Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-08-04
IT CAN Be DONE
What May Be Accomplished in Many
Places in New Mexico by Con-
serving the Water.
ALBUQUERQUE ASACHANCE
The System of Irrigation in Use for Hun
dreds Of Years Is Inadequate Under the
Changed Conditions in the Rio
Grande Valley.

Brigham Young, Jr., who recently
passed through New Mexico on his way
to Utah, was interviewed at Santa Fe
by the New Mexican, and in the report
of his remarks we find this paragraph:
Speaking of the Mormon colonies in
Mexico, he said that they are enjoying
a high grade of prosperity. The colo
nists now number 5000, and have by ir-
rigation transformed the country into a
garden and blooming orchard, and the
same result could be accomplished al
most anywhere in New Mexico.'
AS to the entire feasibility Of accom-
plishing such a result in New Mexico,
there is not the least question. With a
soil as rich and strong as any on earth,
and with a climate that is not surpassed
anywhere, there is lacking nothing but
the necessary moisture to transform
great areas of New Mexico into verita-
BILE gardens. Some little has already
been done in this direction, but the work
has only just commenced, and it has
progressed but slowly up to this time on
account of the prejudices and fears of
the people; but all such difficulties will
disappear in a very short time; when
yer a good modern system of irriga-
ton shall be introduced its vast supe-
riority in distributing and economizing
the water will be so clearly demonstrate
ed, and it's value to the whole people
will be so patent that all opposition will
quickly disappear, and those who at
first opposed the innovation will be
found later among its most earnest
friends.
1t is supposed by many that the wa
ter supply in New Mexico is only suffi-
Gent for the cultivation of a very small
fraction of the land of the territory
and it must be admitted that this would
be in a great measure true if we should
be forced to depend indefinitely upon
such means of irrigation as were estab-
lished here two or three centuries ago,
but the world has made some progress
in irrigation as well as in other matters
since the first settlements We're made in
this section of the country, and When
ever we take advantage of this prog
ress in the application Of modern meth
DDS to the conservation and distribu-
ton Of water we find that the supply is
amply sufficient for an area much great
err than has heretofore been cultivated.
1t Is supposed by many that the water
mn ir Ncyu oysa IL, N~lxr o,, "a sor
for the cultivation of a very small frac-
ton Of the land of the t~erritory-and it
must be admitted that this would be in
a great measure true IL we should be
forced to depend indefinitely upon such
means of irrigation as We're established
here two or three centuries ago. but the
world has made some progress in irri-
cation as well as in other matter since
section Of the country, and whenever
we take advantage of this progress in
the application of modern methods to
the conservation and distribution of
water we find that the supply is amply
sufficient for an area much greater than
has heretofore been cultivated.
The people Of this section Of the Rio
Grande valley, after a long struggle, are
now about to make an application of
modern ideas and modern methods in
irrigation work, by the introduction Of
a system which will reclaim all the irri-
BILE but heretofore unirripated lands of
this section Of the valley by the utiliza-
ton of water from the Rio Gande which
has hitherto gone to waste-and this,
without interfering in the least with
the supply due to the comparatively
small area now under cultivation, will
furnish an ample supply for the vastly
greater area now lying unirrigated and
practically valueless
This a more for this section of
New Mexico than has even been hoped
for by the most enthusiastic friend of
the enterprise. 1t means the providing
of room and homes for many thousands
of new settlers in this vicinity; it means
the doubling and in many cases the
quadrupling or more of the value of all
acre properties in this section of the
valley, and it means the gathering of
productive energies around Albuquer-
que sufficient to stimulate the growth
of the town to at least twice it's present
proportions. 1t means, in short, the be-
ginning of a new era for this section
Albuquerque Journal-D Democrat.
Y1>A r.. n~h1s..A