Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-06-16
A PECULIAR PEOPLE
Unique Experiment Along Commun-
istic Lines in the Mesilla Valley
Near Las Cruces.
VERY PROSPEROUS SHALAM COLONY
Successful Irrigation by Means Of a Pump
ing Plant-A Model Dairy 0asta-
way Children Adopted by Mr.. and
Mrs. Rowland.

About a mile west of the railroad sta
ton of Dona Ana is the Shalam colony.
The colony tract comprises about 900
acres of land on the east bank of the
is or has been under cultivation. The
colony was founded in 1884 by DR.. j. B.
NeWbrough, a dentist, who had pre-
viously written a new bible which bears
philanthropy, cooperation as opposed
to competition, v~egetarianism, and the
duty and joy of self-devotion to the
common good. 1t was hoped that a
goodly number of adults would unite
with the colony and remain with it. The
hope has thus far failed in realization.
DR.. Newbrough died in 1886, and A. M.
Rowland, a millionaire, succeeded to
the headship of the enterprise. Mr..
Rowland married Mrs. Newbrough, the
widow of the founder, and for the past
dozen years they have labored togeth-
err to build up the colony and develop
the lands. At various times castaway
children have been taken to Shalam to
be reared as material for the new civ
ilization to be worked out. There are
now about twenty-five of such children
from 2 to u years of age at Shalam.
All, including two or three negroes,
have been adopted by Mr.. and Mrs.
Rowland. The children are neatly but
cheaply dressed, and look healthy,
clean, well-grown and happy. Every
thing about Shalam indicates that there
undertaking.
For irrigation, water was at first
pumped from the river. But the river
began to encroach on the pumps, and
| the plant was moved a distance of one
mile. There a LARGE well was dug, and
| the colony has now an i~nexhaustible
supply of good water. 1t has stood the
test for years, with no change of the
volume of supply in summer or winter,
nor does the stage of the river have any
effect upon the quantity. Much money
was spent in experimenting before the
we'll was completed, and at present the
plant could be put in for $685. 900 less
than it cost.
At first the purpose was to sink a
stone curb THROUGH the sand to the
impervious stratum of concrete about
SO feet down, so as to get the water from
below the stratum. By dint of great
| ofeo, +1o o,,,1 10 Foo4 oaroo, ,roo e,,, l.
by it's own weight. When the pump
is set to work the water is lowered 10
to IL feet, and there the equilibrium be-
tween the flow Of the water and the
ter is carried in open bitches and board
fumes to the fields. The flow is suffi-
cient to flood two or three acres Of al
falfa in ten hours. The soil is sandy,
and takes up more water than in many
| other parts of the valley. The Shalam
| lands appear to need above all else a
large admixture of river silt. Mr.. How
land thinks the open well with pipes to
| bring the water from below the concrete
is the best, if not the only practical
| plan for a pumping plant. While it is
a costly plan, it insures a sufficient sup
| ply Of good water.
Mr.. Rowland planted large orchards
| several years ago, but concluded that
| spring frosts made fruit growing too
uncertain. So he turned to dairying and
alfalfa growing. This year he has dug
up ten acres of peaches n apricots
| and put the ground into alfalfa. He has
| already thirty cows and heifers, thor
| oughbreds and grades, with two fine
| Guernsey bulls. The dairy plant in
+ cludes separator, butter worker, pas
teurizer, and everything requisite to
make gilt-edged butter, such as retails
in the large cities of the north at fancy
prices. The dairy is in charge of r. B.
| Vandewater, a graduate Of the dairy
| course at the university of Madison,
| Wis. The cows are well groomed, and
| their udders are wiped carefully before
] milking. Each cows milk is weighed
| and a record kept. The feed Is alfalfa
| hay in troughs in the yard, and cut hay
/ with grain moistened in the stable man.
| gers. The cows are MIXED at 8 p. m.
and 3 p. m. Ice is bought by the car
load. The dairy products are disposed
of at a good price in Ell Paso.
The colony has a well-equipped fowl
house and yards. j. J. Reese, who
| worked for several years on the poul-
try farms in New Jersey and Long Is
land, has recently been employed to
J cake charge of this branch of colony
work.
Shalam colony is interesting from ev-
| cry point Of view, and is helping in it's
way to solve some Of the economic and
social problems of the day. Mr.. How
land is a man of strong personality,
hiph nlirnaSa aud da5otion