Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1892-06-25

OA IN la L Il, IN. M', X
than upon the results of corporate enter
prise, which are also producing large re
turns. My reason for this is PARTIAL.
a personal one, as the aim and object o
the great farm cultivation under review
fits in with the conception | have lonl
held in regard to the necessity OF organ
izing pioneer life. Then again, one al
ways finds behind every large enterprise
a sturdy personality. A little story
have recently heard illustrates this mos
aptly: ga Scotch banker had laid befor'
him an American mining project fo
investment. Assays OF excellent charac
ter we'll verified, with good specimens o
ore, were laid before the canny Scotch
man. He called in mining expert il
whom he trusted. The engineer looked
the assay certificates over and carelessly
handled the ore specimens. The banker
thought he paid little regard to these
evidences and was somewhat amused as
the engineer turned round and said
"Oh, these things are we'll enough, but
Mr.. B., you had better assay your man. u
This is what have been trying to do in
this reference to Mr.. Greene's work.
Not to be individious, however, propose
to tell something of the general work
done in the creation of the great Pecos
valley irrigation enterprises. No one who
knows will doubt the truth of the state.
ment that Mr.. Greene is peculiarly quick
to perceive the advantages and necessi-
ties com mbined Of new region, or to un-
derstand the methods and means by
which development may be produced.
He had seen irrigation elsewhere, and
when he rode into the Rio Pecos valley
he YVES prepared to appreciate the re-
markable conditions of topography, cli-
mate, soil and water which lay before an
observant vision.
APPRECIATION OF oPPoRTUNITY-wHATw WAS
SEEN.
A great and fertile valley from the
Texas line to Roswell, almost wholly un-
occupied, was seen in 1888. AS the crow
flies the distance is not less than ITO
miles. The breadth OF that valley varies
half million acres, mostly aratle and arid.
At Roswell and vicinity there were sew
eral farms, large and small, whose intelli.
gent owners had brought them to rea-
sonable state of cultivation. Less than
dozen great ranchers with their hands,
controlled the Pecos valley from Roswell
down. The broad-horned steer occupied
the whole region. A few fields Of alfalfa
and dozen miles of bitches. few groups
of rough buildings and marked determ.
alton to keep everyone else out, was the
general "layout." This was the sum of
human interest when in 1889 Charles W.
Greene rode down the Pecos valley. 1t
became at once apparent to the trained
perception of this pioneer, that here was
a region peculiarly adapted for an enter
prise on large scale, provided the con-
ditions of climate and water supply, soil
and drainage, were in accord with the
broad features of the landscape and the
wide area which waited for the occu-
pancy Of man. Mr.. Greene's first visit
to the New Mexican portion of the Rio
Pecos was made in the spring of 1888.
He found, in presenting the idea OF an
irrigation enterprise, active sympathy and
recognition from Col. G. B. Eddy and q
few others who were interested in the
valley. Options on land with other
business agreements were made, and the
beginnings of the great Pecos valley irri-
CATION improvement fairly dawned upon /.
the minds OF those few who joined with
Mr.. Greene in forming the plans. OF
these Col. Eddy was foremost Besides
the great stretch OF unoccupied land he
was able to fully recognize other and i'm
portant facts. The existence of
A BODY OF LIMESTONE SOIL
in it's virgin state, was first among these,
which, with water artifcially applied,
could necessarily be made the basis of
the most fertile agriculture known to the
American farmer. The great farming
districts OF the United States are those in
which the cultivation of limestone soil
has given to the farmer the amplest re-
turn. The richest agricultural Communi-
ties that exist are found amid the geologi- |
cal conditions indicated by the presence
of this formation. One needs but to recall |
the Cumberland valley and other portions
of southeastern Pennsylvania the great |
fertile stretches of central New York the
farming prosperity of the western reserve
in Ohio, Northern Indiana and southern |
Michigan; the blue grass region of Ken
lucky and ample fields OF middle Tennes-
see, northern Alabama and south
ern Mississippi; the central Missouri and
other portions OF the west, to realize the
truth of this statement. The valley Of |
the Pecos and adjacent plains of southern
New Mexico still remain the largest area
e ;ol ,nI
soils within the Uuited States.
UNocCUPIED LAND, A FERTILE SOIL AND AN
AMPLE BODY OF WATER,
in capacity sufficient for all the demands
that could be conceived of were there.
The Rio Pecos is snow fed stream, ris-
ing in the mountain areas about 450
miles to the north of the Texas line.
Thus the typographical conditions and
the climatic facts were readily appre-
hended, and added weight to the favor
able factors already described. The
sources Of the Rio Pecos are found in alti-
tudes Of about 6,500 feet to 10000
feet. The precipitation will range
from 10.14 inches to
14.l3, thus affording, according to
the weather service, an amount Of
water which is expressed by it's tables in
cubic miles of Ill for the smallest
amount Of precipitation to 1914 of the
largest. The course of the river is nearly
due north and south, with gravity in
its course of not less than 5000 feet,
Given therefore, remarkable fall, a
precipitous course, a snow fed source, and
the formation indicated by the presence
of lime stone rocks, the trained eye and
brain Of the promoter and protector soon