New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-11-14
LIFE IN NEW-MEXICO.
,,uw or TIE RIO GRANDE VALLEY.

,vrFW OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY.
.-,u,puIrY OF NEw-NrXICO FOR STOCK RAISING
,cnlcUtTURAL METHODS LIKE THOSE OF BIBLE
-,Fs-vlNEYArDs AND o. cHAWDs OF THE RIO
er,xnr VALLEY CHARACTER OF TBE INDIAN.
rxt.,x. AND SPANISH NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
or THE TIDE OF AMERICAN CIVILIZATION.
-, , STAFF rORREsfoSDzNT OF rHx TRBUNE.l
.,arouE orr. y. NJ, Sept. LA large portion OF
,ortbern and Central New-MeNico consists Of
,;ns and uesas on which are excellent grazing
lis covered with the rich. nutritious grass called
=, the Mexicans mesquite or grama. This grass
5dss not stand as thIckv upon the ground nor does
A. row as large rs the bunch grass of the northern
T.rrto-,es and the same number of cattle that
old fstten on a Thousand acres of land I'D Mon
20 vou'd eat the feed very close and probably
-, lean and scraggy the same amount OF land
:; New Mexico. The grana grass ought 70 get It's
ou,th during the rainy season OF July ana
,,rst II this is succeeded by a mouth OF dry
reother before the FIRST frost the feed will cur as 1t
s,a,ds and. unless tie country isover-stocked that
q too many cattle sheep are pastured upon IT, 1t
N furnish gocd feed until tho next July.
I,st year the rainfall was smaller than II had
-, in 4 decade: il was not sufficient 10 mature
.b grass in some places hardly enough to start H.
ia, pasturage therefore. was disastrously short
this year. until the rainy season began ana
.r,nsands OF cattle and sheep have died OF siaIVa
a., The mortality and loss among stock would
hve been much greater than 1t was If the owners
bol not driven their dOcks and herds INTO the
,,l,fains where. although the feed was still very
saort. There was a little grass while on the plans
-, ,.+,+ ON seemed 10 have dried up 10 It's very
,ts winch came ont of the ground and were
,tr about hv the winds. When first came to
" vc,i,o early in August, saw very few
.+l. mp sheen on the ranges although tho grass
hal already started and the prairies were covered
vuo beautiful green carpet Now many OF 1heh
are bac, rom the mountains and good paSJuTas Is
assured until next Summer
rAcLl rs FOR G-Az.YG.
Till, dcraI opmcut Of stock raising IN tins coun ~
has Teen 81 oyy owing 20 the absence % mark-t i"r
hoo ior wool. Years aao. much OF the attcr was
so,rtoOI. MryIco 4y slow-eoing wagon trains ana
flee foundations oil the fortunes OF many wealthy
.ro-,.gr dons whose estates are IN 'he hlo prahoe
,.r.- wrre land 10 t.I> trade. AileI 'he American
o..on,tion Of tine Territory, there wa a demand
far b-f ro gN Army aud Indian con ''t'' our SUN
t,. market WIS very limited. Archbishop Lany. OF
>,ot, he. to. mc thar fol many years when the
,-...s Catholic establishments were supplied with
,-..iors under his direction. am several beet
.,l. ana 2 great uum; eT of sheep were killed
eve,r week. there was absolutely no market for the
hires or pelts and shat they wece accustomed 20
,Irt them ami use them tor fuel
Eyenif the railroads were not completed into the
TERRITORY the settlements in Kansas and Colorado
have approached SO near To Mexico that cattle
can now be probably driven TO market in either
Of those stat :. while the wool is purchased by
merchants Al over the Territory or shipped Tor the
owner on the payment of small commission. The
cattle and sheep here are generally OF rather in
fsrio- grade. the beef ranking with that of Texas
ami the wool comman linz as low price as any
sort+ IN . ne Eastern markets. 4 rs owners OF
cattle and sheep have already taken measures to
improve their stock, and theI example viii prob
au.y be followed by all the enterprSing Americans
III tine business. but presume II viii be many wears
before the Mexicans will he induced 10 DO much in
tbs Inc The sheep have 10 be carefully watched
AMI guarded all the year. but tn. cattle are
branded and turned out upon the ranges III the fail
and lett 10 shift tor themselves until the general
round up" in the spring. have heard the profits
on sheep-rasing estimated at from 30 to so per
cent anu those on cattle at from - to - per cent
bu, ! believe these figures to be higher than the
average realized even by the successful stock
ras,rs.
The best agricultural lands of NewMcXicO are
those of the Rio Graude valley and it, tributaries
and I came to Albuquerque chiefly TO see some
Of the Mexican and Indian farms which lie
between here and the mouth of the GalisteO River.
The other portion, OF the Territory which had
passed were too dry for successful agriculture, and
/ had found no fields OF com or grain except few
small ones the upper Pecos and Just about Santa
Fc The latter looked though they had waited
So loug for the water to De past saving.
The Arcnson. Topeka. and santa Re Railroad
comes down TO the Rio Grande at the Indian pueblo
Of santa Domingo. The town itself is lett quarter
CT a mile to the right, and from that distance coud
hardly re distinguished from n McXlcan village.
Is population is about 1000, and the rude mud
church fronting upon "a plaza was the most prOm-
ncnt object in the place. About Santa Domingo |
saw the hrst fertile and really wei cultivated
farms this side of Kansas. The valley AT that
point Is two or three miles WIDE but the water used
il irrigation has not been brought more than one
fourth or One-thir OF mile up from the river.
The fall OF the Rio Grande is very Slight 50 that
the acequies irrigating canals have TO be taken
out long distance up stream if the water is to be
conducted far up upon the slope of this valley.
These aceques IN themselves are remarkable evil
denees o. the industry of the Indians. Some of
them are ten feet wide and equally drep, and to
construct them must have required more labor
than to build the railroad for the same distance
down the valley. The corn and wheat looked Ie-
narkably thrifty, although some fields the latter
seemed much more nearly ripe than in others which
seemed 10 indicate that the water -1ust have been
turned upon the different fields at different times
and thus given some OF the gram an carrier stdrl
than the rest. l should think that the wheat
fields would produce about twenty-five bushels Of
grain 10 acre.
PRIMITIVE AGRICULTURAL METHODS.
The Mexican and Indian methods of harvesting
their grain very primitive, similar, indeed. TO
those OF Eastern countries in Bible times. The
wheat is cUt by hand with n sickle. and taken,
unbound. in carts - the threshing-hoor. This con
ssts Of a round plat Of level ground IN an elevated
place nifty. one hundred, or two hundred feet III