Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-06-22
DONA ANA COUNTY
The Present Fruit Crop--The Com
munity Ditch--Oth Topics
of Interest.
SHALAM COLONY'S Big WELL
Educational Advantages Which the Agri-
cultural College Furnishes to Me-
silla Valley People.

In the Mesilla valley, Dona Ana oun
ty, this year, pears, peaches and apples
are plentiful, but the pears and apples
have the Goblin moth to reckon with.
In one of the experiment station or
chards all the fruit was destroyed last
year to see what the effect would be on
the pest. A few worms have already
been found in this orchard, and the
plan, therefore, of destroying the fruit
to get rid of the moth was not success
full. The Goblin moth must be fought
each year as the Colorado potato bug is
fought in all potato-growing districts.
Grapes are almost a failure. A few
vineyards will give a small crop.
The ditch is a community ditch, and
the cost of maintaining it averages
about 30 cents per acre annually. There
is a project on foot to extend the ditch
several miles up the river SO as to take
the water out at Selden, where the rock
bottom and banks of the river would
prevent the washing away of the head
gate, and also give the ditch some wa
ter which is now lost in the sand below
Selden. Las Cruces has the advantage
of getting the main part of the summer
flow of the Rio Puerco and other tribu-
taries of the Rio Grande below Albu-
querque. Around Las Cruces several
pumping plants are used with success,
but the windmill is Of no practical use
for irrigation purposes, though it does
well enough for domestic purposes or
watering stock.
At the Shalam colony we'll a stone
curb Is feet wide was sunk by dint of
it's own weight, and by pumping out
the quicksand that rose in it to a depth
of So feet. There it stuck fast and re-
mains. To close the bottom against the
quicksand, broken stone of various
sizes was dumped in to a depth of 2 or
8 feet. Water percolated, and still per-
c~olates, through the sands into the well,
but not in sufficient quantity to afford
anything like an adequate supply. Thu
needed supply of water was obtained
by sinking three 6-inch pipes from the
bottom of the we'll to a depth Of 65 feet
below the surface of the ground, cutting
off these pipes Just above the bottom Of
the well, and letting the water from be-
low gush up into the reservoir.
These pipes struck the concrete STRAIT
UNI at about 60 feet depth. A small
pike with a hard point was then put
down inside the 6-inch pipes, and a hole
pounded through the concrete. The
force of the water after the 6-inch pipe
was cut off near the bottom Of the well
was sufficient to bring up the fragments
of concrete in the we'll. The water from
below the concrete rose to the height Of
the surface water, about 10 feet below
the surface of the ground. This indi-
Gates that the surface water and the
deep stratum of water have a common
source In the mountains above, part Of
the water from this mountain flowing
down the valley on top Of the concrete
stratum, and thus becoming impregnat-
ed with the alkalies and minerals
Astounding in the surface sands, while
the other part Of the water flows below
the concrete and remains measurably
pure.
Mr.. Rowland uses a Dean steam
pump Of 1900 gallons per minute ca
pacity, and thinks he pumps about 1000
gallons per minute. The water stands
normally within about 10 feet Of the top
of the ground.
Improved land a be bought in the
valley for from SIS to 500 per acre, and
unimproved land from IS to $50. Gener-
ally speaking, land that has been
cleared and leveled for irrigation Is
cheaper at $50 than wild land at SO.
Rents are low, and desirable places can
be bought or leased at reasonable fig
ures in nearly every locality. The ed
ucational opportunities offered by the
agricultural college at Mesilla Park
make the locality a very desirable res
idence for families with children Of
school age. In fact, nothing could have
been devised Of so much advantage to
Las Cruces and the surrounding coun-
try as the location Of the agricultural
and mechanical college and experiment
station there.