Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-06-02
rnM oouNTny,s " AAAEn.


To the Editor Of the Optic.
ALBUQUERQUE, N. NJ, May 2sth,
1S07.-Kindly give us a short space in
Your daily paper. We cannot refrain
from expressing what we saw as we'll
as the kindness OF Mrs. Lockhart,
whose ability as a caterer and hotel
manager does not surpass thai OF a
farmer and HORTICULTURAL.
We arrived IN The last California
aver and meandered around town to
see the sights by daylight, having
VISITED the city before, we were In
pursuit OF our landlady whom we al
ways put up with, and only found her
10 the role OF agricultural pursuits
which her we'll managed farm shows.
She Is all for the occasion and kindly
found o resting place for the party al
her cottage south Of town and we en-
joyed the company of her lovely AZ well
as cultured family TILL luncheon was
served, which we did ample justice to,
not having had a square meal sine.
leaving The coast. When luncheon was
YER, our hostess proposed q drive to
be farm. We accepted and filled her
carriage, being a party Of six. The
gentlemen had to get wheels and W.
soon sped along, chatting aud viewing
iature, which can BIS seen In all its
| phases. Ga reaching the farm, We
| found q drive well laid out, with shade
trees OF the most perfect kind we ever
saw. Even California could well
BOAST Of them. First came the weep
ng mulberry, dropping to the ground
and laden with the luscious berry. 1t
10 o bower in itself and the rustic seats
underneath it were soon fled with as
tonishcd sight-seeers; then came the
towering pine, the elm, maple. olean-
ter, catalps, buugie, almond, as well as
the juniper, all thrifty and towering
heayenward; but to the front the olig.
is the only shade, and now comes the
work OF q cultured mind and happy
haart. On both sides Of this drive are
roses rich in color and perfect In shape
Not less than 1000 bushes loaded
with the precious flower. We
we're astcnished at the sight. We
noted among her Collection the
General Jack, as well ss American
beauty, hnddled among q bed of tea
roses, then came the climbing rose
running hither and thither among, and
twined around the shade trees, making
the most picturesque sight we ever
bt held. Roses Ct every conceivable sort
with the festive miss rose peeping out
It's lively form from all sides, then came
the lilies as we'll as %violets, pansies and
sweet william with the old fashioned
peoDy to gaze on.
o. leaving the beautiful rose and
vine we sauntered through the orchard
and filed up on ripe Iucious cherries OF
the Gus Wood SORT, which are beyond
description. then comes the plum,
peach, apple, ounce ana pear trees
loaded with a promising crop, the
fruit seems to be so far hhead that
we were tempted to test al sorts, but
confed ourselves chief to the ripe
cherry, next in order was the straw
berry bed, oh, bow delicious and large.
| Then came the current, g%oosbcrry,
blackberry, raspberry and last but not
least the grape, some of the finest
California French and native, all sorts
have their own locality.
Now comes the vegetable garden
which surpasses any we had seen in
California, then comes the experiment
portion set aside and given to sugar
beet which show thst the valley is
adapted to sugar making IL growth
counts for anything, but we can't tarry
here, the spacious wheat field as well
as coru, shows what industry can do,
and 10 ~justiee to our hostess Mrs. Lock
bel, she may well speak highly OF New
Mexico and its farming. We are from
the east and had supposed New Mexico
to be a barren and waterless country.
but have convincing proofs of the re-
verse.
fla woman a manage a farm OF
this SIZE ind 10 sever years have a pay
ing place, what is it a man who would
work, could do, we advise people, who
think New Mexico a barren waste OF
aikali lands tt visit the above farm and
be convinced of New Mexlco's future,
as a land flowing with plenty from the
toll of man on the sell.
Respectfully,