, 1881-05-08
NEW MEXICO.
The Great Paradise for Stock.
Raisers on a Large Scale.
Some Figures Showing the Magnitude of
the Business, and It's Profits,


rived from New Mexico, where. as Il member o,
the firm of Calhoun l. Edge, he is engaged il
s,ock-rai5lnc. Mr. Calhoun was enthusiastic
over the prospects OF his section Of the yrea1
Southwest. and was sanguine that there wcrf
fortunes in store for euterprislng men. VIII.
would go down there with a few thousand dol
years" suid Mr.. Calhoun, rs he threw
down bis so1nhrero and leaned buck in his chair
terun Interview since left Illinois, and aftel
locking the Southwest over concluded q
couple Of years ago that New Mexico was the
best GRAZING country III the United Stutes.
acres OF uilsurvcycd Government land in Cain r
County. New Mexico, about 15U mites south Of
tbu Colorado line.
No, We yet the use OF the land without cost-
Ing us cent for rent or taxes, us it has never
been placed on tho market, the Government
considering it worthless. 1t isn't good fur any
thing either. except for Eruztng purposes. and
for this it il unsurpassed, and the stock raiscrs
take temporary possession without interferepce
How large is our tract? Well, it is a block
ten miles square, and. whut is something Of !,
= novelty in our business. is all fenced in Our
trm was the first to introduce fencing into that
custom to allow tho herds 10 roam iu Iii dircc.
TONS. mounted herdcrs being required to fol-
low tnenl- Now the cattle ure in pasture nnd
"What kind Of fences do we use? TWENTY
i've miles OF It is barbcd-wire fence, tho other
fifteen miles Is Il continuous prccipitous blu Il,
which is d natural barrier, answering our pur-
puse admirably.
1.-THE Great American Desert! Yes, that's
what rs put down on the maps. Llanos Est,.-
cados the Greascrs call 1t, because in former
days, before roads existed, travellers could only
Indicate the route Of travel by driving stakes
who had TO traie1 across its watcrless waste.
III some $50 miles long by 80 miles wide, and
there Is
NOT 4 STREAM OF WATER
over the whole area. 1t is an clcvnted table
land and favored with very little raittu Tho
country right up TO tho edge of these Staked
Plains is full Of streams, but there is no water
on the plateau
.lIow do We get water? There's plenty of it
to BE- had for the boring, aud artesian wells
yield an abundant supply. 1t is these that will
make the whole OF this American desert blossom
Yes. iii tell you why New Mexico has the
Is because cur winters are SO much mildcr. In
New Mexico tho herds find abundant pasture all
winter: Out of our herd Of l,4UO cattle we lost
only four head, nnd these from NO scarcity Of
food, while in Colorado the season WIS 50 severe
that the losses were very heavy. the pastures
being showed uuder. Colorado used to be fine
grazing region. but it has become oyerstocked.
Arlzp1aa is equally good with New Mexico.
1es. we do get few inches Of snow occn-
sonally, but 1t disappears inside Of tweutyfour
hours.
Good shipping facilities, did you say2. I
should REMARK. The State is just cleaning with
s,eel ra!!s and We have outlets east to tho Mis-
ltssippl Valley, south to the Gulf, west to the
Paelitc coast, and north to the mines of Colo
Mr.. Calhoun snid he had figured out the prob
able result of five years speculation On
ranch Started with l5,oo0 head Of cat1ie, based
He estimates tlut fifteen acres of land should be
allowed per head. The land, us already stated.
does nor require us yet to be purchased. but is
rent free to first comcrs. Mr.. CaIhoun's calcula-
tlons involved more mathematics and my srerics
Of stock raising 1han would interest the general
reader, but the result is summarized Us follows:
RECEIPTS
Saies f 3 OF steers; --.--...-~.- S20,Sn
1-s>stlH
Young stock OH hand. -.......... s,G,U40
Ten per cent atded for Improvement in
young stock BY cross breeding. as,GA
soas, ,so
ExPENDITCRES.
1900 head. at .~......$lsooo0
Five years running expenses. 800
s....50N
This 1oaves net profit OF S251.1sG, the calct-
Of calves each year. Five Der e.. cent is deductcd
annually on all stock for natural losses. though
that Is fur greater than the actual losses thus
far sustained. Ten per cent is added after the
third year for improvement Of the stock by
crossing with Short Horn Durhums. The $1i,0JO
annual expenses cover taxes aud all other
cost of running. ALL steers ure sold ut )
head. The 10 per cent added for improving
stock is counted only from 3-5ear old hcifers.
WILL BE An 1NcEEAsE
enough from the 2-year o]ds to more than
compensate for the 5 per cent allowed for loss- |
At the eud of the fifth year. beside the profit OF
nearly S2520 200e, there will be on hand the bulls,
Is also the calves that year.
II have come North" said Mr. Calhoun. ITO |
endeavor to get some moneycd men interested |
In scheme like this Recognizing in tho re- |
porter capitalist of the first water. Mr.. CAL
md it WAS only the scribe's love for journalism
that prevented him from withdrawing his Gov |
ernment per cents and seeking New Me1ico's /
fresh fields and pastures green.