El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-27
ABUNDANT RAIN

Has Brought Life and plenty To the
Hill and Fields Around Casa:
6randes.-prospeCt That Sea
sons Will Change So Dry Farm
ing Will Be possible.-h Non
derland of Curious and Va
IuabIe Relics of a Forgotten
Race.
Special Correspondence OF the HERALD.
CoLoNIA JUAREz, Chihuahua, July
| Give learn with much regret the
decision of the Sierra Madre r. r.
| company to postpone the construction
| of Inc proposed branch from present
end of track up the Piedras Verdes to
Garcia. OF course the directors under
stand their own business better than
any outsider, but one thing Is certain
-.--a line extending into the
mountain timbered region would have
added much additional freight and
local passenger traffic, business con-
stantly increasing with the increased
population which the proposed line
would insure. The increase in business
for the road would largely be local, as
we'll as that connecting into Ell Paso.
But such q line is necessity for the
development of that vast timber and
mineral region, and If the present COM
pany refuses to build somebody else
will.
After suffering SO long from severe
drOuth tt g arrival of the rainy season
is most joyfully welcomed, and the
hills and mesas have assumed their
beautiful robes Of green, with promise
of plenty of hay and much corn produc-
ed by dry farming, or farming without
irrigation. The time will come when
vast areas will be cultivated without
irrigation, as is now the case in Utah
where, not many years ago, nothing
In the early settlement of
that state and for many
years afterward rain between Feb
ruary or March and November WAS al
most unknown, but since then the sea-
sons have gradually changed. and now
abundant showers In the summer
make the farming of the uplands pro-
ftsble. Last season as much as forty
bushels of wheat per acre were pro-
duced in Coohe County, Utah, with DO
water except that from the heavens,
though twenty to twenty-five was the
usual yield.
Many indications prove that Chihua-
hua once enjoyed much more rain than
at present. The whole country is dot
ted with little mounds, which, when
explored, show that each was once a
teresting relics OF prehistoric times
have been exhumed, But the most
striking proofs of the once dense
population are seen along the noun
tain sides. Every little hollow or
ravine, frequently not more than two
or three rods wide, and myriad spots
of smooth mountain slope Gree from
rocks have been terraced by low retain
ing walls Of stone placed above each
other at short distances apart SO as to
give level ground for culsivation; and
every squsre.foot 30 cultivated was wat
cred only by rains. These old terraces
are still visible, seen everywhere along
the base and foot hills of the mountains.
A striking proof of the density of popu
lation and scarcity OF land for cultiva
tion was seen by your correspondent in
a large rock which anciently had been
utilized by placing q row of
large stones around its fat edges to re-
tain layer of earth foot or more in
depth which had been lsboriously car
ried from the ravine below, up an al
most perpendicular height of full $50
feet. This was near cave dwelling
where an immense ola WAS found,
about twelve feet high and fifteen feet
about one foot in thickness, and the
huge urn had apparently been used |
as a receptacle OF corn or |
grain of some kind.
To lover of antiquities these noun !
tain regions are full of interest Many |
cave dwellings are found, one OF which,
In the rich Guaynopa mining region,
full sixty rooms. Very inter-
esting to US would be the story of these
raj n60r,1a co re al n dQt ia
probably two thousand years. Nations !
D rave been born, grown mighty, de-
,lined and passed away, leaving not
even their name behind. Who shall !
lift the veil and reveal their story?
Most of the fruit here was killed by |
unusually severe frosts, but there will
be some apples, pears. plums land ber-
RES. Grapes were not INJURED. Every
body is busy, and visitor will see no
oafers, no drunkenness, or hear any
profanity, but people trying to OBJ
serve the Mormon maxim, "Mind your
OWN business MARTINEAU.
A o;o1 81 t. |