Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1896-03-06
THE Aqua NEGRA VALLEY.
It Is Rich and Only Needs Capital
and People to Develop It's
Resources.
10 the Editor Of me Qpar

10 TIC Editor Of the Qpsm
HOLMAN, N. M, March Isl .--Spring
is once more ut hand and the usual
preparations are being made by farm
ers to begin planting; bitches are. be-
ing cleaned, plows taken to the black
smith shop to be put in order, and
some more industrious farmers haul.
ing manure to their fields; others are
preparing the ground to plant more
fruit trees, and SO on Times seem to
be getting better and more enoourAg-
ing than they were at this time last
year. A large crop was harvested last
year, specially oats and wheat.
Speaking Of spring, crops, etc.. re.
minds your correspondent of the de.
veloped and ~undeveloped resources Of
our picturesque and fertile valley
among the mountains, of which bul
little is known to outsiders. This val
ley, from the town Of Mora to the foot
hills of FL Rito, is acknowledged
to be M Of the chief agricultural val
leys In the Territory. Every bit of land
is under irrigation. although at times
when dry weather sets In water for ir-
rig ating purposes Is not sufficient, but
this can be helped by building reser.
tvoirs, which could be easily done, II the
people would get together and do 1t.
There are places where reservoirs
could be built at a very small cost, con.
siderlng the great benefit they would
prove Most everything can be raised
cereals, fruits and vegetables Of all
kinds.
Several years ago, there wasn't a
single fruit tree in this neighborhood
(Holman) and now several farmers
have small orchards, bearing fine
apples, pears. cherries, plums and all
kinds Of small fruit, which shows, be-
You'd doubt, that good fruit can be
raised here. as we'll as in many states
of the east.
Modern machinery Is being brought
in, every year, to cultivate and har-
vest our crops with less work and
cost. I remember when the blowing
vas done with oxen and wooden
plows, the grain cut altogether with
sIckles and threshed with horses and
goats (they still thresh with horses and
goats over tile range in our neighbor
county Of Taos.) Now we have steel
plnws, reapers,- binders, gthrashiug
machines, etc. We have improved.
but we need to improve still more.
We need o capital, more enter
American men to come Ia TO
us the more improved methods
of farming. building reservoirs, etc.
Another rich resource, still undevel-
optd, is our coal mines, which UNI
doubtedly exist right here, within q
mile from the river which f,ws through
The center of the valley. Your COR
respondent knows Of two coal veins
cropping out on the mountain sides,
to the surface of the ground.
The hills and mountains 10 this neigh.
oorhood undoubtedly contain other
rich minerals as gold colors have been
'eund in several places ana the paying
place Is sure to be struck, sooner or
ater. This is the same range of
on which the Taos gold
mines are situated and the forma-
ion Of the hills is very much the
'ame. Very little prospecting has
done-that is, by any. one who
Understands it. A great many pros
that have p%rospected here ex-
'ected to find the gold nuggets pied
Up on top Of the ground, and Of course
been greatly disappointed.
Cs,v L