Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-09-05

the water from the Acequia Madre, or
main ditch, leading from the river. sur
round the adobe houses scattered along
the valley.
The vine and fruit lands along the river
begin at short distance above the town
of Bernalillo, seventeen miles north OF Al
buquerque, and from that point southwark
are many orchards and vineyards new
and old Apples, pears, ounces, apricots,
peaches and plums have been abundantly
raised here, with little care, by the native
inhabitants since the first settlement OF
the country by Europeans and now all
the small fruits are successfully cultivated.
Especially is this part of New Mexico
favorable to vineyard culture, and the
grape of the Rio Grande valley will COM
pare favorably in juiciness, sweetness
and flavor with the product of any other
| locality in the world. The variety most
generally cultivated is the Mission grape,
introduced at an early period by Fran
ciscan friars, but the Muscatel and other
kinds of recent introduction are also
| found.
| BY the aid OF irrigation every plant Of
the temperate zone may be successfully
raised IN the Rio Grande valley. Corn
and wheat yield abundantly, and oats,
bary, beans and alfalfa are staple crops.
Vegetables of all kinds grow to great size,
and are excellent Of quality. All the New
| Mexican fruits are of fine flavor, and
they bring much higher price in market
than the similar California product. At
various estates up and down the river
the business of wine-making is conducted
on considerable scale and with the due
improvement of its advantages, and the
valley of the Rio Grande will take high
place among the wine and brandy pro.
ducing districts of the world. The old
method of treading out the grape by the
feet of men and women has been mainly
succeeded by the use OF wine presses and
other labor-saving and more efficient
processes.
As the leading town of this fertile valley
and the market for wide mining and
grazing district, Albuquerque is destined
to maintain high rank among cities of
the southwest. The machine shops of
the Atlantic and Pacific railway are locat-
ed here, furnishing regular employment
to from 300 to 45O men. The 10000, 900
pounds OF wool annually produced in New
Me8lco, "HlCH Is prlHClpally SHlppeu at
Albuquerque, is carried to distant east
ern mills to be manufactured into cloth
blankets, carpets, and in these forms
much of it finds its way back to the peo-
pie who produced it, As seat of pros
pective woolen manufactures Albuquer-
que has a great advantage over eastern
cities in the matter of freight, in cheap
ness of fuel and of raw materials, and in
the assurance of home market for it's
products in wide surrounding territory.
The thousands of tons of ore from the
mines OF New Mexico and Arizona which
pass weekly through Albuquerque to the
smelters of Colorado, Omaha, and Kan
sas City could as well be treated at this
place; canning factories would find at
hand an abundant supply of fruits for their
purpose and manufacturing industries of
many other kinds, particularly of machin-
cry, could be introduced to the profit of
manufacturer and consumer.
Albuquerque is noted for the energy
and public spirit of its citizens. Its board
of trade is represented by the CONNER