The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-09-07
a [B0(H COTTON L3NGG@E]o
(From the Two Republics.)

What j. probably the largest lndlvldu-
al cotton plantation IN the world Is 10
Gated in the Republic of Mexica, WITHIN
the Tlahualilo cuenca or cotton belt tnat
lies between the watershed OF tne hlo
Cr,,de and the Bolson de Mapimi.
There are 1T5 square miles under cur
vo+.,n covered with the snowy blossoms
for miles.
The great plain of Northern Mexico
in which rests this immense cotton grow"
ing district, embraces almost the eh.ire
States of Ohihauhau and Coahulla.
This immense plain is 400 miles IN
width by 600 in length, and although
broken here and there by mountain ran
ges, it maintains general level Of about
4 OOO feet above the sea. The Bolson
do Mapimi has much the same forma-
tion as the basin Of the Great Salt Lake
of Utah. and is one of the watersheds.
while the other is that of the Rio
Grande. The Bolson receives the drain
age Of all the eastern slopes of the
Durango sierras and the western slope
of the Coahulla range, but it possesses
no outlet. Hence the rivers melt into
the little lakes, whose waters are lost
by evaporation in the dry season.
Like a broad sword Of silver the river
Nazas pierces the Mapimi Bolson. This
river. which has a course of nearly
three hundred miles from its cource To
where it is lost in the shadows ana
swamps Of the dusty desert, is very
mischievous river, and during the rainy
season it frequently overfows It's banks.
Sixty or seventy years ago the Nazas
discharged its waters into series or eA-
tensive lago0ns, occupying what IS now
known as the Laguna district of Dur
anyo and Coahuila. About that time
phenomenal rainfall SO overcharged the
he'd of the Nazas as to cause 1t TO open
a new course, and leave the iagoons
info which the river had drifted, and
which were known as the Cayman La
coons, thirty miles to one side. In the
course Of years these lagoOns were con-
verified into mezquite wilderness, al
most dead level, and composed of de-
post of the finest detritus OF unknown
depth. This desert waste of hot drifting
sand, under a sky Of brass, ran north
and south surrounded by parralleio-
gram of mountains. The area thus COM
nrised was about 21O square miles of
purely vegetable loan, locally known as
the Lake of Tiahualilo. There was
nothing to break the vision on the broad
quite bushes, about whose roots swarm
ed the rattle-snake and its strange COM
panion, the prairie dog, possibly the only
living things that could exist under
-tropical sun and far from water. Such
was the euenca or bowl, chosen about
six wears ago for the establishment OF
of the great irrigation enterprise that
so far has made the desert to blossom
as the rose. the greatest irrigation enter
prise attempted in the Republic of
Mexico.
In 1889 a project was formulated for
carving a ditch across the desert to the
head of the Tiahualilo cuenca and con-
yertinc the whole area into huge ha-
cienda. Mr.. Juan Llamedo, Spanish
capitaIist. of Mexico City, undertook the
enterprise, in which he was aided by
the Federal government of Mexico. A
preliminary survey showed that the
Lowest level of the basin to be irrigated
was about one hundred feet below the
point On the river Nazas, which 1T was
proposed to dam; that the main canal
would require a development OF thirty
nine miles, and that the slope OF the
lands within the basin was such that
-about one hundred of the two hundred
and ten composing the basin could be
adyantageously irrigated. Since then,
nv the aid of modern engineering and
American machinery, IT'S square miles
have been placed under cultivation. rms
required money and men. and high
degree of engineering capacity. Inc
plan Of irrigation was intrusted by Mr..
Llamedo to Mr.. Jose Farjas, Spanish
engineer. An estate OF 10000 acres
lying on the river Nazas and controlling
ohoc n nd
rip-rap was thrown across the river at
a point where it is about 1.5O0 feet
wide at the flood. This constituted a
dam. and from the dam the line of the
main canal was traced to the entrance
of the TlahualiIo, thirty-nine miles.
The canal was made u feet wide at the
base. GU feet deep, with grade of
from IS inches to 3 feet to the mile,
except as to one particular section. This
canal terminated in distributing tank
to the entrance of the irrigable area,
from whence it bifurcated, one arm
clasping the western side of the basin
and the other the eastern, and both hav-
ing the same average grade. One of
them was Is miles in length, 30 feet
wide at the bottom, and with depth
of 8 feet, while the other sub-canal
was 10 miles in length. with a width
of &c feet at the bottom and a depth
of 6 feet.
Transverse bitches, at right angles to
he side branches, were then laid out, and
all the lanl thus laid open to irrigation
was set out in blocks of uniform size,
each containing a Mexican sitio, a con-
ventional area measuring Spanish
eague on each side, and measuring near
ly $500 acres. The total ditchlng called
for under the plan included the main ca
al of thirty-nine miles, the first and sec
nd branch canals, respectively, of fifteen
and thirteen miles; twenty miles of
transverse canals, fifty miles of parallel
bitches, and 400 miles of distributing
bitches The total excavation called for
was about 100000 cubic yards for the
main canal, and for all the other canals
and bitches on the first section about B.
100000 cubic yards. The first section in
yolved ninety square miles. From 1000