Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-06-09
EIGHTY ACRE FARMS.
A Talk With Col. Hinton on His Official
Inspection Of the Maxwell Com
pany's irrigation Enter.
prises.
Cost Of Water and Policy of Capital
New Settlers, Their Homes and
Their Productions-Saga-
cious Management.

cious Management.
Col. Richard J. Hinton, chief Of the
irrigation division Of the U. S. sgricul-
tural department, has just finished his
personal inspection of the irrigation sys-
TENS in southeastern and northeastern
New Mexico, and is now in the southern
half OF the territory examining the Me-
silla valley irrigation enterprises. AS the
result OF running talk with this govern
ment official the New MEXICAN is en-
abled to present to its readers very many
timely and interesting points respecting
the development of the eastern portion
of New Mexico along those lines which
must bring a new era in the shape of
wealth, population and influence; in fact,
the coming of these things is already un-
der way there, and an empire is building
up of which even our home people know
little.
The principal irrigation systems of the
Maxwell Company which Col. Hinton
has just inspected are two in number,
consisting Of storage reservoirs and canals,
and are known as the Vermejo and Spring
er systems. They cover 700 acres Of
fruit and farm lands in the valleys Of the
Vermejo and Cimarron, in Colfax county,
the latter being known as the Springer
system. To date some $4,000 acres have
been sub divided into
EIGHTY ACRE TRACTS .--.
and have been sold on the most favorable
terms to settlers from abroad, most of
them being experienced farmers from
Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin and
Kansas, ar eng them being very many
Danes and Swedes. The company at
present has 5000 acres in farms under
the Vermejo waters and 10000 acres
under the Springer system which are now
in cultivation. The storage reservoirs
consist of the most substantial structures,
and the miles upon miles OF canals and
lateral bitches are constructed in such
manner as to serve as models for other Sec
tions of the arid region. These irrigation
systems Col. Hinton regards as among the
most perfect anywhere in the country
east of California; he was permitted to
60 over the company's books and figure
out for himself the actual cost of building
these systems and he expresses both sur
prise and qualification at the result. He
found that from head-gate to and includ
ing the cost of reservoir construction the
total amount of money put into this
splendid work amounts to little
LESS THAN 81 PER ACRE.
Speaking Of the present and future de-
velopment of these lands and their pro
ductions, Col. Hinton said he was amazed
to find such a variety Of fruits and cereals
and grasses fourishing in this region.
In the canon of the Vermejo he visited
orchards where apples, peaches, apricots,
nectarines, pears, etc., flourish beyond
anything he bad ever seen the trees are
straight, thrifty and the bark has bright
beautiful appearance. This at an eleva-
ton Of 1900 to 5000 feet struck the visi-
tor as showing most admirably the pos
sibilities of fruit growing in the valleys of
the Rocky mountain region. He spoke
particularly of the Dane ranch and Or
chard as being model kept place; also
the Abreu farms, and said that the AGO
acres Of alfalfa and 900 acres of oats on
the company lands which he had the
pleasure of examining were beyond ques-
ton as pretty as the most fastidious agri-
culturist Of the older states could wish to
view. GAS see it," added Col. Hinton,
"you are going to have very remarka-
BILE development in eastern New Mexico
in the next few years certainly less than
FIVE years. The present necessity consists
of
RESERVOIRS AND RAILROADS.
These the management of the Maxwell
Company are providing, and immigration
is following closely behind them. There
are the best Of reasons for believing that
ere long the Union Pacific branch rail-
road from Trinidad, now in operation to
Catskill, on the Maxwell Company's
property, will be extended through it in
southwesternly course as far as Las Ve-
gas, and this, with the excellent start that
has been made toward watering the valley
lands will bring an influx of settlers that
will make that section veritable farmers
paradise.
"On the open part OF the Maxwell
grant the soil is very rich and the climate,
80 far as my records show it, is mild and
congenial. The products most profitable
will be fruits, alfalfa, small grain, root
crops and the finer grasses-it is destined
to be magnificent hay country. On my
visit stopped at fifteen or twenty farms
and was much impressed with the char
acter of the people which the company's
agents have brought in to settle here
their thrift and energy, and their happi-
ness. The farm houses are modern struct-
ures, well furnished, and the surroundings
of the farmers indicate prosperity and
permanency.
MANAGER PELs' WORK.
Respecting the results Of the splendid
executive ability Of Manager Pels and his
assistants, and regarding the manage