Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-08-11
TERRITORY OF new MEXICO
Equal in Area to New York, Penn
syIyania and Ohio Combined.
FACTS AND FIGURES ON THIS TERRITORY
Irrigation the Touchstone of Success
full Agriculture, One of the Mar
vels of the Age in Which
We Live.

| DlDeQ. muuubHlu fhuPes tIdNcEeo one
territory and give diversity to its semi
oriental scenery. Fully 100000 acres
are in mountains and 100000 are desert,
leaving 39O00000 acres of domain. Two
thirds of She territory is open to settle
ment.
Now Mexico was Erst settled at t5au
Gabriel by the Spaniards in 1893. ln
1905 the present capital was founded and
in 1880 the Indians revolted and drove
the Spaniards from the territory. The
latter, however, reoccupied the country in
1892. In 1847 Kearney's army of the
west, marching 900 miles across the
plains from Missouri, occupied the terri
tory. New Mexico west of the Rio Grande
belonged to the region ceded by Mexico
to the United States in 1848, and the part
east of the Rio Grande WAS ceded by
Texas in 1850. In the latter year con-
gress organized the territory of New
Mexico.
The Rio Grande, "The Nile of the New
World" flows south 356 miles through the
center of New Mexico. The Rio Pecos,
800 miles long, ia a source of enrichment
to the eastern counties. The Canadian
river rises in the Sangre de Cristo noun
tains and flows east 200 miles in New
Mexico. Portions of the territory are
carpeted with nutritious grasses, and the
climate is 30 mld that no winter shelter
ia needed for the flocks. Sheep are found
in every county and number millions
Vast tlocks are owned by the Navajo In
dians. In the olden days 100000 sheep
were driven hence to Old Mexico every
year; now they are sent to the states.
With the occupation of large areas by
immigrants the cattle ranges have been
restricted, but the number of cattle has
steadily increased and Is now estimated
at nearly 100000.
New Mexico has an abundant supply OF
timber the tall, straight pines of the
highland, the cottonwood and quaklng
aspens, cedars and oaks, walnuts and
NAPLES and others. The pine grows to
great height and furnishes from three to
four sRwlogs, many of which square 80
inches. The saw mills of Sooorro county
in 1895 shipped over 100000 feet Of
lumber.
The narrow valleys along the rivers are
unusually fertile and very prolific in grain
and vegetables. Since the introduction
of large schemes Of irrigation, agriculture
has received great impetus. The waters
Of the Pecos river have been lmpounded
in artificial lakes of great magnitude,
having a capacity of 5,000,000,000 cubic
feet of water. The canal systems for the
distribution of this water aggregate hun
dreds of miles in length. In the region
of Roswell the total area that can be lrrl-
gated lying below the existing canal
systems, is not fer from 100000 acres.
The adaptation of the Pecos valley to
agricultural purposes has been demon
strated in nearly every known product,
more particularly, perhaps, in that of
alfalfa, corn, all kinds of roots and vege-
tables, and especially in the calture of
the sugar beet root. Results of expert
ments show an average of IS per cent of
sugar in the beets. AS q result sugar
factory with a capacity of 225 tons of
beet root daily, has been erected. The
Mesille valley, 70 miles long, Is one of
the richest farming countries in the
world, especially for grains, fruits and
grapes.
The fruits of New Mexico are famous
for their extraordinary size and beauty,
and include vast quantities of grapes,
peaches, apples, aprlcots, pears, melons
and ounces. The yearly product of wine
exceeds 25O,000 gallons.
Since 1880 the advent of railroads into
New Mexico has largely augmented the
output of the mines in the territory. The
development Of the mining industries has
been steadily advancing. From the year
1880 to 1896 the total output of the mines
in Socorro county alone is estimated to
be: Gold, $2,l95,5o5; silver, $4l,s62,o92;
lead, $12,774,3l3; copper, $9S6,6l4; a total
of S518l9,455.
Precious metals are found in the billy
country, and, in fact, were extensively
mined by the Spaniards 200 years ago.
Gold mines are worked in many points,
but chiefly from placers, and there are
large milling and smelling plants.
The extensive coal fields of Los Ger
rlllos supply localities as far away as
Missouri and Mexico with valuable an
threcite, and produce bituminous coal
also. The estimated value of the an
nual product is $1,046,400. In the
vicinity are promising deposits of iron,
copper, lead, zinc and silver. White
Oaks has contiguous deposits of coal and
iron, with gold and other valuable min
erals The Gallup coal mines produce
300 900 tons year. There are coal mines
at Blossburg and Amargo 10 the nortn,
and at San Pedro, near Santa Fe. The
copper mines at San Pedro have produced
at the rate of 100000 a year, and there
are valuable deposits at Santa Rita. Mari,
gypsum, petroleum, zinc, manganese, salt,
sulphur, with lead in the Organ noun
DnJo NH
copper In the Mogollon. And there are
deposits of tin, close grained red sand
stone, limestone, marble and slate. Tur-
auois mines 25 miles south of Santa Fe
were worked during the Spanish occupa-
tiou, and the handsomest turquoise IN
Europe (now in the regalia of SPAIN
came from this wilderness. A New York
company has taken out turquois TO the
value of 100000 the past year Osher
mines have been paying handsomely for
several years. 1t is said that Grant coun'
ty contains greater variety of minerals
than any other section Of like size in the
world.
The educational institutions of New
Mexico, in addition to the public schools,
consist of the University, which is located
at Albuquerque; the School of Mines at
Socorro, two normal schools, one at Las
Vegas and one at Silver City; the College
of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts at Las
Cruces, and the New Mexico Military in
stitute at Roswell. The educational sys-
TEN of New Mexico is receiving careful
attention at the hands of the territorial
authorities. During the school year of
1895 the number of schools open in the
territory was SGT, with an enrolment of
S,465. The total actual receipts were
$219,S76.
The population of New Mexico is 1884,
562. This includes 100000 Mexicans.
The semi-civilized Pueblo race has for
several centuries occupied the fertile val