El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-04-03
FARMING BY IRRIGATION.
Review of an Interesting Pamphlet OIL
a. Matter of Growing Importance.

a Matter of Growing importance.
The lott read ice is The title OF a
valuable lItle work just rece we'd at
the HERHLD office. 1t is publisher by
the bur- au OF immigration OF Toe iG'ri-
tory of New Mex co of which j. j. Lee
son. of Sucorro. is the president. and
7. ] Leesons +. A Manzanares. of Las
VEGAS. w. T. Thornton, of Sarta re,
Francis Downs, OF Santa F., ana T.. U.
Ross, of Dem ng, are the tN"cntlve
committee. The ptmph let IT '6 pages
is d. ofusely illustrated wi h ha t tones
from photogra phs al tn. Gu and Is
v-rv we compiled and gotten up.
The idea of the work Is to show that
there is a reasonable abundance OF
water in New Mexico 10 the form OF
running streams, surlngs and ra nj S,
for farming and all general purposes
If agriculture; al>o, tnat, contrary 10
the General appreh snsion, water ana
As a rule d e. ty of 1t, il, by reasonably
co.. servatlon by storage, TO be had for
a farming purposes, over mucn
| larger area and on much more eH
| teno ed scale than has been generally
supp. sed or is at times possible In
| large areas of the east, when most
| needed, by the farm9r OF modera
means The pamphlet emphasiz- the
vast rauee of pos sibili ties OF New Mex
leo soil, a d that C ntrary to the gen.
eral appre hen>ion, there is tut'y as
large al a"re cage OF tillable land In New
| Mexico as in the same area In the New
E glad ates, while the pcssib ltles
of !. ric ultural produce, in variety and
| vO ume is .yond cOnpar1-on.
| TIL. document further saws:
| Irrigation IS to d degree new WORD
and an unknown science to the great
ma "a of The American people. TT ough
| the practice OF i. rigaalOn was hrst IN
t. oduced in This country by the early
Spanish .migres 70 New Mexico, lhen
a province of Spain-adopted by t e
Mormon settlers of Utah some H.ty
wears ago, a d lat r on by the early
colopist- of California, and had be n
successfully p acticed In New Mexico
for HUNDREDS of years before its acqu-
sitlon by the United States, its slgL1h-
canoe a. it's processes are as yet com.
pref eudrd by comp 1ratlVely small
porti IN of the people of the states
Our increasing pppula ion and the re-
sulting absortion of the tlilable lands
of the country, mike imperative u e
solution of the p oblem OF how ID ma ke
the smallest MEASURE O1 Ianu supp OTl
the la g st mum ner OF pe6ple-as also
to utilIZ to the great5t possible exit Mt
those areas apparently ssesslng all
J the clemens of fertility, yet arid and
impo -slb OF llage for lack of water
BY reason of tbeir elevat on.
The pamphlet is accompanied by a
carefully prepared map OF the territory
showing all the entire system OF IT.
+ eating canals, and the extent to
whlch these canals have been built
Certainly sueg SITS that it will not be
long ere the entire terri DRY IS covered
with & VAT afterial system of lrrlga-
ting plants. The wor k says:
; In a these irrigated districts, not
abiy along the Rio Grande val ey. the
practice of cult. vaton by irrlgat on
| 1, cd nl3-
bly, not more than half of that great
, valley is under actual cuitlvat. on. AT
u moaerate estimate, there are at least
half a mil ion acres of lard 10 that val
ley along upon which there Is not a
sign of Gu, tivation, and in the +. cos
valley at least quarter OF million
more, while in the scores of less val
} leys throughout ths territory, varyln g
10 extent from hundI ed TO h thou and
acres. may be found as much NOR.
waiting for the settler and devel'p-
ment by Irrigat on. and amo g the
J very richest lands in the west. There
) is ct IoJm 10 the RIO Grande val ey
alooe, not inaptly St. led the lie OIL
America in Its extent and wCnd arful
. capacity for pro0uction. fer many
hund reds of good farms-and. incl"d'
) ing The scores of lesser valleys else
VIII. re throughout tue territory, room
for thousands more, with iute. liz EN-
and not expensive methods OF water
storage.
The cost of making use of the wac,
, when on it is led TO the land IS, low
J ever, of toe fl st Importance. One mar
familiar " it'll the work, can irrlg ste L
acres day. The irrigation sruu d be
repeater as q maXimu five ms 1
We ar. which is, However, not ne, Siry
J with most crops. The wages Of thl:
man being 81 80 a day, 10 cents will be tie
} cos Of irris atine one ac e for Que Year
Add o ihi, II cents per acre per year
which very lib raj al owance. fol
repairs of oitch-s, aud 81 CT ts pei
year will be the tax TIA the New
! Mexico farmer has to ses ag INST al
average freig hit charge in hi, favor o
$40 per ton up n all imported pr, due
or IN otter words, the New Mex CT
: man rec ,lves a largely in :reased profit
ov- his Kansas riva. Per ION for his
hay, being the difference In cost ne
tween imporliug and irr gatlny, add
ing the value Of extra quality of tins
: home article.
The pam inlet gives an exhaustive
, review of he agri cul Gural product.
both neral and spec al of New Mex
leo, details intending facts re,atlve Il
i, thu sags regation of the land grants
. and these | g n opened for habita ton
gives CHAPTERS to susa" teeJ ant
canaigre raising, SPEAKS intelllgently
; on the china ic advantages of the II
; ritory. and sets forum railway facllitie:
both present and future.
The WORK is we'll worth careful
, perusal.