Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1893-04-18

IN bhe southwest o many years,
wonder why there is not more
wealth in the County. Fifty mil
lions of dollars would be a low es-
innate of the product of the mines
of this County within the past 25
years.
If the product Of the mines pre-
vious to this time which was large,
the wealth Of the residents of the
County twenty-five years ago nor
the value Of cattle and other pro
ducts of the County during that
period be taken into consideration,
it would be reasonable to suppose
that at least ten per cent of the
value of the mineral production
within the past 25 years in this
County would still remain in the
County but such is not the case.
The total assessed valuation of
property in the County is only
A,000,000. Allowing that prop
erty owners return only half Of
their property, there would be at
the present time, 100000 worth
of property of all kinds in this
County. This includes capital in
vested by railroad companies, val
ne of 1--we stock and all other prop
erty in the County. 1t seems
strange that a County whose min
eral production alone in % years
has amounted to at least S50,000,-
600 and whose other products have
perhaps amounted to nearly as
much more, should have a total
valuation of property of less than
ten millions, but when it is taken
into consideration that little atten-
ton has been paid to agriculture
and that nearly all the produce
required by the residents of the
County has been shipped in here
from other places, the condition of
the County is not surprising.
Fruit of nearly all kinds can be
grown here as well as it can be
grown in any state in the union
and in no part Of the United States
does fruit command a better price,
yet apples are shipped here from
California, Oregon and Missouri.
Pears T shipped from California;
peaches are shipped from Arizona
and California and other fruits
come from various localities.
What is true of fruit is also true
of potatoes, -four and feed. The
product of our mines goes to ben
eft the farmers and fruit growers
of Oregon, California, Arizona,
Colorado, Kansas and other states
and our cattle are sold to pay bills
for merchandise in the great cities
of the east. The only wonder is
that the County is as wealthy as it
is.
As long as the mines furnished
employment for hundreds of men
who were paid good wages and
who spent their money freely
there was no scarcity of money
and nobody seemed to care wheth-
er money was kept here or sent to
other localities to pay for produce
consumed here. Now things have
changed and it is necessary to
keep our money at home. Atten-
ton is being turned to irrigation
and before the end of another year
there will be thousands of acres of
as fertile land as ever was cult
waited under irrigation in this
County. The tilling of the soil
will give employment to as many
men as were ever employed in the
mines and the money which is
now sent out of the County for
farm products will be kept here
and added to the wealth of the
community.
Had the irrigation of the fertile
valleys IN this County been COM
menced on a large scale % years
ago the wealth of Grant County
would have been at least five times
as great as it is now, and the val
leys would have been populated
with a thrifty class of people.
Wherever irrigation has reclaimed
large areas of land in the sonth-
west it has invariably brought
prosperity. Perhaps no better
example could be cited than the
Pecos valley which has increased
in wealth and population at an
almost incredible rate in the past
few years.
Irrigation is what is needed in
Grant County and it will not be