted by the fertile lands of the Mesilla Valley to form a settlement, 

and these people built a town at Donna Ana, from which the county 

afterwards took its name. Here they took out a ditch or irrigating 

canal from the river, and introduced the methods of irrigation and 

farming which had been practiced for three centuries in their native 

homes. These pioneers ultimately became a thriving coPlmunity, but 

in the beginning they had to face continual danger from the neighboring Indians, and while one squad worked with their spades another 

stood on guard with loaded rifles. Finally the home Government had 

to send troops to give additional protection, and the whole valley was 

then rapidly settled, so that when the Americans• took possession it 

was already known as the "Garden Spot of New Mexico.'~ 

After the Mexican war that portion of the valley lying west of the 

Rio Grande became part of the territory of the United States under 

tbe Guadalupe-Hidalgo treaty, dated February 2, 1848, but it was not 

until the year 1853 that this Government acquired the eastern part of 

the valley, under the Gadsden Purchase. 
BARKEH.] HISTORY. 13 

United States troops were then stationed at Fort Seldeu and Fort 

Fillmore, and at Mesilla was another army post, effectually protecting 

the valley against the attacks of the warlike Apaches. SevE'Y'al Americans now settled in the valley. Mesilla was made the county town, and 

through it passed the postal service and overland freighting outfits to 

Arizona and California. These conditions, added to the renunerative 

contracts which the settlers were able to make for the suppl;'"" of grain, 

footl, and fodder to the United States troops, often at most exorbitant 

prices, made Mesilla a thriving business center, ~nd, as more irrigating 

ditches were built and an extended area of land was brought under 

cultivation, the whole valley became abnormally prosperous. 

This state of affairs, to a great extent artificial, was, however, 

doomed to come to an end. In the year 1881 the Atchison, T <Jpeka and 

Santa Fe Railroad commenced to build its line from Colorado down to 

El Paso, Texas, along the banks of the Rio Grande and ttrough the 

.Mesilla Valley. The town of Mesilla was then lying on the west bank 

of the river-which has since changed its course, leaving Mesilla on 

the east bank-and its citizens were approached by the promoters of 

the railroad with the view of ascertaining what facilities and inducements they would ofl'er the railroad to pass through that town. The 

leauing citizens, however, foreseeing that the railroad would destroy 

their profitable freighting business and ruin the monopoly of trade 

which they enjoyed, replied that they did not want a raiJr,1ad within 

80 miles of their town, and did everything in their power to drive it 

away. 

The Southern Pacific Railroad contemplated making a junction at 

Mesilla, but met with similar discouragement, and ultimately chose 

El Paso. In the meantime the people of the little town of Las Cruces, 

more farseeing than their neighbors, arranged with the Atchison, 

Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad to pass through their town, with the 

result that since that time Las Cruces has been gradually growing in 

population and importance, while Mesilla has been left in the state of a 

"deserted village," although many still live in their fine b')uses and 

beautiful gardens, established iu the good old times, the passing of 

which they continue to lament. With the advent of tho, railroad 

came lower prices and fiercer competition, and this, coml'ined with 

the defective system of canals, to which reference will be made later, 

resulted in much land going out of cultivation. 

It is only within the last eight years, with the influence of settlers 

from other parts of the United States, that the valley 1 as begun 

to recover from the effects of this sudden change of circumstances. 

The American farmers, while adopting the old Mexican system of irrigation, revolutionized the agriculture of the valley by planting large 

fields with lucern-or alfalfa, as it is called-and by the introduction 

of modern farming implements and improved American varieties of 

apples, peaches, and other fruits. 
14 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. (No.lO. 

CLIMATE. 

The alt.itude of Mesilla Valley is about 3,850 feet, the 3"900-foot contour crossing the river, as shown by the Las Cruces topographic atlas 

sheet of the United States Geological Survey, about 6 miles below 

Fort Selden, and sweeping down the valley and well up on the :flanks 

of Franklin Mountains. The atmosphere is exceptionally dry, the days 

are sunny, and the climate as a whole is invigorating, so that the 

country is well known. as a health resort, especially durir g the winter 

months. Although the sun is scorching hot during the summer, it 

causes little inconvenience, owing to the rapid evaporation of perspiration, which tends to keep the surface of the body cool. Sunstrokes 

are u:nknown and work in the fields continues without interruption. 

The thermometer, however, rarely goes above 10~ , and the number of 

days on which it has gone above 100°, as taken from the records of the 

agricultural college, is as follows: 

Days. 

1892 - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - --- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - 18 

1893 ------------ ----- .. ----- . ----- ------ ----- ... ----- . ----. ---- .... - 16 

1894 -- -... - - . - - - - - . - - - - - . - - - - - -- - - - - --- - - - - - - - - - . - - - . --- - - -- - - - - - - . 5 

1895 -- - - - - . - - . -.. - - - - - . - - - . - -·.· . -• - - - - -- - - - . - - - - - - - - . - -·_ - . - - - . - - - - - 2 

1896 - - - - - . -- - - . -- - - - ... - -.. - - - - - . - - • - . -.... - -- - - - - -.. - -. -. - -: - - - - - - 13 

The nights, even in summer, are comparatively cool, awl vegetation 

thet eforP. makes but little progress until the middle of .A-p.,..il. 

Tllrougbout winter the days are invariably bright and sunny. A 

light fall of snow usually occurs once or twice in the year, but disappears rapidly as soon as the sun shines. Notwithstanding that the 

thermometer falls much .lower than one would expect, judging by the 

warm days, the low fall occurs only during a few hours preceding sunrise, so that the land is seldom frozen, and farming operaJtions ean be 

carried on almost every day in the year. 

The lowest temperatures registered at the agricultural co1lege in past 

winters are as follows: 

Degrees 

above 0, F. 

January 14, 1892 ..............................•.•..........•• __ .. _.. 4 

December 31, 1893 .........................•......................... 9 

Jan nary 7, 1894 ..........................• _ ... _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 

December 29, 1895 ............................ _ ..... __ .... _ .. __ •. . . . . 1 

Jan nary 5, 1896 ...•. _ . . • . . . • . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

The total rainfall in the year is exceptionally light, and occurs mostly 

in .T nly and August,, which may be considered the rainy season. The 

college records show: 

Inches. 

1892 -- - - - . -- - - - - - - - - - - -. - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . - - - - 6. 4 7 

1893 ---- . --- .. - . ---- - - - - --- - -- . - -- .. - - - - -- - - --- --- ---- . ----- --- - 10. 91 

189·t . - - - - - - - -- - - . - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - -- - - . - - - - - - - . - - - - - - - . - -. - . - - 4. 4 7 

1895 . ----- ---- ---------- . ---- ... ---- -----. ----- .. ----- --.-.- ---- 9. 46 

1896 - - - - - - -- . - - . -- - - - . -- - - . - - - - - -- - - - - -- - - - - - - - - . - - - - - - -- - . - - - - - 7- 99 

1897 • - - - - - -- . - - - -- - - - - .. - - . - . - - - - - . - - - - . -- . -- - . - - - - - .. - - -.. - - - - - 8. 96 
BARKER.] WATER SUPPLY. 15 

These figures show how impossible it would be to raise crop,~ without 

the aid of irrigation. 

Light winds occur almost daily during the year, never sufficiently 

strong to do any damage. The maximum velocity registert:,d at the 

college is as follows: 

Miles per hour. 

1892 ........ - - - -. - - - - . - - - - - .. - - - - - - - - -.. - . • . . . . ...•••..•.••.. " ... - 60 

1893 . ---- .. - - --. --- - ... -.. -.•... -- ... - -......•..... -- ... -.... - - . . . . 48 

1894- ... - . . . -- - - . - - - .......•... - -..... - - . -..•.. - -• • . . -. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 

18~15 . -. -.. - -... -...... - - -............. -... -. - - -..... - .... -.... - . . . . 60 

1896 ... - . -.. - - . -.. -.. -.. - -.... - -..... - -............ - - . - -...... - . . . . 56 

1897 ..•..........•....... -.. --.. - -............. -....... - -. . . . . . . . . . 60 

With such a light rainfall the humidity in the atmosphere is naturally very small, aud consequently dews are experienced very seldom, 

and only in a slight degree. The records at the agricultural college 

show that the average relative humidity was: Fer cent. 

1895 (last nine months) ........... · .....••....••.........•••....•.. 68 

1896 .. - . . . . . . • . . . .•.....••. - .... - - . . . . . ......••....•... - - . - . - - . . . 60 

1897 •...........•.. -.......•...• - . -.. - - -.....•... - -....••••..•• - . 72. 8 

WATER SUPPLY. 

The main source of water supply is the Rio Grande, the water being 

diverted by small canals or ditches constructed on a gently descending grade following the contour of the country until they reach points 

at considerallle distance from tlle river. The water from these can 

then flow upon the lower la11d down toward the main stream. A small 

quantity is also pumped from underground, as described later. As 

tlle methods of management of the canals, distribution of tl'e water, 

and its application to the soil are governed to a considerable extent by 

the character of the Rio Grande, it is essential to have clearly in mind 

some of its characteristics. 

FLOW OF THE RIO GRANDE. 

This river rises in the mountains of southern Colorado and flows in a 

geueral easterly and southerly course through the broad San J..~uis Valley, entering the deP-p canyons of northern New Mexico. Here it 

receives numerous tributaries from both sides, and passes in succession 

through a number of narrow valleys in central and southern New Mexico, Mesilla Valley being the last of these. Leaving this, the river 

passes through the narrow gorge at El Paso and forms the international 

qonndary between the United States and New Mexico. Measurements 

of the volume of this stream have been made by the United States Geological Sur-vey near its head waters at Del Norte in Colorado; also at 

Embudo and San Marcial, New Mexico, and at El Paso, Texas. The 

results of these latter indicate the quantity of water which Ius passed 

through 1\Iesilla Valley. For the details of river flow referenc~ may be 
16 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEY.ICO. (NO.lO. 

made to the annual reports of this Survey, and especially to the progress reports of the Division of Hydrography.1 

The first river station on the Rio Grande near El Paso was at Old 

Fort Bliss, about 1,500 feet above the Mexican dam. Observations and 

measurements were made here from May 10,1889, until the end of June, 

1893; but on the abandonment of Old Fort Bliss the river rods and 

equipment were stolen. A new station was established on January 24, 

1895, at the pump house of the smelting works near the station Towne, 

on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, li miles above 0 ld 

Fort Bliss. The channel is of such an unstable character that no 

definite relation can be established between gage height and discharge. 

Observations of gage height were begun on January 25, 1895, at 

which date the gage reading was 6.5 and the discharge 230 cubic feet 

per second. The water height :fluctuated above and below this point 

during the month of February, and in March reached a maximum of 8.5, 

considerably more water being discharged in March than in February. 

The discharge during the months of April, May, June, July, and August 

was in general much greater than in the month of March; but only one 

measurement of discharge was made-that on July 19-which showed 

a gage height of 8.15 and a discharge of 1,039 second-feet.. The average 

for August was something more than 1,000 second-feet; but from the 

first of September the river declined in volume irregularly until on 

September 25 a measurement showed but 76 second-feet, and at the 

end of that month the river was entirely dry. Very little water was 

discharged during the month of October, but in Novemb~r it gradually 

rose almost throughout the month, reaching a maximum gage height 

on November 29 of 7. 75, discharging perhaps 500 cubic feet per second. 

The discharge for the month of December fluctuated between 200 and 

500 cubic feet per second. 

Throughout 1896 the readings were continued. During the month of 

January the minimum gage reading was 5.85 on the first. of the month, 

and the maximum 7.60 on January 17. A measurement made January 

11, at gage height 6.15, gave a discharge of 150 second-feet. Another 

measurement on January 23, at a gage reading of 7 .30, gave a discharge 

of 379 second-feet. The range during the month was prchably between 

100 and 400 second-feet. February maintained a somewhat higher 

average than this, though the maximum was probably not so great. 

March was closely comparable with January. 

!Eleventh .Ann. Rept. U.S. Geol. Survey (1889-90), Part II, Irrigation, 1891, rn. 53-55, 99, 218, 222-

223, 227. 

Twelfth Ann. Rept. U.S. Geol. Survey (18!10-91), Part II, Irrigation, 1891, pp. 240-290, 349-350. 

Thirteenth Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey (1891-92), Part III, Irrigation, 1893, pp. 11-15, 94, 99, 114, 

131, 137, 171-172, 411. 

Fourteenth Ann. Rept. U.S. Geol. Survey (1892-93), Part II, 1894, pp. 110-115. 

Eighteent-h Ann. Rept. U.S. Geol. Survey (1896-97), Part IV, Hydrography, 1897, pp. 245-259. 

Bull. U.S. Geol. Survey No. 131, Report of Progress of the Division of Hydrography for 1893 and 

1894, pp. 41--46. 

Bull. U.S. Geol. Survey No.140, Report of Progress of the Division of Hydrography for 1895, pp. 

169-186. 
BARKER.] . WATER SUPPLY 17 

The months of April and May gave the largest run-off of any· months 

of the year, with the possible exception of October. In the laijter part 

of May and early June the volume of the river declined steadily until 

June 20, when there was practically no running water at the station, 

which condition continued to the end of the month. A slight rise 

occurred early in July, but lasted only a few days, and the river was 

then nearly dry until July 17, when a heavy general rain occured, raising the water to 8.38 feet on the gage. The river was further swollen 

on July 24, and then declined until August 24, when it was again dry, 

and remained so most of the time until September 23, when it was 

again swollen by rain and increased in volume irregulary until on the 

16th, 17th, and 18th of October the greatest discharge of the year 

occurred, the gage reaching a maximum of 10.6 on October 16, and 

declining by October 30 to 7.25 feet. During November and D<:lcember 

the discharge varied irregularly from about 50 second-feet to ab')ut 300. 

The total discharge for 1896 was much less than for 1895. 

Estimated mon tkly dischm·ge of Rio Gmnde at El Paso, Texas. 

[Drainage area, 30,000 square miles.] 

Discharge iu second-feet. Run-off. 

Month. Total in 

acre-feet. Second-feet 

Maximum. Minimum. Mean. Depth in 

inches. perX:rt~.are 

-

1897. 

January .•• ---- 1,260 90 305 18,753 .011 .010 

February ·----- 230 125 194 10,774 .0061 .006 

March ......... 120 30 72 4,427 .002 .002 

April ...... __ .. 4,225 40 1,740 103,537 .064 .058 

May ... __ •. __ .. 17,000 5,000 8,312 511,085 .320 .277 

June .....•..... 11,000 2,000 6,095 362,678 .226 .203 

July _ ...... _ .. _ 5,300 300 1,330 81, 778 .051 .044 

August ..... ---- 600 0 132 8,117 .005 .004 

September ..... 2,880 0 705 41,960 .025 .023 

October ........ 5,000 230 1,758 108,095 .068 .059 

November ...... 1,695 810 1,132 67, 358 .043 .038 

December-----· 1,015 460 680 41,812 .026 . 023 

Per annum ..... 17,000 00 1, 871 1, 360,3741 .847 .062 

SUMMER DROUGHTS. 

It will strike the- casual visitor as strange that. the Mesilla Valley, 

with the advantages of a soil almost unequaled in fertility, a climate 

adapted to all kinds of grain crops, alfalfa, and most of the choicest 

fruits and vegetables, and with proximity to remunerative markets, 

should have made so little progress in agriculture and that the country 

should have been so sparsely settled. The cause is the uncertainty of 

the water supply. For reasons which will be discussed further on, the 

Rio Grande, which furnishes water to all the irrigating canals, is liable 

to become quite dry at any time in the summer months after July 1. 

IRR 10--2 
18 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. [NO.lO. 

This occurred in the years 1891, 1894, and 1896, althcngh, with the 

exception of 1879, the country had not suffered from drcught for many 

years previous. 

There is a popular belief that these droughts are due to the great 

and increasiug number of irrigating canals that are taken out of the 

river in Colorado and aU along its upper course in New Mexico. That 

these must influence its flow lower down can not be disputed, but the 

general consensus of opinion among irrigation ·engineers is that, 

although the flow would be lessened during the period of irrigation, it 

would last longer, owing: to the fact that a large portion of the water 

used in irrigation sinks into the ground and ultimatel" finds its way 

back into the river, which is the natural drainage channel of the 

country. Without venturing to decide this question, I believe that there 

are other and more cogent reasons why the river occasio~ally goes dry, 

and why it has done so with greater frequency during recent years. 

It is an established fact that the river occasionally went dry in former years, when no irrigation canals existed along itE· upper course. 

This I know from numerous inquiries I have made among the old 

Mexican settlers. Moreover, history tells us that three hundred years 

ago Coronado, in his invasion of New Mexico, crossed the river, just 

Svrl'ace of ~~1/e 

FIG. 1.-Diagram illustrating rise and fall of ground water of the valley. 

above the Mesilla Valley, on dry land. Evidently, therefore, these 

occasional droughts may be traced to some other cause than the canals 

taken out higher up the river. This cause I believe to be the exceptionally small rainfall along the course of the river which precedes a year 

of dearth of water, and from all the information I have been able to 

gather this small rainfall has been especially marked of late years as 

compared with what it used to be ten or twelve years ago. 

Owing to the peculiar manner in which the undergrour~ water is held 

in the valley, it is quite possible, and indeed certain, that a heavy rainfall in one or more years may make its influence felt for Eome years subsequently. To understand this it must be explained that there is not 

a point along the whole valley of the Rio Grande in southern New 

Mexico at which water in abundance can not be found at a depth seldom 

exceeding 14 feet, and there is good reason for believing that, even in 

the driest season, there is below the surface an underground flow 

which never ceases. It is also well known that in seasons of drought 

this underground stratum of water sinks very considerably, and I have 

been informed by some of the o1d Mexicans that at points where many 

years ago the water was to be found at a depth of only 6 feet it is now 

14 feet below the surface. 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 10 PL. II 

VIEW OF RIVER AND NEW CANAL AT FORT SELDEN. 
BARKER.) WATER SUPPLY. 19 

This supply of undergrou11d water is fed by the torrents of ra.in which 

frequently fall on the adjacent mountain ranges. Whether th"' ground 

water rises or falls depends upon these rains; and the extent to which 

the higher or lower level of this so-called underflow may affect the flow 

of the river is best appreciated by reference to tl1e accompan~Ting diagram, showing the position that the ground water may occupy according as its level rises or falls. The dotted line represents the level of 

the river bed. When the underflow is at the higher level it will be seen 

that not only does the open river practically flow over a body of water, 

but it may receive a vast increase from this source. On_ the other 

hand, when the level of the ground water falls beneath the level of the 

river bed, there will be an immense loss of water from the latter. How 

great the loss may be can be imagined when one takes into c1nsideration the fact that this ground water averages probably several miles in 

width during- the whole course of the river. 

Of course the seepage from the river bed into the wate:':'-bearing 

strata below is very slow and gradual. Were it otherwise, the river 

would be continually disappearing below. I do not advr,nce this 

theory as one that is thoroughly proved. A series of long and somewhat costly tests by experts would be required to prove it, vrhereas I 

have had to depend upon only such information as I have been able to 

gather during a long residence in the valley. 

WATER. STORAGE. 

Hitherto the scarcity of water has not been so great as to injure the 

prchards and vineyards, and there has not been much loss at least 

in the upper part of the valley, beyond an extra cutting of alfalfa or 

an occasional crop of vegetables. It is the fear of worse to come, 

rather than actual loss, which has prevented the investment of the 

capital necessary to develop the valley. There is, however, r, remedy, 

and that is to build a dam and reservoir at one of the many available 

sites higher up the river. This would furnish a never-failing supply of 

water, as the surplus waters of the river during the flood seasons are 

more than sufficient to fill the necessary reservoirs. 

With this object in view an English company has recertly been 

formed and the capital has been raised in London. It is proposed to 

build at Elephant Butte~ a point on the Rio Grande some 60 miles 

higher up the river than the Mesilla Valley, a dam ofuncoursed rubble 

masonry, laid in cement, 96 feet high, which will form a lake capable, it 

h; claimed, of holding 11,000 million cubic feet of water, or sufficient to 

cover 250,000 acres of land with 12 inches of water. The coRt is estimated at $262,000. From this reservoir can be irrigated not only the 

Mesilla Valley, but also the valleys of Lomo Parda, Colorado, and 

Rincon, above. A smaller weir dam, which will rise 9 feet f\bove the 

level of the river, is also to be built at Fort Selden, just at th"' head of 

the Mesilla Valley, at a cost of $75,000. This portion of the project is 
20 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEviCO. [N0.10. 

to be completed first. With either or both of these dams many thousand acres of land now lying idle for want of water will be brought 

under cultivation, and doubtless a great impetus will be given to 

agriculture, and more especially to horticulture, in the Mesilla Valley. 

QUALITY OF WATER. 

Owing to the rich fertilizing ingredients which are contained in the 

muddy waters of the Rio Grande this river is often called the "Nile of 

America." Prof. Arthur Goss states 1 that the water adds to the land 

eight times as much potash as is required for either alfalfa or wheat, 

five times as much phosphoric acid as is needed for a crop of wheat, 

and nearly double that required for alfalfa. As regards nitrogen, the 

most valuable of all fertilizers, the water supplies mo~e than double 

what is required by the wheat. It is true that it doeE not supply all 

the nitrogen required by the alfalfa, but there is every reason to believe 

that the water deposits more than is removed by this plant, which is 

capable of deriving most of its nitrogen from the air. 

I am acquainted with land in the Mesilla Valley whicl for forty years 

has borne a yearly crop of wheat or corn, often both in one year, without application of any manure, and is now richer than when first cultivated. And in the valley below Juarez, where the same circumstances 

prevail, land has thus been cropped from time immemorial, probably 

for two hundred and fifty years. 

Professor Goss says: 

There seems, on the whole, to be good evidence that the land here in the valley is 

practically inexhaustible when irrigated with sufficient quanHties of the river 

water. In this connection might be mentioned the fact that field" of alfalfa can be 

found here which have stood for more than fifty years without being reset, and 

which produce as good crops now as ever. Mr. 0. C. Snow, a large alfalfa grower 

here in the valley, states that he has produced excellent alfalfa from land originally 

consisting almost entirely of pure white sand, which would hardly produce anything before, by simply irrigating with the muddy river water, u~ing iarge quantities at :first to get a coating of the sediment over the sand and then seeding it to 

alfalfa ancl irrigating at the usual in-tervals. 

It is also unquestionably true that much of the land here in the valley has been 

cultivated for a very long time and is yet exceptionally fertila.. It is also well 

known in the case of other1·ivers that the land upon which their se"Hments are deposited is inexhaustible. The Nile furnishes a good example of tl1is fact, the land 

along this stream having been croppecl for ages without becomin,g impoverished. 

Taking everything iuto consideration, it seems very probable, indeed, that fertile 

land in the Rio Grande Valley would never become so far exhausted as to produce 

very poor crops if sufficient muddy water from the river is applied to it. * * "" 

As long as the river contains plenty of water the farmers in the Pio Grande Valley 

certainly have much for which to be thankful. Favored with a naturally fertile 

soil, they have the means at hand, in the ever-present sediment in the water, of permanently maintaining that fertility. With the small amount of rainfall, cloudless 

skies, and dry atmosphere the conditions for many agricultural operations, such as 

the curing of hay and ripening of fruit, are about as perfect as could be desired. 

I Bull. New Mexico Experiment Station, No.l2. The value of Rio Grande wa'".er for the purposes of 

irrigation. 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 10 PL. Ill 

VIEW OF CANAL HEAD AT THE RIVER. 
BARKER.) CANAL SYSTEM. 21 

Add to this the fact that under a system of irrigation the water is under the control 

of the farmer, and one of the most uncertain factors in the agriculture cf rainfall 

districts js removed. With a sufficient water supply agriculture in the R:'> Grande 

Valley is about as nearly a mathematical science as it can be made. 

CANAL SYSTEM. 

It would, of course, be superfluous to describe to an engineer how the 

canals are built and the water is diverted from the river to the land without the use of any power but that of gravity, but it may be of interest 

to those who have never visited an irrigation country to learn l'0W it is 

done. It must be understood that as the river flows down thP. valley 

there is a continuous fall in the land from the head of the valley to the 

other end. In the accompanying diagram, A is the head of thP. valley 

and B the lower end. 

Again, in almost all valleys there is a more or 

less rapid fall from the 

sides to the mid dIe, 

where the river flows. 

Therefore there will be 

points (0 and D) somewhere along the valley 

which will be considerably higher than the river 

at E and yet be a little 

]ower than point A. 

It follows that if the 

river falls, say, 1 foot in 

100, and if a ditch or 

canal taken out at A is 

made to follow the contour of the side hills with 

a fall of only 1 in 500 it 

D 

Will very SOOn get higher FIG. 2.-Diagram illustrating method of diverLLg canals from 

the riYer. 

than the level of the 

river, and that, as the valley widens and the canal seeks the higher 

ground, it will graduwlly get farther and farther away from tl''3 river, 

until by the time it has run, say, 8 or 10 miles, there will be a C~'>DSiderable space intervening between it and the river. It is this strip of 

land between the canals on the higher level and the river on tl''3lower 

which is capable of irrigation. The head or inlet of a canal if shown 

in the accompanying view (Pl. III), the water in the river being 

obstructed in its course by a temporary dam of brush ani'_ stone. 

Entering the canal, the water flows usually on a gentle grade. and at 

convenient points is taken out by lateral ditches, which carry it to the 

fields. 

Occasionally the canal passes over land where there is a sudden fall. 
22 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. (No.IO. 

At these points mills driven by water power may be established. 

There are two such mills grinding wheat at Las Cruces, and others at 

Mesilla and Chamberino, although in recent years the millers of Las 

Cruces have found it profitable _to supplement the vrater power with 

steam. 

MANAGEMENT OF THE CANALS. 

The irrigating canals or ditches in the Mesilla Valley, of which there 

are eight, are called locally by the Spanish name aceq,wia (pronounced 

ah-sa'-ke-ah), and are what are termed "communal ditches;" that is, 

they were built and are owned, kept in repair, and regulated by the 

members of the community who hold lands under thel'l. 

On the first }fonday iu December of each year the co-owners of the 

ditch hold a public meeting and elect three of their nembers as commissioners, in whom the control of the ditch is vested for the ensuing 

year. These commissioners select one of their number as secretary, who 

usually receives a small salary, the other two acting, respectively, as 

president and treasurer without remuneration. A mayordomo, or water 

boss, is also elected by the people, and he, too, must be a co-owner in the 

ditch. He receives a salary ranging from $500 downward. It is his 

duty to superintend the cleaning and repairing of the ditch and also the 

distribution of the water, in which he is usually assisted by a second 

mayordomo, appointed and paid by the commissioners 

These elections are held under the management of the outgoing commissioners, and votes are cast in proportion to the amount of land held 

by each owner, or, rather, in proportion to the work I'~ may be called 

upon to perform, for small vegetable and town gardens are assessed at 

about double the proportion for which farm land is liable. A farm of 

52! acres, which is called a terreno, the old Mexican division of land, is 

entitled to 6 votes, and so on in proportion, every owner being entitled 

to at least 1 vote, however small his interest. 

The ditch must be thoroughly cleared of the accnnulation of mud 

and sediment every year. This is usually done early in February, or as 

soon as danger of extreme frost is passed. When tl:~ time comes to 

commence work, the mayordomo notifies all landowners and tenants, 

and each one must perform his allotted share or number of days of the 

work, in proportion to the land he irrigates, or in default pay 75 cents per 

day. In olden times this notice was given out on the preceding Sunday 

from the steps of the Roman Catholic church door; but, times and manners have changed. 

In money this work usually amounts to 50 to 7 5 cents p~r acre, although 

sometimes, owing partly to mismanagement and partly to misfortune, 

it has been considerably higher. So far as I have been able to judge 

during my term of office as president of the Las CruceE" ditch, I believe 

that in the future the total expenses will not exceed 50 c:mts per acre per 

annum. This economy is due largely to an act passed by the last legis· 

lature, which gives the three commissioners control, whereas by the old 

custom the entire management was left to the mayordomo, who, being 
U. S. GEOLOGiCAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 10 PL. IV 

IRRIGATING CANAL IN THE MESILLA VALLEY. 
B.A.RKER.) CANAL SYSTEM. 23 

practically unaccountable to anyone, frequently abused the C('"'lfidence 

placed in him. By this act the treasurer and mayordomo are also 

obliged. to give bond for the proper performance of their dutie~. 

The method of assessing the work varies in the different ditches. By 

the old system the men were called out and kept at work until the 

ditch was cleaned and repaired, the owner of a farm of 52! acres being 

compelled to do six days' work per week during the time conf'mned in 

cleaning and repairing, the owners of smaller tracts working r, proportionately fewer number of days. A special cash assessment was made 

to pay the salary of the mayordomo and to cover other cash outlays, 

payable one-half after the wheat harvest and the other half after the 

corn was gathered in. This is the system still pursued on the Mesilla 

ditch. 

On the Las Cruces acequia a different method prevails. At the commencement of the year the commissioners make an estimate of the 

amount of work and money required for the year. Each landowner 

is then assessed his proportio11 of days' work, or'' fatigue,': as it is 

called. He may do this work himself or empJoy others to do it, as he 

finds convenient, provided always that all his work is done within a 

certain limit of time, say three weeks; that is, if assessed eighteen 

days, he may work one man a day for three weeks, or three men for one 

week, or he may pay the commissioners in cash at the current rate of 

wages, which is fixed at 75 cents per day. As most of the Americans 

consider it beneath their dignity to work at digging mud from the 

ditch, they employ native Mexicans to do the work for them, or, as is 

often the case now, they pay the commissioners in cash, and out of this 

cash fund the salaries of the water bosses and other expenses r,re paid. 

Each man on coming to work has a certain length of ditch allotted 

to him to clean out, which is called a tarea, and is, in the mayordomo's 

judgment, a fair day's work; but it often happens that a man is able to 

complete eight tarea,s in one week. The men usually work in gangs, 

for the sake of eonversation and society. Most of the work is done 

with the ordinary short digging spade, but scrapers and teams are 

occasionally needed, and the only part of the work which the American 

farmer deigns to perform is to provide the latter. The amount of 

material removed is illustrated by the accompanying view, Pl. V, showing the accumulated material as thrown out upon the banks of a ditch. 

Periodical meetings are held by the commissioners, when all claims, 

disputes, and complaints-and they are not few-are brougl't before 

them for settlement. If their decision is disputed, which most rarely 

happens, the case may be carried into court. In this respect the system is inferior to the old custom as it still exists in Spain. I well 

remember passing by the old cathedral at Valencia, on the E~ores of 

the Mediterranean, when the ditch commissioners were holding court 

under the cathedral porch. Three serious-looking Spanish p')asants, 

dressed in the old Moorish costume and leaning on their Ion~ staffs, 

were gravely listening to the various claims and disputes brougl't before 
24 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. [No. to. 

them. Their verdicts, given rapidly and with decision, s~~med to give 

satisfaction, for the judges were naturally well acquainted with all the 

circumstances, needing but few witnesses and no lawyerE·. From their 

decision there was no appeal. The system was perhaps rather un~American, but it worked well, and the people here still seem to retain their 

old traditional respect for the decisions of the ditch comnissioners. 

DISTRIBUTION OF WATER. 

No scientific method of apportioning the water, eithe ... by measurement or by time, has been adopted in the Mesilla Valley. When water 

is abundant everyone helps himself whenever he needs it.; and should 

it be scarce, as is sometimes the case, the mayordomos 2'.rrange to let 

each farmer have what appears to them a fair share, thr.t share being 

fixed rather by the needs of the individual than by his shq,re of interest 

in the ditch. For instance, in cases of scarcity of water preference is 

always given to the chili or red-pepper patches in the MeYican gardens, 

for a Mexican would die without his daily ration of chili. 

The water is taken from the main ditch into the larger laterals, or 

¢=c:===w·="BI"'=Bax===::lA 

I ~ FIG. 3.-Box for taking water from main ditch. 

contra acequias, as they are called, by means of flood gat~s, raised and 

lowered by a windlass. Usually the water is kept continuously flowing 

in the main ditch and main laterals, and the surplus is allowed to find 

its way back into the river or some lake at a point lowe"' in the valley 

through a waste ditch or desague. The water is let out into the smaller 

laterals from the main ditch and larger laterals by m~ans of boxes 

made of 3-inch lumber, with a head gate at one end, as shown in fig. 3. 

When this gate is lifted the water of course flows out, and when the 

necessary amount of water has been carried onto the land the gate is 

shut down. 

METHODS OF APPLYING WATER.. 

FLOODING IN CHECKS. 

In order to get the water upon the land, a. side or 12'.teral ditch is 

carried from the main ditch or larger lateral along the l'ighest side of 

the land to be irrigated. The field is then laid out irto squares or 
lJ. S. G~OLOGICAL SURVEY WATtR-SUPPLY PAPEI'l NO. 10 PL. V 

.. 

VIEW OF DITCH, SHOWING ACCUMULATION OF SEDIMENT. 
BARKER.) METHODS OF APPLYING WATER. 25 

oblong beds-check beds, as they are usually called-surrornded by 

borders of earth about a foot high. These check beds vary in size from 

30 feet square to 60 by 100 feet, according to the fall of the land and 

the crop to be irrigated. Of course if the fall of the land is great the 

check beds must be correspondingly smaller. 

The water is let into the :first bed from the lateral ditch, either by 

means of a box and gate, as already described, or by breaking down 

an opening in the bank with a large hoe. As soon as the firft bed is 

-------------------------------------------------------- .-----------------~----------.._ _________________ ___ Mai'n Di/i;h 

Laferal 

FIG. 4.-Diagram illustrating met.hod of flooding in checks. 

flooded, the border at a point at the end of this bed is broken c

1 own and 

the water allowed to flow into the second bed, and so on until the whole 

field has been flooded. Of course a series of these beds may be irrigated at the same time, the number depending upon the flow of water. 

The accompanying diagram, fig. 4, shows the system. Beds numbered 

1, 5, 9, and 13 may all be irrigated simultaneously, and as they are 

finished those adjoining are :flooded. 

This is the system invariably practiced by the Mexicans, but it has 

the disadvantage of letting the water drain off' from the upper beds 
26 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. (No.lO. 

onto the lowest one when the water is shut off, thus giving an undue 

proportion of water to the end bed. A better plan, and one adopted 

by some of the more observant farmers, is to open up all the checks 

and let the water run unobstructed to the end; then, when the water 

has covered the lowest square or bed about 3 inches cleep, it is shut 

ofl' from that bed and the next above is filled, and so on back to the 

head of the land. By this method it is claimed that the land is watered 

more uniformly. 

This system of flooding and level culture is practiced for all small 

grain crops~ beans, orchards, and alfalfa, but for the latter crop the 

borders are made lower and broader, so as not to interfere with the 

mower and rake, and the land must be very carefully graded before 

the alfalfa is sown. 

For crops cultivated on ridges, such as tomatoes, chili, sweet potatoes, etc., a modification is introduced. Ridges are made in the check 

beds, as shown in beds 2, 3, and 4 of the diagram, the ridges being 

shaded in the diagram and the furrows running between. The water 

is let in at the corner of the bed and allowed to run until the furrows 

between the ridges are filled, when it is let into the next· bed and the 

same operation is repeated. 

FURROW IRRIGATION. 

So far what is known as the flooding system of irrigation has been 

described, and this has proved to be the only practical WHY of irrigating 

many crops, such as small grains, alfalfa, etc. But for orchards the 

furrow system has been recommended, owing to its succesE-ful and almost 

universal adoption throughout California. This system consists in opening up a number of small furrows by means of an ordinary or doublemoldboard plow between the rows of trees. The water is then allowed 

to run slowly down these furrows from one end of the field to the other 

until the land is perfectly saturated, the time occupied often being 

twelve hours. 

The advantage of the furrow system is that the water is thereby prevented from coming in contact with the trunks of the trees, a contact 

which is often harmful, causing sun scald. The land is also more easily 

cultivated and the surface reduced to a finer tilth after s11ch irrigation, 

for, not being all wet at the top, it is mostly left in a friable condition 

after the furrows dry out, whereas by the flooding system all the surface soil gets compact and hard, rendering subseque""~t cultivation 

somewhat difficult. Some three or four years ago the furrow system 

was mueh talked of and was actually tested at the experiment station, 

but, whether from the insufficient amount of water applie-1 or the innate 

defects of the system, the results were not satisfactory, and the most 

intelligent farmers condemned the furrow system of irrigation as being 

impracticable on this soil. 

Theoretically the furrow system is perfect, and it certair1y gives sa tis-
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 10 PL. VI 

IRRIGATED FARM IN THE MESILLA VALLEY. 
BARKER.] QUANTITY OF WATER NEEDED. 27 

factory results in California, where doubtless the soil is mor~ porous 

than in the Mesilla Valley and the water is of a different character· 

After much personal observation I am inclined to believe that it is 

unsuited to the circumstances existing in this valley. In the first 

place, the soil is of such a nonporou:o; charaeter that there is little or 

uo lateral seepage, and it may be frequently noticed that one portion 

of a field will be completely saturated with water, while tl:Je soil at 

a distance of only a few feet remains perfectly dry. In the second 

place, the river water is exceptionally muddy, and, if run in a furrow 

for any considerable length of time, deposits a sediment which makes 

the furrow almost water-tight and. incapable of absorbing the water in 

sufficient quantity to saturate the adjoining soil. Almost all the practical orchardists and farmers have come to the conclusion that the 

flooding system is the only effective method of thoroughly saturating 

the soil, and this opinion is shared by the intelligent German truck 

gardeners around Albuquerque, a city farther up the river, wl''l, as the 

writer found on a recent visit there, are all using the flooding system. 

As regards the danger of letting the water come in contact with the 

trunks of the trees, this is and should be obviated by planting the 

trees on the borders of the check beds or by a slight mound of earth 

around each tree. 

QUANTITY OF WATER NEEDED. 

The amount of water needed for irrigation in the Mesilla Valley will 

naturally vary with the different crops, but as there is no ~ystem of 

measurement adopted it is impossible to fix this in feet or inches. In 

actual practice the intelligent farmer irrigates as often as in his opinion 

the crop seems to need water, always bearing in mind that for fruit 

trees and deeply rooted plants no water is needed so long as tl'~ soil at 

the depth of 4 or 5 inches is sufficiently moist to roll up into a ball, 

whether the land was irrigated a week or a year ago. 

How much water is used or needed at each irrigation is an open 

question, as no tests have ever been made in the valley. It II',~y, however, be said that a great deal more water is needed in this arid climate 

than is generally supposed and often recommended by irrigation engineers, who seem in their writings to try to break the record by fixing 

the amount of water at the very lowest limit, so that one frequent.ly 

reads of12 inches per year being sufficient for orchards and m')st other 

crops, while 24 inches is looked upon as more than a liberal allowance. 

Now, if by 12 or even 24 inches in the year is meant3 or 6 inches in any 

given three months I have no hesitation in saying that in thi~ soil and 

dry climate either quantity would prove utterly inadequate. Practical 

men with whom I have discussed the subject are of the opirion that 

not less than 4 inches, and often 6 inches, of water will be profitably 

absorbed by the soil at each irrigation. I recently made the ex~eriment 

of irrigating a field of strawberries from a reservoir holding 55,000 
28 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. [NO.l0. 

gallons, and although the soil was by no means dry, beir~ fairly moist 

at the depth of 4 or 5 inche8 and the plants had not yet suffered from 

drought, I found that this amount of water, used sparinf'ly, was surely 

sufficient to irrigate four-sevenths of an acre. This means that the land 

had all been covered with water to the depth of 3~ incll es, and seems 

to show that not less than 4 and probably 5 inches of water is profitably 

used at each irrigation. As orchards and many other c~ops will need 

4 and often 6 irrigations during the three months beginning in April or 

May, it follows that from 20 to 30 inches may be con~idered a fair 

allowance for the three months, and ~n average of probably 40 inches 

during the year. 

I am aware that, according to many authorities on irrigation, this 

quantity will appear excessive, but, in considering the arr()unt of water 

needed in this valley, one must not overlook the fact tbtt the atmosphere here is one of the driest in the world and that evaporation 

is consequently very rapid. Tests made at El Paso1 f'low that the 

amount of water evaporated in an open pan in some of the dry months 

was over 11 inches, and that a total of 95 inches has been reached during a year. A great part of the water used in irrigation is transpired 

by the leaves of the plants, and although no comparative tests have 

ever been made, the transpiration is doubtless much grnater in a dry 

climate than in a humid one. These facts account for the large amount 

of water which appears to be needed and profitably used in this valley. 

Taking some of the principal crops, I find that the number of irrigations given is as follows: A peach or apple orchard will need one irrigation at the beginning of winter, another early in the year, and four 

or five from April to August. Wheariand is usually irrigated before 

the seed is plowed in, then again after seeding, and five times subsequently. If the wheat is sown early, say by November 1, it may be 

followed the same year with corn, which receives six irri~:ations. Land 

thus cropped will take a depth of from 55 to 60 inches of water during 

the year, and a vegetable garden will certainly need q·1ite as much. 

Vineyards usually receive five irrigations in the course of the twelve 

months. Alfalfa will drink more water than almost any other crQp. It 

is usual to give it a good soaking early in winter, another at the end of 

March, and one every fifteen days from May 15 to August 31, and a 

final one in September, or, say, ten irrigations during tho year. 

Taking the average of these crops, which are the principal ones raised 

in the valley, we find that, allowing 4~ inches to each irrigation, the land 

receives during the year sufficient water to cover it to a depth of 44 

inches, and many farmers undoubtedly use a great deal more, although 

the more intelligent consider the quantities mentioned aE' sufficient. 

In November, 1893, an experiment was commenced at the college 

farm in order to see if by means of frequent cultivatior a much less 

quantity of water than the above could not suffice. The peach orchard 

1 Fourteenth Ann. Rept. U. S. Geol. Survey, Part II, 1894, p. 164.. 
BARKER.] CUL'l'IV ATION AFTER IRRIGATION. 29 

was irrigated in November and again in March, receiving a good cultivation every fortnight during summer. The result was that, although 

the fruit might have passed muster in some districts, it was so inferior 

to the peaches raised in the orchards that were irrigated during the 

winter, and which received copious supplies of water every eight or ten 

days from the time the fruit set until it was gathered, that I should 

have unhesitatingly condemned it all as unmarketable hac1

. it been 

offered to me for sale, for it was small, dry, and "runty." 1\'f oreover, 

by July the trees began to shed their leaves, and showed unmistakable 

signs of sickness. On the whole, it seems to be somewhat difficult to 

apply too much water, provided always that each irrigation be followed 

by a complete cultivation of the surface soil. 

CULTIVATION AFTER IRRIGATION. 

Although much has been learned from the native Mexicans in the 

art of farming under irrigation there is one fac\_ which they do not 

seem to appreciate, and that is the absolute necessity of cultivating 

the soil after each irrigation as soon as it is dry enough to W(]rk. The 

Mexican knows that cultivation is needed to keep down the weeds, but 

this seems to be the limit of his knowledge. He is evidently unaware 

of the fact that the roots of the plant need air quite as much as water, 

and that the muddy water plasters down the surface to such an extent 

that unless it be broken and pulverized after each irrigation the air is 

practicaJly shut oft' from the roots of the plant. 

The killing of weeds and the aeration of the soil are not the only 

benefits accruing from cultivation. The pulverization of th'3 surface 

soil by means of cultivation helps to retain the moisture in the soil 

below. At first sight it usually appears to have the opposite effect, for 

after the soil is pulverized it dries very rapidly. Last summ'3r I set a 

Mexican to work with a wheel hoe to cultivate strawberrie"'. After 

doing about half an acre he remarked to me in his native 1anguage, 

"Patron, it seems to me that the stirring of the soil will ma.ke it dry 

out much faster than if left alone." "I don't think so, Jose," I replied. 

"You hoe your chili after each irrigation. Why do you do ·it~" "Because it won't grow unless we keep the soil around continually hoed," he 

explained. ''Yes," I replied; "it is because the loosening of the top 

soil preserves the moisture below and lets in the air to the root:'1 ." Nine 

days later I took my Mexican to a patch of ground that had been left 

unhoed, and he was obliged to admit that at a depth of 3 incl·'3s it was 

much drier than the land he had hoed, and when he again cultivated 

the soil he had the satisfaction of feeling that it was not labo~ lost. 

That cultivation of the upper crust o:l the soil tends to prevent 

evaporation of the moisture below is a fact known to every practical farmer. It is daily being proved in actual practice, but the 

scientific theory upon which this practice is based is litt~e understood. Men will tell you it is so, but why they do not understand" 
30 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. (No.lO. 

Even scientific writers have been satisfied by stating that water rises 

in the soil by capill~.ry attraction, as oil rises in the wick of a la.mp, 

an1:l that, by cultivating the surface soil, one breaks up the capillarity 

and so prevents evaporation, or that the fine tilth on tte surface acts 

as a blanket in retaining the moisture. It is only quite recently that 

a more perfect explanation has been given. 

When the soil is dry each little particle is surroun1ed by an air 

space. Whenever the particles come in contact with moisture they 

have the power of attracting that moisture and of surrounding themselves with a thin film of water. The particles next to the water first 

draw the water around themselves, then the dry particler next to them 

in turn attract it, and so a continuous stream is set u~ :'much in the 

same way that a wick of a lamp draws up the oil. This goes on until 

the whole body of soil is saturated, but as soon as the water reaches 

the particles on the surface of the soil this water is evaporated, and the 

supply below is again drawn upon, until the water stor"3d below is so 

exhausted, or left at such a depth, that the distance overcomes the 

power of attraction and the soil becomes completely dry. This is 

the process which goes on in uncultivated soil. 

The object of cultivation is to break up this attraction, usually called 

capillary attraction, in the upper crust, and so prevent the moisture from 

being brought to the surface and evaporated. To understand how 

this is done, one must take into account another fact, viz, that if these 

little particles in the soil be widely separated from one another they 

lose their power of attraction. Now, when the top crust of the soil is 

loosened and reduced to a fine tilth, these particles lie less closely 

together and do not a1itract moisture from below. The moisture now 

rises as high as the upper tilth, and there remains much longer than 

in the case of untilled soil, for, owing to the blanket or mulch of loose 

soil on the top, the soil below the surface is much less exposed to the 

action of evaporation. 

Some of our farmers are unwilling to accept this tl'~ory, alleging 

that adobe or clay soil, that has never been cultivated for years, will 

have more moisture below than cultivated soil. If this be so, the fact 

does not clash with the theory of particle attraction. 0'1. such soil the 

top surface has been packed down so closely that the surface is practically puddled, in which case the attractive power of the particles is 

destroyed. It is the same as though the surface were covered with a 

large rock or a board, and the evaporation thereby suspended. 

WINTER IRRIGATION. 

When I first came to New Mexico) in 1890, I found that the prevailing 

practice with orchardists was to withhold water from thn, trees during 

September and October, in order to let the young wood rfoen, then give 

one irrigation in November, and not apply water again rntil the peach 

buds had come into blossom. The reasons alleged for this method of 
BARKER.] WINTER IRRIGATION. 31 

treatment were that the trees did not need water during the winter 

months when they were dormant, and that by keeping off the water the 

fruit buds were retarded. 

It is needless to say that no objection can be raised against withholding the water while the yoimg wood is ripening, but that lJy keeping 

water from the trees in the spring the blossoms are held back I· as been 

shown to be a fallacious idea. The fact is that the bursting of the bud 

is entirely dependent upon the state of the outside and surr·:mnding 

atmosphere, and if the application of water to the roots has any effect 

whatever upon the buds, the evidence is in favor of the theor;r that it 

retards rather than hastens the blossoming period. 

It would appear that this mistaken notion about trees ne£'1ing no 

artificial irrigation during the winter has arisen from two sour~es: (1) 

There is a popular delusion that the tree is dormant during winter. 

Any one who has heeled in young trees in the fall and lifted th£m again 

in spring can not have failed to notice that the roots have made growth 

during the interval. Moreover, by careful measurements made at the 

experiment station here it has been proved that even the trunlrs of the 

trees, and doubtless also the branches, actually increase in girth during· 

the winter months. It is therefore evident that the tree is in active 

growth during the winter and is laying up a store of energy for the 

coming summer. If the tree during that period suffers from drc•Ight its 

vitality must be weakened. (2) The people here have been told that 

in- California it is not customary to irrigate orchards during the winter. 

They, however, have not taken into consideration the fact that heavy 

rains fall during the winter over the greater part of the Pacific Coast, 

whereas in the region of the Rocky Mountains the winter months are 

the dry season. Furthermore, if we look at those countries where fruit 

grows to the greatest perfection without irrigation, we see tl at they 

have their principal rainfall during the winter. I need only to refer to 

the south of France, where nature gives us a valuable lesson on the 

application of water to fruit trees during winter. 

I know of two large peach orchards on similar land and within a 

quarter of a mile of each other, one of which was not irrigated during 

the winter, while the other received three or four copious irrigations. 

The peach blossoms opened a few days later in the irrigated orchard, 

but its fruit ripened at least a week ahead of that in the other orchard. 

I am inclined to think that the moisture of the soil tended to keep the 

air around the irrigated trees cool and so retarded the blossoms, but 

when the fruit on these trees started to grow it rapidly overtook that 

on the others, which, owing to a lack of moisture, were deficient in 

vitality, whereas the irrigated trees were in a condition to devote all 

their energies to the development of the fruit. 

In the valley it has also been customary to hill up the vines with 

earth in November and to apply the water during the winter. It is not 

the cold that is feared so much as the dry winds in the early months of 
32 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA. VALLEY, NEW ME.v-ICO. (No.lO. 

the year, and if the trunk of the vine is not protected it is apt to crack 

and the buds to winter-kill. An American orchardist in the valley, 

who has made the experiment for two years, assures me that if the 

vines are irrigated during the winter they go through with perfect 

safety and without any necessity of billing up. It would certainly seem 

that there is as good reason for irrigating vines in winter as there is for 

irrigating fruit trees. 

There is another good reason why orchards and vineyards should be 

irrigated in winter. The work can be done when the farmer is not 

otherwise busy and when water is invariably plentiful. Water which 

would otherwise be wasted is saved by thoroughly soaking the ground 

down to a good depth; then, should there be a short supply of water 

during the summer, the trees are able by capillary att: ... action to draw 

upon the reserve water stored during the winter and thus better to 

withstand drought. 

GARDEN IRRIGATION. 

Hitherto only the methods applicable to field culture have been 

referred to. For vegetable-garden culture a more perfect and less slovenly system is desirable, and the following plan has been found to be 

the most satisfactory: 

In the first place, the main irrigating ditch must run along the high· 

est side of the garden. Let us imagine that it runs along the northern 

boundary, as shown in the accompanying diagram (fig. 5). The entire 

garden is then laid out in oblong beds, usually about 2,':' feet long and 

12 feet wide, with the narrow sides east and west. This is a convenient 

size, but they may be a little shorter, so as to fit the space it is intenS.ed 

to cultivate, or where vegetables are grown on a large scale the beds 

may be made somewhat larger. 

Each bed is surrounded by a border raised about 1 foot and about 2-9-

feet broad at the base, and these borders serve both as paths and to 

retain the water. Each bed must be perfectly level, altl,cmgh of course 

one may be higher or lower than its neighbor. 

Throughout the length of the garden and running n()rth and south 

one or more lateral ditches are constructed, which shonld be about 2 

feet wide, with the bottom rather higher than the level of the beds. 

These laterals are so arranged as to have one row of beds on each side, 

as it is from these laterals that the beds will be irrigated. To make ~ 

the plan clear, I have spoken of the construction of the 1'~ds before that 

of the laterals, but in actual practice the laterals are m()re easily made 

first. 

For each bed there is now made, with l-inch lumber, a small box 4 

inches square inside and 3 feet long, with a sluice gate at one end. By 

a sluice gate I mean a little trapdoor that slides up to let the water 

pass or is put down to shut it off, as shown in fig. 3. These boxes are 

placed in the bank of the lateral, so that the bottom of the gate end is 
BARKER.] GARDEN IRRIGATION. 33 

on a level with the bottom of the ditch. The boxes are ther covered 

with earth, which is pounded around them, so that the water will not 

cut through along the bottoms or sides. The boxes are placed opposite 

each other, so as to let the water in to the center of each bed. In the 

laterals, and just below each pair of boxes, it may be necessary, if the 

fall is great, to make small checks or dams with a piece of lumber, 6 

inches high, so as to bank up the water and throw it into the little 

boxes. · 

When it is required to irrigate the garden, or any portion of it, the 

Main f)ifch 

FIG. 5.-Plan of an irrigated garden of one-half acre. 

· w·ater is let in slowly from the main ditch and allowed to :flow down 

the laterals. As it comes to the box of each bed the little gates are 

opened and the water allowed to ftow gently over each bed. A number 

of beds may be irrigated at one time, the number depending upon the 

bead of water. Care is taken not to have such a bead of water as will 

wash the soil, and not to let it stand too long or too high in the beds, 

so as to drown the plants. As soon as sufficient water has bee'l applied 

to any bed the water is shut off by the sluice gate and another opened, 

untH the entire garden has been irrigated. 

This method has many advantages over the slipshod custon of tearing away openings in the banks of the laterals and then building them 

up again as each bed is irrigated. In the first place, the :flow of water 

IRR 10--3 
34 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. [No.lO. 

is better regulated and only enough is admitted to each bed to do the 

work slowly and surely, sufficient time being taken to dlow it to soak 

well into the soil. The scouring and washing away of the. earth, 

whereby small plants are frequently smothered by the old method, is 

also avoided. And finally, the whole operation can be performed with 

the minimum exertion. · 

Although the plan sketched is especially applicable to small gardens 

cultivated with the spade, it will be seen that there is nothing to prevent the use of a horse plow after the crops are gathere1, as the entire 

length of the garden may be plowed up, leaving only the laterals 

intact. The same plan may be modified to suit a small orchard, where 

vegetables are to be grown between the trees. The beds may then be 

made 24 by 12 feet and the trees planted on the borde~s, as shown in 

the diagram, so that they stand 24 feet apart each way. 

Almost all the gardeners here are of opinion that tl·~ best time to 

irrigate vegetables, and indeed all crops, is in the evening, just as the 

sun is going down, as the hot sun shining on the wet foliage is apt to 

injure or even kill the plants. Irrigation by moonlight is still better, 

and some think that very early in the morning, before the sun is up, is 

a good time. 

After each irrigation the surface soil must be stirred with a hoe as 

soon as the land is sufficiently dry. The better and rrore economical 

plan is to use a wheel hoe. It is quicker and does better work than a 

hand hoe, and can be set to plow, cultivate, or weed be~ween the rows 

of plants. 

The question as to whether the water should be appJ!<3d to the beds 

by the flooding or furrow system depends upon the variety of vegetable 

cultivated. Many crops, such as I>otates, chili (red pepper), tomatoes, 

melons, etc., need to be grown on ridges, with irrigating furow between, 

and the beds as planned can be utilized for either system. 

Vegetables are irrigated as often as the plants show signs of flagging, 

the usual intervals ranging from ten to fifteen days during the growing 

season. Large plants will not need water whenever the soil at a depth 

of 5 inches is moist enough to roll up into a ball; bnt for small seedlings or newly transplanted vegetables the surface soil must never be 

allowed to become very dry. 

PUMPING WATER FOR IRRIGATION. 

WINDMILLS. 

Pumping water for irrigation has been resorted to in but few cases, 

either in this or the other valleys along the Rio Grande, although abundant water can be obtained almost everywhere at deptrs varying from 

14 to 85 feet, this depth depending upon the height of the land above 

the level of the river bed. 

In the Socorro Valley, situated on the Rio Grande 13~ miles north of 

Mesilla, and where the surrounding circumstances are very similar to · 
BARKER.) PUMPING WATER FOR IRRIGATION. 35 

those here, Mr. C. T. Brown bas erected a windmill, pump, and reservoir 

on the mesa above the valley. The well was sunk 85 feet deep, lined 

with stone and cement, and cost $350. The windmill, with a 12-foot 

wheel, which had cost $125·, worked with a 4-inch cylinder and a 2-Inch 

pipe, although Mr. Brown advised using a 41-inch cylinder and a 3-inch 

pipe where the water was nearer the surface. The reservoir, built of 

rock and cement, is 27 feet long by 17 feet broad and 52- feet deep, and 

is capable of holding over 20,000 gallons. Its cost was $300, making 

the total outlay $800. 

The water is very soft, without a particle of alkali, and for over two 

years Mr. Brown has successfully irrigated 2 acres of trees and vegetable garden. The windmill fills the reservoir on the average three 

times a week, at which rate there would be water enough to give an 

irrigation of 4i inches of water every fourteen days to about 1 acre of 

land . 

.At Las Cruces I have a windmill with an 8-foot wheel, lifting the 

water 2 t feet, the water stratum being only 15 feet below the surface. 

The cost of erecting this windmill and pump was $200, and the reservoir, built of earth and capable of holding about 55,000 ga1lons, will 

have cost nearly $180 by the time the interior is cemented, which I find 

it will be necessary to do. The windmill has not been runring long 

enough to enable an accurate estimate of its capacity, but, so far as I 

can see, it will take an average of :fifteen days to fill the reservoir, and 

I find by actual practice that this amount of water will irrigate only 

about half an acre of land. It is possible that the pump wol-.Jd work 

faster if there were a sunken well instead of a driven point, but the 

quicksands make a sunken well too expensive. By adding a second 

windmill and pump I should, at a total cost of $580, have enough water 

to irrigate 1 acre of vegetable garden. 

It will, then, readily be seen that so long as one can get water from 

the river at a cost of 50 to 75 cents per acre per annum and the best land 

in any situation at not exceeding $100 an acre, including a perpetual 

water right, windmill irrigation can hardly be a financial success, 

owing to the great initial outlay, although it might pay un'ler some 

exceptional circumstances. 

STEAM PUMPS. 

At the Shalem colony, a religious community in the Mesilla Valley, 

a very extensive experiment has been made in pumping water by 

steam power. .An open well18 feet in diameter, lined with stone and 

cement, has been sunk to a depth of 33 feet. At the bottom of this well 

are sunk one 6-inch casing and two 6-inch standards, going 30 feet 

below the bottom of the well and coupled 2 feet above. There are 

also an 11~-inch casing 30 feet deep and a 6-inch standard 200 feet deep, 

but there is very little :flow through these latter. The well fills up to 

within 12 feet of the top, or say 21 feet of water, and three hc~us after 
36 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY 7 NEW ME: ... ICO. [No.lO. 

starting to pump only 6 feet of water is left in the well. After this 

the flow of water is equal to the full capacity of the pump, the suction 

of whicl;t is 12 inches and the discharge 10 inches. · 

The proprietor says that this supply of water seems to be entirely 

independent of the river, the water flowing into the well the same when 

the river is empty as when it is full. The water appearr to come down 

the valley from the north, and therefore pipes should b€ sunk in a line 

east and west. The three 6-inch pipes are so situated, b•1.t the 11g-inch 

pipe is about 5 feet south of them, and when the former are uncapped 

but little comes through the 11.g-inch pipe. the 6-inch pipes giving vent 

to nearly all the water. 

The water is raised by a 60-horsepower boiler, with a pump capable 

of lifting 1,000 to 1,200 gallons per minute. The reserroir is built of 

light soil, lined with a coating of tar and gravel and then covered with 

pitch. It leaked a little in one place at :first, but none s}nce. The area 

of the reservoir is 1 acre and the depth of water 5 feet although the 

total height of the walls is 61 feet. With the pump running continuously it can be :filled in thirty hours, at a cost of $18 for fuel, labor, etc. 

Presuming that it filled ten times in fifteen days, there would be 

sufficient water to give an irrigation of 41 inches every fifteen days to 

146 acres; and this amount of water would not, I think~ be more than 

sufficient for most crops, although 175 acres, mostly in orchard, are 

irrigated (inadequately, it is said by observers) by pump.;ng only a part 

of the time in summer. 

The estimated cost of such a plant complete is about $15,000, which 

would bring up the initial cost to $100 per acre, or o--:tly about oneseventh that of windmill irrigation. Allowing for eight irrigations in 

the year and 10 per cent on the capital invested, and inc~uding fuel and 

labor, the cost of irrigation per acre amounts to $20.05 per annum. 

Even at this cost the proprietor considers the work satisfactory, as he 

is insured a certain supply of water throughout the year. 

There is another drawback to irrigating with well water as cQmpared 

with using the river water, and that is, that the land d'les not receive 

the annual fertilizing which it does from the sedimert of the river 

water. It is even said that the well water, being slightly alkaline, will 

ultimately prove injurious to vegetation. Doubtless the water from 

some of the strata is too highly charged with alkali to be safely used, 

but by exercising a certain amount of judgment in selecting the depth 

from which the water is drawn this difficulty can be overcome to a 

very great extent. It has been asserted that the quality of the water 

improves after a well has been used for some time, the alkaline salts 

being exhausted or washed out. 

On the whoJe, it appears to the writer that the experiments so far 

made tend to prove that, if the river water be properly stored and distributed, the pumping of water, either by steam or by windmill power, 

is not needed in the valley. 
U. 8. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPE:R NO. 10 PL. VII 

RESERVOIR AT SHALEM COLONY. 
BARED.] ALKALI. 37 

SOIL OF MESILLA VALLEY. 

The greater part of the soil consists of a gray clay, called adobe, the 

result of the disintegration of the solid rocks. It has been washed 

down from the highlands into the valley, or brought by the river and 

deposited along its banks. There is also a considerable amount of sandy 

loam, sometimes on the surface and at other times underlying the top 

stratum of adobe. This sandy loam and adobe often lie U":lOn sand, 

which is found at depths varying from 3 to 10 feet. 

Here and there are also patches of bare sand, upon which it would 

appear quite impossible to raise anything. However, if the sand be 

leveled and the river water from the irrigating canals be r,llowed to 

run over it for a year or two, it soon becomes fertile, and the longer 

crops are raised upon it the more its fertility increases. This is due to 

the sediment deposited by the river water, which contains a large proportion of fertilizing ingredients. 

Forty-eight inches of river water will deposit half an inch of sediment, so that in the course of twelve years the sand will be covered with 

6 inches of rich soil, and if this be mixed with the sand by plowing, 

one gets a foot of magnificent soil where before there was a barren 

waste. Much of the soil has been formed in this way, some artificially 

and some by the natural overflow of the river in past ages. 

ALKALI. 

Throughout the Mesilla Valley, and indeed all along the Ri f\ Grande, 

alkaline spots occur, shown by the white crust upon the surf1.ce of the 

soil. The principal salts composing alkali are known by the names of 

Glauber's salts, common salt, sal soda, and saltpeter, with a l'1ixture of 

carbonate of lime and sulphate of potassium. Where sal. soda or 

sodium carbonate predominates the mixture is known as bl~·~k alkali. 

It then appears on the surface as a black puddle. This is the worst 

form of alkali and the most harmful to plant life. It is seldom seen in 

this valley, however, owing to the fact that the water used for irrigation 

contains a sufficient proportion of gypsum to convert black alkali into 

white alkali. It is therefore only with the latter that we hay~ to deal. 

It should be understood at the outset that most of the irgredients 

found in alkali are necessary for plant. life-especially potasl1 and carbonate of soda, which are really important fertilizers and which become 

injurious only when present in excess. Hence alkali is not a sign of 

poor soil, but rather the coutrary. 

The harm is mostly dllne by the accumulation of the alkali on the 

upper ernst of the soil, where, by its caustic properties, it injures the 

stems of the plants with which it comes in contact. How this injurious 

accumulation takes place is thus explained: Most of the salts contained in the alkali are soluble in water, and are consequently dissolved 

• 
38 IRRIGATION IN MESIL.LA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. (No.lO. 

when water is applied to the land either artificially or in the form of 

rain. When the water so applied is again brought to the surface by 

means of capillary attraction, anrl evaporated, the alkali remains on 

the surface. By repeating this process the salts for son'e depth are all 

brought to the topsoil. It has been ascertained that there is often six 

or seven times as much alkali in the first inch of soil as in the next foot. 

There are two methods of treating white alkali: The first gets rid of 

it altogether; the second overcomes its injurious effects. We will take 

the latter method first, because it is the easier and the one usually 

practiced in the valley with success. 

It has already been shown that the injury is caused by the accumulation of the alkali on the surface. The remedy is deep tillage, so as 

to mix it up with the top 8 or 10 inches of soil, and then, by means of 

good cultivation, to keep it from accumulating at the surface. If the 

surface of the soil is stirred after each irrigation, as it should be whether 

there be alkali or not, the water can not come to the surface, and without the water the alkali can not get there either. All the native Mex. 

jeans say that they have no difficulty with alkali when the land is 

well cultivated. Alfalfa also seems to keep down the alkali, probably 

owing to its shading the land and thus preventing the water from evaporating at the surface. 

The Mexicans have an idea that the application of barnyard manure 

also dispels the alkali, but it is difficult to account for this, except on 

the theory that when a man takes the trouble to apply barnyard manure 

he also gives perfect ti1lage and cultivation. 

It is doubtful if there is any considerable extent of all~ali land in the 

valley that can not be successfully treated in this way, l~ut where such 

an excess of alkali exists as to render its absolute rem')val necessary 

the only remedy that has been suggested is to underdrain the land with 

pipes, and then flood the land so that the water will flew through the 

drain pipes and carry the alkali with it in solution. Jt; would be useless to attempt to carry off the alkali by flooding on t're surface and 

letting the water run off the land; the alkali would dis~nlve and sink 

down immediately the first water touched it. Not only would artificial 

drainage be very expensive, but it would generally be difficult to find 

a fall or outlet for the drainage water. 

It is asserted that crops of beets, which are known to be alkali feeders, will effectually remove white alkali, but this remedy has not been 

tried in this valley, nor, indeed, bas it been considered necessary. The 

opinion is also held that when the land is heavily flooded by irrigation, 

as is the Mexican custom, the water carries !1-own the ~,lkali to such a 

depth that it is carried away by the natural underdrainage of the valley. 

It is possible that this may account for the fact that the longer land is 

under cultivation in the valley the less alkali appears or the surface. 
U. $. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SU PI'L Y PAPER NO. 1 () PL. VIII 

BUILDINGS ON A FRUIT FARM. 
~BARKER.] FERTILIZATION. 39 

NECESSITY OF FERTILIZATION. 

After being assured that a great surplus of fertilizing ingreiients is 

yearly deposited on the land by the irrigation waters, the reader might 

conclude that the application of barnyard manure in the Mesilla 

Valley would be quite superfluous. It has, however, been conclusively 

proved in practice.that even in the case of wheat, which removes only 

half the nitrogen yearly deposited by the river, the crop is yery considerably increased when the land receives a moderate dressing of 

barnyard manure every three or four years, while it is impossible to 

succe:sfully raise vegetables unless barnyard manure is freely used. 

It is claimed by some that these good effects are due to the improved 

mechanical condition of the soil and its increased power of holding 

moisture, and doubtless these facts may have something to do with the 

result, but it is probable that the real explanation is to befour1 in the 

action of " soil ferments." Nitrogen may exist in the soil even in 

excess and yet not be in a form available for plants to feed upon, and 

the same may be said of other fertilizers. It has been demo"lstrated 

that nitrogen in the soil is reduced to nitric acid by means of living 

bacteria, which are multiplied by fermentation, and this fermn.ntation 

occurs most rapidly in decomposing barnyard manure. How bacteria 

perform this useful work is not fully understood, but it has long been 

noticed, not only in this valley, but elsewhere, that a dressing of barnyard manure produces fertilizing results far in excess of what could be 

expected from the quantity of plant food contained therein. Chemical 

analysis often discovers quantities of plant food in the soil which seem 

amply sufficient to produce remunerative crops, and yet the soil is 

practically poor. It would thus seem that nitrogen may exist in the 

soil in an inert form in large quantities and not be available for plant 

food until subject to the decomposing effects of bacteria. 

It has also been found that these bacteria multiply and work most 

actively quite near the surface of the soil. This accounts for vrhat has 

frequently been experienced in the Mesilla Valley, and probably in 

other irrigation districts, where it bas been necessary to scrape off the 

surface of the soil in order to make it level enough to irrigate, namely, 

that land so scraped remained comparatively infertile for a number of 

years.1 

NATIVE FARMERS AND IRRIGATORS. 

In order to obtain a true conception of the methods of irrigathn practiced in New Mexico and adjacent portions of Texas, it is essential to 

know something of the native farmers and laborers. All agricultural 

practice must, to a certain extent, be go1·erned by the efficit:mcy and 

cost of labor and by the skill and habits of the laborer. Primitive 

1 Soil ferments important in agriculture, by H. "W. ·wiley: Yearbook of the Department of Agricul· 

ture for 1895, !JP· 69-102. 
40 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. [No.lO. 

methods have usually been developed through centuries of experience, 

and while they may not always be desirable, yet much may be learned 

by observing the customs of the natives and by ascertaining the origin 

of these. 

Almost all the irrigation and cultivation in New Mexico is performed 

by native Mexicans. As farm hands, especially in an ieigating country, it is doubtful if they can be surpassed at the price, which is 75 

cents a day without board. The writer has always found them to be 

intelligent and industrious workers, willing, obliging, anc1

. civil. Moreover, they are sober and never strike. -

Although on their own farms their implements are usually of a very 

primitive description, this is not due to any lack of an intelligent 

desire for~etter things or any unwillingness to adopt modern tools 

and machinery, but rather to lack of means to make the necessary 

outlay. In the neighboring valleys of Lorna Parda, Colorado, etc., 

harvesters and threshing machines have quite recently been introduced 

with great success, the native Mericans being quick to appreciate their 

advantages. It is also within my experience that hay balers which 

had been discarded by Americans on account of continual breakages 

were taken by Mexicans and operated with complete suc~ess. 

Much of the land in the va11ey is let on shares, the te,ant doing all 

the work on the irrigating ditches and delivering to the proprietor at 

his residence one-fourth of the produce. This for uninproved land. 

In the case of improved land or orchards and vineyards, the share paid 

is higher, being often one-half. In all cases within my experience the 

tenants have faithfully performed their contracts, which are in most 

cases merely verbal. Indeed, it is well known by the older residents 

that a Mexican's word is as good as his bond, and that except for the 

purpose of avoiding any misunderstanding written contrr~ts are superfluous. It may be of interest to note that many of the best and most 

reliable Mexicans are those who can not read or write. Education has 

not raised the standard of morality. It is the fashion to depreciate 

the Mexican and talk of him as lazy and unprogressive, and especially 

is this the case with those least acquainted with these people. This 

impression of laziness is partly due to the fact that in this sunny 

climate the idle men are seen out of doors, whereas in C(]lder countries 

they are indoors and unseen. On the whole it may be said that the 

native Mexicans compare favorably with members of any other nationality in the same social scale. They are patient, polite, and law-abiding, and it is perfectly safe to travel among them unarmed, either by 

day or by night. 

All the Mexican houses are built of what are called adobes-that is, 

sun-dried bricks. These bricks are usually 18 inches long, 9 inches 

wide, and 4 inches thick. They are laid in mud, and usrally cost, laid 

in the wall, $15 per 1,000. Many of the walls are 3 feet thick, but 18 

inches is quite sufficient for a one-story building, and no Mexican 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 10 PL. IX 

VIEW ON LAS CRUCES CANAL. 
BARKER.) CROPS. 41 

house is more than one-story high. The thick adobe walls ar~ quite 

impervious to heat and cold, so that the houses are warm in willter and 

cool in summer. They are, therefore, admirably adapted to the climate, 

and are prefe1·able to houses built of brick or wood. 

The roofs are made of the same material, that is, adobe mud, laid 

over heavy beams covered with brush or rushes. They are, ho~ever, a 

constant source of anxiety, being very apt to leak unless well attended 

to. A much better covering is a light adobe-mud roof and ov-er this, 

with an air space between, a corrugated-iron roof. This is quite as 

cool as the adobe roof, as the mud under the corrugated iron prevents 

the passage of heat, and the iron roof is always water-tight. 

These adobe houses are much more durable than they appear to be. 

Many adobe buildings exist which are known to have stood two centuries or longer. As every Mexican knows how to make and lay adobes, 

the building of an adobe house entails no cash outlay, except for doors 

and windows. The consequence is that the houses of the Vf""'Y poor 

consist of one or two rooms, often with no windows and with but one 

door to the house. Very elaborate and comfortable houses ern, however, be constructed with these adobe bricks, especially when they are 

plastered and painted on the outside. The usual plan of architecture 

is to build the various rooms around an open courtyard or patio. 

IRRIGATION AND CULTIVATION OF VARIOUS CROP~. 

In the following pages the methods of applying water and of cultivating the various crops, such as wheat, corn, and alfalfa, will be 

briefly described, and reference will be made to the agricultur:r,l practice in regard to gardens, orchards, and vineyards. Considerable space 

is given to the description of customary methods, in order to b:dng out 

more clearly the best means of utilizing the water resources and to 

illustrate the writer's ideas as to what should be accomplishe9.. 

An explanation may be given here for abstaining from the publication of many figures showing the prices of farm produce in the Mesilla 

Valley and the quantities raised per acre. In the first place, prices 

may be very different a few years hence, and to give those o:f' to-day 

would therefore probably be misleading. In the second })lac~, statements of prices and yield per acre have generally been exaggerated, 

and the author of this paper is not desirous of laying himself open to 

criticism. It is sufficient to say that the quantity of irrigable land in 

New Mexico is so small compared with the necessities of the mining 

and other industries that doubtless for very many years, and perhaps 

for all time, the prices of farm products are likely to be as high as 

those in the more eastern States, plus the cost of freight. 

WHEAT. 

Anyone conversant with the methods of raising wheat in vogue a 

thousand years before the Christian era will be able to form a conception of the manner in which the native Mexicans carry on their work 
42 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MPXICO. [No.lO. 

at the present day. The :first operation is to collect and burn the 

forest of weeds, often higher than a man's head, which have accumulated during the preceding summer. Then ''the sowrr goeth forth to 

sow," which he does by carrying the wheat in a tin pail and scattering 

it broadcast with his hand. The plows follow, mostl'"'" drawn by one 

small Mexican pony. The surface soil is slightly stir.-ed to the depth 

of about 3 inches and the seed is thus covered. 

This done, square beds are made all over the field and surrounded 

by bigh borders to contain the water, these being made by the plow 

and finished off with a heavy hoe. If the land is not 8'Ufficiently moist 

to sprout the seed, water is now applied with reckles~ extravagance. 

As fast as the surface soil dries out, more applicaticns of water are 

made, usually about :five in number. There is no manuring of the soil, 

no weeding, and no cultivation. Until the crop ripe .. ts the Mexican 

squats in the sun on his haunches and watches the work of nature; 

or if the sun is too hot he sits under the shade of his own vine and 

fig tree. 

Early in June be and his sons, cousins, and nephews arm themselves 

with primitive iron sickles and proceed to cut down th~ crop. Most of 

the straw is left standing, for the Mexican bas no use for straw. Then 

to the thrashing floor, which is merely beaten mud. Here the observer 

would imagine himself somewhere on the outskirts of .Jerusalem in the 

days of Naomi, especially if his acquaintance with the Spanish dialect 

is not sufficient to enable him to distinguish it from Hebrew. A herd 

of goats or sheep, and sometimes ponies, is now brought onto the 

scene, and amidst much shouting and cracking of wll ips the animals 

are made to run round and round the thrashing floor until the grain is 

parted from the husks. This is an exact repetition of the ancient 

"treading of the corn." This done, the short straw iE raked ofl', leaving a pile of wheat and chaff. Then follows the ancient process of 

winnowing, practiced thousands of years ago. With broad shovels the 

grain is tossed into the air, that the wind may blow away the chaff. 

Of course rain sometimes interferes with these primitive and tedious 

operations, but no misfortune can depress the spirits of these workers. 

CORN. 

Next to wheat, corn is the most important grain crc-ry raised in the 

Mesilla Valley. The usual method pursued is to open a small furrow 

with a plow and then to drop in the seed by hand, at intervals. As 

soon as the plant is sufficiently high, the rows are hilled, and during the 

season about six irrigations are given, although the crop will mature 

with much less. The furrows are also cultivated after each irrigation, 

or at least they should be. 

The corn is usually sown some time in May, and land is mostly 

cropped with wheat one year and corn the next, although if the wheat 

is sown and harv.,sted early a crop of corn or beans may follow the 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 10 PL. X 

CONTRA-ACEQUIA AND LATERAL IN MESILLA VALLEY. 
BARKER.) CROPS. 43 

same year. As a rule, however, the wheat is sown too late, often far 

into December. Much better crops of wheat would be raised if it were 

always in the ground by the 1st of November. 

ALFALFA. 

Alfalfa is a perennial plant, and when once sown will last for many 

years. It is difficult to say how long it is profital)le to keep the same 

field in alfalfa, but there are many instances of land that has borne 

crops of alfalfa for twenty years, and even for a longer period, without 

showing any signs of depreciation. 

The seed is usually sown in February, on land. already S£'~ded to 

wheat, and oats are also frequently sown with the alfalfa in order to 

act as a shade to the young plants. But quite as good results have 

been obtained by sowing the alfalfa alone. The seed may als0 be put 

in the ground at the end of September. The young plants will soon 

appear above the ground and will continue to grow, in roots if not in 

leaf, during the greater part of the winter. 

The cost of seeding an acre of land in the Mesilla Valley with alfalfa 

is as follows: 

Plowing and harrowing ..••••..••.......••......••..•••••..••... $1:~. 00 

Drilling seed.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l. 25 

Making borders for irrigation . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . .. . . . 2. 50 

25 pounds of seed, at 8 cents .................................... _ ~. 00 

Total ..•.......•..........•.•...........•.. -• . . . . • • . . . . . . . 10. 75 

The annual expense will be: 

Cutting, raking, gat.hering, and stacking 3t tons, at $1.... . . . . . . . . $f. 50 

Irrigating six times, at 15 cents...... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. • .. . . 90 

Water per acre.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 

Cleaning lateral ditches......................................... . 50 

Baling 3i- tons, at $1.35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . • . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 .• 72 

Hauling to railroad 3l tons...................................... a. 50 

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . 1::'. 97 

This makes the cost of the hay in the stack $1.60 per ton and not 

quite $4 baled and delivered on cars. Hitherto most of the alfalfa bas 

been sold as hay, but much better returns are obtained by feeding it to 

live stock for raising hogs and dairy produce, which undoubtedly constitute the best products for the farmer. Alfalfa usually gives four 

cuttings in the year, but with care and plenty of water it would be 

possible to get five cuttings, yielding altogether 5 or 6 tons of hay. 

Owing, however, to a somewhat slovenly mP.thod of farming and the 

occasional iack of water, the writer places the average yield in the 

valley at 31 tons per acre. 

VEGETABLE GARDENS. 

With very few exceptions all sorts of vegetables are sucr~ssfully 

grown iu the valley. Very few Irish potatoes are produced, aE" most of 

the gardeners have failed to make good crops, owing to their z-ioption 
44 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW Ml~XICO. [NO.lO. 

of the method of culture practiced in rainfall countr1es. There are, 

however, a few farmers who succeed in raising good c:-:-ops every year, 

and their system is as follows: The land must have been heavily 

manured, and preferably for a previous crop, for fresh manure is apt 

to cause the soil to lose its moisture, especially if it is not well incorporated with the soil. Early in winter lay the land un in ridges, and 

shortly after Christmas give it a good irrigatioP. At the beginning of 

February split these ridges and plant in the furrows E'O made. Cover 

with a plow and harrow the ground well, so that the surface is in good 

tilth. By this method sufficient moisture is left in the soil to start the 

tubers growing without further irrigation. This appe~"'S to be the real 

secret of raising potatoes under irrigation. No water is given until the 

vines are 8 inches high, when they are earthed up an1 a good irrigation is applied between the ridges. As a rule, no more water will be 

needed, but if the land should go dry at the roots, one more irrigation 

is given. Early varieties are selected, as they set their tubers before 

the hot weather comes on. One of the farmers at Lar Cruces informs 

me that under this system he has raised crops every year, and that one 

of which be took the weight and measurement was at the rate of 13! 

tons per acre. There consequently appears no reason why all the 

potatoes required in the valley should not be raised su~cessfully. 

Early pease are grown in considerable quantities for shipment to 

more northern points. They are usually planted on th~ flat, but it has 

been found that if the land is laid off in large ridges Pmning east and 

west and the pease are sown on the southern slope of these ridges the 

crop will mature several days earlier. 

The soil and climate of the Mesilla Valley appear to be admirably 

adapted to the raising of tomatoes, and, as the canned product compares favorably with the best eastern brands, the rais:ng and canning 

of tomatoes is likely to prove one of the important industries of the 

future. The land must be brought into perfect tilt]', and if a little 

manure can be applied it will do all the better. Then lay out the field. 

Make two small ridges, which will take up, say, 2 or 3 feet, leave a space 

of 9 feet, and then strike two more ridges. Proceed until the whole field 

is laid out with two small ridges and a space of 9 feet br;tween each pair 

of ridges. About half a pound of seed is required to the acre. Sow it 

along the outside of the ridges, just above the water line, but where 

the soil will receive a certain amount of moisture by capillary attraction. Then irrigate on the 9-foot spaces as often as the earth dries and 

cracks, until the small plants are large enough to hoe, after which one 

irrigation every two or three weeks will suffice. · 

As soon as the vines begin to run, irrigation must Cff.l,se in the 9-foot 

spaces, which must be kept free from weeds, and dry, for the vines to 

spread over and fruit upon. The water must thereaft1~r be applied in 

the furrow between the two ridges. The vines should be bent over so 

that they run over the 9-foot spaces, and in this way they will get dry 
BARKER.] ORCHARDS AND VINEYARDS. 45 

soil on which to ripen their fruit. The seed is sown from the middle 

of April to the beginning of May, and pretty thickly, as there is a 

small insect that is apt to eat some of the plants. They can be thinned 

out from 2 to 2~ feet in the rows. Sowing in a hot bed and trallsplanting has been tried, but is not favored; the plants getsuch a check in 

lifting that they are little, if any, ahead of those sown in the :field. 

If the plants do well they will produce an enormous weight of tomatoes-25,000 to 30,000 pounds. Last year the price paid was 75 cents 

per 100 pounds; but 50 cents is a fair return. There is a certain 

amount of risk attached to the cultivation of tomatoes. Even when 

the plants are up there is the risk of the vines being attacked by a 

disease which rots them just above the ground and has caused great 

losses during past years. A remedy for this has been found in spraying the vines with a weak solution of bordeaux mixture. 

ORCHARDS AND VINEYARDS. 

Among the native Mexicans the grape is the principal fruit raised in 

the valley, although many of the American farmers own good vineyards. The former grow the Mission grape almost exclusively, whereas 

the latter mostly raise the Muscat of Alexandria, Black Hamburg, Gros 

Colmar, Malvoisie, and otl;ter so-called California varieties, all of which 

thrive perfectly. 

The grapes begin to ripen toward the end of July, and the shipping 

season usually lasts till about the last week in October. A gr,~at deal 

of wine is made, but it is usually more profitable to sell the fruit for 

table use. During the season large quantities are shipped, mostly in 

10-pound baskets, to all the towns in New Mexico, and to many of the 

markets of Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, etc. 

The vineyards are usually started by putting a couple of cuttings 

during March e'~ry 8 feet each way, although many of the older vineyards are set at 6 feet apart. When the cuttings begin to grow the 

weaker one is pulled out and the stronger left. The object of setting 

two cuttings is to make sure of one growing. At 8 feet apart e~.ch way 

680 vines go to the acre, and this seems to be a better distance than 6 

feet, as it gives more room for cultivation. Some of the more p ... ogressive horticulturists consider that the rows 10 feet apart and the vines 

8 feet apart in the row ( 544 to the acre) is still better. 

What is known as the" stump" method of training and prr1ning is 

followed. This consists in staking the vine during the first two years, 

so as to form a straight upright trunk. The first year the vine is 

allowed to grow as it pleases, when it is cut back to its strong3st eye. 

The second year all the buds are rubbed off to the height of 15 or 18 

inches, and at the next pruning the cane is cut back to 18 or 20 inches, 

leaving two or three buds as a basis for the future head. From now 

tbe ''short spur" system of pruning is adopted; that is, the canes are 

all allowed to grow as they please during summer; and at the annual 
46 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. [N0.10. 

pruning in March these canes are cut back to one or two eyes, from 

which spring the bearing canes. Of course, as the vines get old too 

many spurs are made and many of them too long, when some must be 

cut out altogether. Under this system most of the grapes seem to 

. thrive very well, although there is a great deal of very careless staking 

and training in the early life of the vines, resulting in difficult pruning 

later on, and many of the bunches get spoiled by th~ mud, owing to 

the want of a good, strong, straight trunk to hold up the fruit. 

There is considerable difference of opinion as to wl·o.ther the grape 

vines need to be hilled up during the winter in this valley. The old 

custom among the natives has been to cover the vines with hilis of 

earth in the month of November and not to uncover until the following 

March, when it is time to prune. The mounds of eartl1. are raised sufficiently high to just cover the buds which are to be left for the coming 

year. No irrigation is given during the winter or until after pruning. 

The object of this hilling up is not to protect the viro,s so much from 

the winter cold as from the cold, drying winds, which cause the trunk 

to crack and the canes to winter-kill. It is, however, claimed by those 

who have tried it in recent years that if the vineyards be irrigated during the winter these dry, cold winds do no harm and· the vines thrive 

better. Pruning is usually done in March, but earlie .... grapes are produced when the vines are pruned in the fall: 

As a general rule the cultivation of the vineyards is most slovenly, 

and this remark applies quite as much to those ownf'tl by Americans 

as to the .1.\-Iexican vineyardli. Indeed, the latter are, on the whole, 

better cared for. There is rarely any real cultivation of the soil during summer, and only when the weeds get too rampant are men sent in 

with hand hoes. Undoubtedly much better results would be obtained 

if the vines were wider apart, better trained, and the surface soil kept 

well pulverized throughout the year. There would also be less injury 

from drought, for the vine is deeply rooted and can 8tand a long time 

without water if otherwise properly cared for. 

Next to the grape the peach has hitherto proved the most successful 

fruit raised in the valley. The tree comes to maturity very early and 

bears enormously. The quality of the fi·uit is also excellent and will 

compare favorably with that raised in any other part of the United 

States. If carefully pruned and the fruit thinned out, the peach tree is 

also long lived in this valley. 

Young trees one year old from the bud are always used in setting 

out an orchard, and as the peach tree at six or sev-en years old will 

cover a space of ground 7 to 8 yards in diameter the:-r are usually set 

out 24 feet by 21, at whieh distance an acre will contair 86 trees. Corn, 

beans, or vegetables are generally grown between the rows for the first 

two years, but many experts are of opinion that thf' trees will grow 

better if the land is kept clear and well cultivated. 

The peach tree, and indeed all other fruit trees, are headed low in 
BARKER,) ORCHARDS AND VINEYARDS. 47 

pruning, so as to protect the trunks and ground from the s~orching 

sun. The :first branches are usually started about 2 to 3 feet from the 

grOlmd, sometimes much lower. 

Nearly if not quite as many apple trees have been set out F" peach 

trees, but owing to the longer time required to come to maturity, fewer 

orchards are in bearing. As previously remarked, any variety that 

makes a good peach in other parts of the world will do the same in New 

Mexico, and the same rule applies to grapes, plums, aud, to a great extent, 

pears. But in the case of the apple the climate and probably the soil 

and water have a very marked effect in changing the color, quality, and 

time of ripening and keeping of the apples, so that especial varieties 

have to be chosen to suit the climate, etc. 

As regards the general character and quality of the apples raised, it 

may be said that in size and beauty of coloring they are unsurpassed; 

but they are of only fair quality and do not keep long. Neve--:-theless, 

this may be classed as a good apple country when one consic1.ers that 

the apple is a sure cropper every year and that this is the most southern 

locality in which this fruit can be profitably cultivated. 

As in the case of the peach, yearling trees are the best to set out. 

Two-year-old trees, however, do well, but it is not advisable: to use 

older plants. The best distance to plant seems to be 24 by 21 feet, and 

m pruning they must be headed low. So far as one is able to judge, 

the apple is not a very long-lived tree in this climate, owing largely, I 

believe, to the fact that the trees are allowed to overbear year after 

year. Experiments made by me prove that it would pay to thin out 

the fruit in the same way that peaches are thinned out. 

The climate seems admirably adapted to the cultivation of pears, 

plums, and prunes, and they are less subject to frost than peaches, 

although not such a sure crop as apples. All sorts of pears and plums 

grow to the greatest perfection. Up to the present time no prunes have 

been cured, but the trees thrive, and the dry, sunny climate ought to 

make this industry a profitable one. 

Besides the fruits already mentioned, quinces and mulberries grow 

to perfection. Melons and cantaloupes are also raised and sripped in 

large quantities. Peanuts do well, but very few have been r<:~,ised for 

market. All sorts of small grain thrive in the valley, and the very 

finest samples of wheat have been raised. The land and cli'llate are 

also admirably adapted to beet-culture and tobacco. Canaigre, · the 

new tanning plant, grows wild on the adjoining plains, and it is probable that when this plant comes into more general use a conf~derable 

industry will spring up in the valley. · 

One of the greatest errors made by the earliest settlers was to sow 

down their orchards with alfalfa. Doubtless the mistake arose from the 

fact that orchards in the East are advantageously sown with white 

clover. The latter, however, is a shallow-rooted plant, whe•·eas the 

alfalfa at three or four years of age will have roots far larger and deeper 
48 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW M:DXICO. {NO.lO. 

than those of an apple tree, and the inevitable result hts always been 

that the alfalfa prevented the growth and ultimately caused the death 

of the fruit trees. Even if sown in an established orclJard the alfalfa 

will so rob the soil that no good fruit will be produced, and in the end 

the alfalfa surely kills the trees. 

The earliest planted orchards were invariably suppUed with a windbreak, mostly composed of osage orange, and occasionally of cottonwood or Russian mulberry trees. All these wind-breaks had the same 

defects-they gave no protection to the newly planted f··uit trees, unless 

the wind-break was set four or five years in advance; an~ nothing would 

grow near the trees used as a wind-break, owing to ·their robbing the 

soil of all nutriment for a considerable distance. The O"'age orange had 

one advantage-it provided an impenetrable fence. 

The Mexicans had, as a rule, surrounded these vineyards with an 

adobe or mud wall, which, while making a perfect winc:l-break, afforded 

a too comfortable winter resort for the codling-moth grub and other 

noxious insects. ffitimate experience showed that the best and only 

wind-break needed was, as a friend facetiously remarked, a good 

barbed-wire fence. If there be any advantage in a wind-break, possibly 

the best thing to do would be to plant a row of wild-goose plum trees, 

about 10 feet apart. They would bear a profitable crop every year, 

and form an almost impenetrable thicket. 

For the vegetable garden, however, a wind-break is r,bsolutely necessary to protect the young growing plants from the dest":'uctive effects of 

the bleak winds in February and March. An adobe wg ll is perhaps the 

best protection, or a fence may be made of lumber, or even of the 

walking-cane cactus, which grows plentifully on the adjoining tablelands. This latter will last eight or ten years, and is impassable by 

man, pigs or poultry. 

The valley is not exempt from late spring frosts, wHch occasionally 

do considerable damage to the fruit blossoms. These frosts, however, 

are not worse than those occurring in almost every otl'43r fruit district, 

and their injurious effects can be considerably mitigated by means of 

irrigation. The trees most liable to injury are the alm'lnd and apricot, 

owing to the earliness of their blossoming; and on tl'is account they 

are seldom planted. Peaches are also cut off two or three years out 

of seven; but apples and grapes are very seldom injured, and there 

are apple orchards and vineyards which have not failed to produce a 

good crop annually for the past fourteen years. Pear~ and plums are 

liable to ~ufi'er more often than apples, but are a much more certain crop 

than peaches. 

ADVANTAGES OF IRRIGATION. 

When the Eastern farmer sees all the work entailed in laying out a 

wheat field for irrigation and the subsequent labor of applying the water, 

he is often heard to exclaim, "If all that work is necessf'~Y I have no use 
U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER-SUPPLY PAPER NO. 10 PL. XI 

SMALL IRRIGATION DITCH. 
BARKER.) ADVANTAGES OF IRRIGATION. 49 

for irrigation." It is useless to attempt to disguise the fact that irrigation entails much expense in the cultivation of crops. Of course, that 

expense varies with the kind of crop raised; but the question may be 

asked whether the value of the extra quantity produced is not in excess 

of the extra expenditure. 

Let us take the case of alfalfa. The yearly expense per acre for irrigation, as has already been shown, is $2.15; but four crops of hay are 

raised in the year in lieu of one without irrigation, or say 3~ tons instead 

of 1~ tons. The farmer therefore gets an extra 2 tons of hay for an 

expenditure of $2.15 in water. Add $2 for the cost of harvesting these2 

tons, and you have an extra 2 tons of hay costing $4.15, or $2.08 per ton. 

In the case of wheat crop it is not €asy to give exact figures, but I 

have no hesitation in saying that the crop will be double "That it is in 

countries where irrigation is not practiced and where fertilizers are not 

used. This is due in large part to the fertilizing properties of the river 

water, to which reference bas already been made, which insures the 

permanent fertility of the soil. One must also bear in mind the fact that 

wheat and almost all farm products are worth more in the ir:"igated districts of the West than they are farther east. 

No farmer would consider it a waste of money to put 10 tons per acre 

of barnyard manure upon his land every year, even though it cost him 

$6. For half this expense he can, where the river water is of the same 

quality as that which irrigates the Mesilla Valley, not only apply 

fertilizers equal to the contents of 10 tons of barnyard mall ure, but he 

gives the crop the exact amount of wate1· required for a full yield, 

insures· it against loss by drought, and gets a better price than could 

be obtained elsewhere. Irrigation farming means intensive farming; 

and it is intensive farms which pay in the long run. 

If the question is asked, as it often is, What is the most. profitable 

product to raise in New Mexico~ the answer generally m<:'l,de is that 

apples, peaches, grapes, or some fancy crop will pay the most money, 

and dazzling figures are given showing the number of pounds per acre 

and cents per pound, resulting in a rapid fortune from 40 acres of land 

In my opinion, however, the future of farming in New Mexico does not 

lie in this direction. 

I have el8ewhere referred to the feeding qualities of alfalfa, especially 

when mixed with corll or sorghum fodders and corn meal. ~':'he climate, 

soil, and irrigation of the Mesilla Valley, and of many other valleys 

on the Rio Grande, are especially adapted to raising these crops, and I 

believe that the future of farming here lies in feeding alfalfa and corn 

for the production of beef, pork, and dairy products. 

There is an abundance of range cattle, which up to the ]:resent time 

are shipped to Ea~tern points and there fattened for market, while right 

here are all the means of fattening these cattle. If the cattle were 

fattened at home, not only could they be shipped more prc"'itably, but 

there would be a remunerative market at home. 

IRR 10--4 
50 IRRIGATION IN MESILLA VALLEY, NEW MEXICC [NO.lO. 

The advantages of stock-feeding over fruit-growing are many. In the 

first place, the stock give an immediate return, whereas no return~ can be 

expected from fruit for four and often six years. Then, again, there are 

more farmers who understand stock-raising than there are who understand fruit-growing. Moreover, there are many risks attached to an 

orchard which are absent from a stock farm, especially in tb~ matter of 

prices obtainable for the produce. Pork, beef, and butter are always in 

steady demand and at cash prices, and the stock farmer is not liable to 

losses from gluts in the market, which so often beset the orc;hardist. It 

may seem strange to predict that the great future of farming in one of 

the :finest fruit valleys in the world is in stock rather than in fruit, but 

it will not be the :first instance of the kind. 
INDEX. 

Page. 

..Alfalfa, mode of irrigating and cultivating ..................•.......• 28,43,47-48 

cost of .................................. 43, 49 

advantages of raising ......•........... 49-50 

.Alkali, character, occurrence, and effect of .. 37-39 

.Apples, cultivation of...................... 47 

Canals, land irrigable by........... . . . . . . . . 21-24 

management of ......................... 22-24 

·Cattle, advantages of raising ............... 49-50 

.Checks, mode of flooding in ................ 24-26 

Clirnate .......................•............ 14-15 

Corn, mode of irrigating and cultivating .. 42-43 

Cultivation after irrigation ...............•. 29-30 

Droughts .................................. 17-19 

Elephant Butte, proposed dam and reservoir at .•••••......•......•.•.•...... 19-20 

~ertility of soil ..........•••••••..... 20-21,37-311 

]'ort Selden, proposed dam at . • • • • • . . . • . . • • 19-20 

Frosts...................................... 48 

:Fruit trees, irrigation and cultivation 

of . . . . . . . . . . . . • • • • • • • • • • . • • . • . 28-32, 45-48 

Furrow irrigation .........•••.......•...••• 26-27 

Gardens, mode of irrigating and cultivat· 

ing............ . . . • . • . • . . . . 32-34, 43-45, 48 

Goss, .Arthur, cited on fertility of land in 

the Mesilla Valley ..••••........•••• 20-21 

Grapes, mode of irrigating and cultiv..ating . • • . . . . • • . . • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 45-48 

Ground water ..•••••.......••••••.••....... 18-19 

.Humidity.................................. 15 

hrigating canals ......•••••..••...••...•••• 21-24 

management of .........•...........•..• 22-24 

Las Cruces acequia, mode of cleanin_g and 

repairing...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 

Measurements of flow of Rio Grande ...... 15-17 

Mexican methods of irrigation ...•...... 38,39-41 

Page . 

Newell, F. H., letter of transmittal b_:'" •• .• . . 9 

Orchards, mode of irrigating and cultivating . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-32, 45-48 

Peaches, mode of irrigating and cultivating ........................ 2'-29,46-47,48 

Pease, mode of irrigating and cultiv.'tting.. 44 

Potatoes, mode of irrigating and cultivating ......................•....••••.. 43-44 

Pumping water for irrigation .............. 34-36 

Railroads . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 13 

RainfalL...... . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 

Rio Grande, monthly discharge of.......... 15-17 

Soil, fertility of .....••....•........... 20-21,37-39 

alkali in .................•.............. 37-39 

Steam pumps, use of ...........•...•........ 35-36 

Stock raising, advantages of ......•......... 49-50 

Temperatures.............................. 14 

Tomatoes, mode of irrigating and cnlti vating ..........•••.••.......•••.••.... 44-45 

Underground water ..................•.•••. 18-19 

Vegetable gardens, mode of irrigathg and 

cultivating ................ 3?,-34, 43-45,48 

Vineyards, mode of irrigating and cnltivating ......•••..................•.. 28, 45-48 

Water, source of ..••.•......•.............. 15-17 

storage of • . . . . • . • . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . 19-20 

quality of ..........•....•...•••......... 20-21 

mode of distributing and apport'oning. 24 

methods of applying....... . . . . • . . . . . . . 24-27 

quantity needed .................•...... 27-29 

Wheat, mode of irrigating and cultivating................ . . . . . . . . . . . . • • 28, 41-42 

costof............................ ...... 49 

Wind velocity ••••.•••.•...•.............••. · 15 

Windmills, use of ..........••.............. 34-35 

Winter irrigation . • . . . . • • • • • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-32 

51 

0 
I 
lS95. 

Sixteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1894-95, Part II, 

Papers of an economic character, 1895, octavo, 598 pp. 

Contains a pap<>r on the public lands and their water supply, by F. H. Newell, illustrated 

by a large map showing the relative extent and location of the vacant public lands; also a report on the water resources of a portion ot the Great Plains, by Robert Hay. 

A geological reconnoissance of northwestern Wyoming, by George H. Eldridge, 

1894, octavo.-72 pp. Bulletin No. 119 of the United States Geological Survey; 

price, 10 cents. 

Contains a description of the geologic structure of portions of the Big Horn Range and 

Big Horn Basin, especially with reference to the coal fields, and remarks upon the water supply and agricultural possibilities. 

Report of progress of the division of hydrography for the calendar year 1893-94, 

by F. H. Newell, 1895, octavo, 176 pp. Bulletin No. 131 of the United States 

Geological Survey; price, 15 cents. 

- Contains results of stream measurements at various point!!J mainly within the arid region, and records of wells in a number of counties in western .Nebraska, western Kansas, and eastern Colorado. 

l.S96. 

Seventeenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1895-96, Part 

II, Economic geology and hydrography, 1896, octavo, 86<1 pp. 

Contains papers by G. K. Gilbert on the underground water of the Arkansas Valley in eastern Colorado; by Frank Leverett on the water resources of Illinois; and by N.H. Dar- ton on a reconnaissance of the artesian areas of a portion of the Dakotas. 

Artesian-well prospects in the Atlantic Coastal Plain region; by N. H. Darton, · 1896, octavo, 230 pp. ,19 plates. Bulletin No. 138 of the United States Geological Survey; price, 20 cents. 

Gives a description_ of the geologic conditions of the coastal region from Long Island, 

N.Y., to Georgia, and contains data relating to many of-the. deep wells. • 

-Report of progreBs of the division of hydrography for the calendar year 1895, by 

F. H. Newell, hydrographer in charge, 1896, octavo, 35opp. Bulletin No. 140 

of the United States Geological Survey; price, 25 cents. 

Contains a description of the instruments and methods employed in measuring streams and the results of hydrographic investigations in various parts of the United States. 

1S9'f. 

Eighteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey, 1896-97, Part 

IV, Hydrography, 1897, octavo, 756 pp. (In preparation.) 

Contains a progress report of stream measurements for the year 1896, by Arthur P. Davis, 

and four other papers relating to hydrography. The first of these is by Frank Leverett, 

and relates to the water resources of Ohio and 'indiana, esiJecially as obtained by wells; the next is by N. H. Darton, on the artesian waters of South Dakota, being supplementary to his _pap<>r in the Seventeenth Annual; following this is a fully illustrated pap•n·, by James 

D. Schuyler, on water storage, mainly for irrigation and the construction of dams. 

WATER-SUPPLY AND IRRIGATIOX PAPERS, 189&-1898. 

This series ofJ>apersis designed to present in pamphlet form the results of stream meas- urements and o special investigations. A list of these, with other information, is given on the outside (or fourth) page of this cover. 

Survey bulletins can be obtained only by prepayment of cost as noted above. 

Postage stamps, checks, and drafts can not be accepted. Money should be transmitted by postal money order or express order, made payable to the Director of 

the United States Geological Survey. Correspondence relating to the publications 

oi the S·nrvey should Le atldressE)d to The Director, United States Geological 

:Survey, Washington, D. C. 
WATER-SUPPLY AND IRRIGATION PAPERS. 

1. Pumping water for irrigation, by Herbert M. Wilson, 1896. 

2. Irrigation near Phrenix, Arizona, by Arthur P. Davis, 1897. 

3. Sewage irrigation, by George W. Rafter, 1897. 

4. A reconnoissance in southeastern Washington, by Israel C. Russell, 1897. 

5. Irrigation practice on the Great Plains, by E. B. Cowgill, 1897. 

6. Underground waters of southwestern Kansas. by Erasmus Haworth, 1897. 

7. Seepage waters of northern Utah, by Samuel Fortier, 1897. 

8. Windmills for irrigation, by E. C. Murphy, 1897. 

9. Irrigation near Greeley, Colorado, by David Boyd, 1897. 

10. Il'rigation in Mesilla Valley, New Mexico, by F. C. Barker, 1898. 

11. River heights for 1896, by Arthur P. Davis, 1897. 

In preparation: 

12. Water resources of southeastern Nebraska, by Nelson Horatio Darton. 

13. Irrigation systems in Texas, by William Ferguson Hutson. 

14. New tests of certain pumps and water lift.s used in irrigation, by 0. P. Hood. 

In addition to the above, there are in various stages of preparation other papers 

relating to the measurement of streams, the storage of water, the amount available 

from underground sources. the efficiency of windmills, the cost of pumping, and 

other details relating to the methods of utilizing the water resources of the country. Provision has been made for printing these by the following clause in the 

sundry civil act making appropriations for the year 1896-97: 

Provided, That hereafter the reports of the Geological Survey in relation to the 

gauging of streams and to the methods of utilizing the water resources may be 

printed in octavo form, not to exceed 100 pages in length and 5,000 copies in num- ber; 1,000 copies of which shall be for the official use of the Geological Survey, 

1,500 copies shall be delivered to the Senate, and 2,500 copies shall be delivered to 

the House of Representatives, for distribution. (Approved June 11, 1896; Stat. L., 

vol. 29, p. 453.) 

The maximum number of copies available for the use of the Geological Survey 

is 1,000. This number falls far short of the demand, so that it is impossible to 

meet all requests. Attempts are made to send these pamphlets to persons who 

have rendered assistance in their preparation through replies to schedules or donation of data. Requests specifying a certain paper and stating a reason for asking 

for it are attended to whenever practicable, but it is impossible to·comply with 

general requests, such as to have all of the series sent indiscriminately. 

Application for these papers should be made either to Members of Congress or to 

THE DIRECTOR, 

UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 

JVashington, D. 0.