Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-03-02
THE TRIUMPHANT TERRITORY.
New'Mexico's Climate, Soil, AgricuI-
ture, Society, Etc.

ture, Society, Etc.
Las Vegas Optic.
The greatest length of the territory,
from north to south, is 800 miles, and
its greatest breadth, from east to west,
341 miles; its area is POI square
miles, or 77,568,640 acres. There is
great diversity of climate, owing to
differences in latitude and altitude be-
tween different portions of the country.
In the lower plateaux the summer days
are warm but not facilitating, the
nights are always cool and bracing:
the climate throughout the territory is
so mild and equable, combining dry
ness with purity, that many persons
afflicted by pulmonary and other dis
eases of similar nature have tested it
with marked benefit and frequently
permanent cure. 1t is estimated that
there are in the territory from 10000
600 to 20,000,000 acres of arabic land.
or at least that much can be brought un-
der successful cultivation when a ju-
dicious system of irrigating canals and
reservoirs shall have been constructed.
AT present more than three-fourths of
all the waters of the territory run to
waste. The soil of the valleys.
throughout New Mexico is rich, sandy
loan, light and porous and of surpris-
ing fertility. Corn, wheat, oats and
barley grow well in all parts, the first
named being staple product. The
cereals do best in the northern dis
tricts and elevated plateaux; corn, veg
etables and all kinds of fruit do best in
the valleys; the valley of the Rio
Grande del Norte is admirably adapted
to grape culture; and grapes do well on
the lower valley of the Pecos,
and in many other parts of the
territory. Cabbages grow fine
ly, also onions and Irish potatoes are
grown in the northern districts, where
they yield enormously; sweet potatoes
are raised in the Mesilla valley and
at Fort Stanton, on the Rio Bonito and
Ruidoso, in Lincoln county; beets,
radishes, turnips, parsnips, and car
rots grow well anywhere; beans, peas,
and tobacco are also grown successful
ly; peaches. pears, and apricots do
well from Bernalillo down, and OH the
PecoS from Anton Chico down; mel
ons of all kinds grow to large proper
tons and Of the most delicious flavor.
The most valuable timber is pine,
which is confined chiefly to the noun
tain districts and the high rolling
lands. Pitch, yellow and spruce va
rieties grow to large size and make
excellent timber; cottonwood, walnut,
locust, box alder, and sugar tree are
found along the streams and canons
of the mountains; also live oak of
small size, and a peculiar species of
cedar, called in the territory "juni.
per" the nut pine, or plnon, is also
abundant and furnishes good charcoal
and frewood. The population of New
Mexico has doubled in Thirty years.
At the time the United States &C,
quired the country the native popula-
ton was about three-fourths Mexican,
or Hispano-Americans, and one-fourth
Pueblo and other Indians, with a very
few Germans, French and Americans.
To these original elements have
been added a considerable number of
Irish, Germans, Belgians, French,
Spanish and Americans. There are
twelve counties. Education is in an
Indifferent condition. According to the
most recent reports there are about 200
church organizations of the Roman
Catholics, and some twelve or fifteen
organizations of other denominations