The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-07

increasing IN richness the farther they
progress. In no single instance has any
resource on which the New Mexico
Railway e. Coal Co. based an assump-
tlon proved to be less than was fore
casted and in almost every instance the
development has gone beyond anything
that was estimated.
What the directory people say of the
effect of irrigation in the valley of the
Rio Grande is much less than any one
familiar with the subject will admit as
true of the great valley stretching from
above Tularosa to below La Luz. 1t
is simply a question of water. Down
both of these canons flow streams
which even in the height of the dry
season are still of considerable size,
but which when the SHOWS on the
mountains are melting or when rain is
falling on the upper levels (as It often
does when the mesa Is still dry), the
volume of water is such that If prop
erly impounded the supply would be
sufficient to irrigate vast areas of those
valleys. In the Tularosa canon and i'm
fact In every canon leading from the
SacramentoS or the White Mountains
TO the plains, the opportunities for
building vast reservoirs at little cost
are many. These canons frequently
open out into wide basins with noun
famous embankments at their lower
| sides through which the streams have
| worn narrow channels. 1t is one of
the simplest of engineering problems
| to securely dam the stream at these
| points. Such II project too, is sure to
be one of very great profit to the pro-
| motors because there is no probability
of storing more water than will be in
| quick and profitable demand.
| Residents of the Northern states
who have never seen the result OF irri-
cation would be simply astounded to
| witness the growth that cereals of all
! kinds and that fruit trees make in the
rich soil of these valleys when the
water supply is sufficient.
1t is a revelation, too, to the North
ern farmers to raise crops in a region
where he has nothing to fear from un-
! timely showers. His fields of alfalfa
yield three, four and even more crops
in a season and there is never a ques-
tion of rushing the hay to cover to keep
1t from being spoiled by storm. The
yield of fruits of all kinds is phenom-
| email and the Northern visitor is always
surprised to see how fair and smooth
the apples and pears and peaches are
No knots, no worms, no insect marks
as perfect in form and color as if mold
ed from wax.
All fruits that grow in the temperate
zone flourish in perfection here and il
addition figs, almonds, prunes, every
thing, in fact, except the citrus fruits
A feature of all the fruits grown ir
these dry regions is their eXceptiona
saccharine qualities. 1t Is notorious
that fruits matured in the humid at
mosphere of the Pacific Slope, while
fair to the eye, are often disappoint
ing to the taste. They are inclined tC
be fiat and insipid. 1t is just the con
trary with fruits matured on these
mesas as the percentage of sugar il
larger than almost anywhere else IL
the world that they can be grown.
This is conspicuously so of the sugar
beet, which promises to be one of th'
great money making crops of all thi'
region.
The El Paso & Northeastern Railroad
is now progressing at the rate of full,
one and one-half miles per day and no
a feature has yet been encountered II
it's construction that has caused th'
least disquiet to contractors or officials
Every obstacle that was anticipated
has, when encountered, proved less diff
ficult than was expected. NJ. M. q.