Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-07-05
IRRIGATION INQUIRIES.
Some Further Facts OF General Interest
to Southwest Neadsrs.

The Chicago Economist deserves a vote
of thanks from the people of the south
west for the interest it is taking in the
subject of irrigation and the reclamation
of western lands. In its issue OF June %
it has the following by Mr.. Chas. W.
Greene:
An article published in your paper last
month in reference toirrigation has called
forth a number Of interesting inquiries
from parties who are becoming interested
in the subject.
One correspondent, after studying the
article in connection with the PROPOSE
ton OF the Pecos Irrigation & Investment
company, where the water right is estab-
lshed at SIS per acre, payable one-tenth
cash and the balance in nine annual
payments, with interest at s per cent on
deferred payments, with an annual rent
al of $l.25 per acre for cultivated lands,
and 30 cents per acre for uncultivated
lands, figured that the farmer would he
compelled to pay nearly 81 year for the
first nine years, and he could not com
prehend how such a charge could be paid
in cash. If they could not pay in cash
how could the company meet the inter-
est on its bonds?
1t should be understood that ali Of the
payment for the water right in perpetuity
is in fact so much paid for the land. The
government price is only $l25 per acre,
but the land without water is not worth
owning. The water right attaches to the
land and becomes part OF the realty, SO
that the payment on that account is i'll
no sense part OF the rent. Even though
it should all be considered as rental the
charge is in no sense exorbitant or difficult
to pay.
The correspondent was accustomed to
New England farming, and at the time
he wrote the grass was just beginning to
grow there. If the farmer should secure
a ton OF hay to the acre, from single
crop, for the year it would be above an
average crop. 1t might possibly be worth,
if near town or village, $l5 ton on the
farm. The first crop of hay, ~ much as
a ton and half to the acre, had been cut
on The Pecos three weeks before that
time and the second was about half grown;
four such crops will be cut before October
|, and then for two months the same
ground will furnish pasturage for two
grown steers per acre until the middle OF
December, and i'll some years all the
winter through. Hay is worth $40 ton
at the stack down there, 80 that the four
crops are worth at the least $50 and the
pasturage s. per acre more.
Wheat was just coming in blossom in
the north when it was ready for the
harvest on the Pecos. In the latter the
yield was at least twice as much per acre
and at prices equally high. The cost Of
cultivation was no greater aside from
irrigating; the net profit was almost
double, and no risk Of crop failure. The
ground was all ready down there for
planting another crop, and the farmer
controls his own water supply, or his
season"
In brief, the Pecos farmer has already
earned three times the amount of rent,
clear Of all expense. before the northern
farmers crop has begun to grow.
If he has few acres in orchard or vine
yard, each acre will pay his rent and an
nual payments on twenty-five acres OF the
farm. These remarks apply to other To-
calities in the same latitude through south
ern New Mexico, Arizona and southern
California. 1t is because of these advan-
tages that investments in irrigating enter
prises down there are proving so uniform
" remuneratlve.
There are certain advantages which ir-
rigation enterprises, as class, have over
all others.
First, the potent fact that water is the
ahsolute neCessity: the land is valneless
without it. 1t is the key to the situation
in the fullest sense. To secure it the land
owner is willing to make liberal conces-
sions and can afford to. If when rail
road is about to be built and the people
along the line are willing to assent to any
sort of charges or pay any bonus that is
asked OF them, the company should fix
the rate OF charge at a profitable point,
and could get contract which can be EN-
forced for all time to come, and could
have the payment of those charges secured
by mortgage on allthe land along the
line, it would be in practically the same
situation that an irrigation company is.
Its bonds would certainly be on better
footing than under the present conditions.
Second, In almost every other class OF
enterprises there is constant depreciation
of the plant rails wear out, machinery
runs down, buildings need repair. An
irrigation plant is constantly growing
better. As its banks get settled, and the
bottom becomes cemented by sediment,
and the ground becomes saturated by sub
irrigation so that it needs less water APP
piled to the surface, as the trees, vines
and grasses get deeper root, the canal