Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-04-11
IMPORTANT TOPICS
Professor Charles Keffer, Of the Agri-
cultural College, Discusses Agri-
culture, Horticulture and
Irrigation.
TRANSPORTATION PROBLEM
The Immense Agricultural and Horticul-
tural Resources of New Mexico and the
Most Economical and Best Methods
Of Developing Them.

Charles A. Keffer, professor of agri-
culture at the agricultural college at
Mesilla Park, spent yesterday in Santa
Fe. He is making an inspection tour
of the sub-stations Of the agricultural
college at Las Vegas, Aztec and Ros-
well. He has completed his inspection
at Las Vegas and will next visit the
Aztec station.
Professor Keffer makes a speciality Of
the study of horticulture and on his way
to the sub-stations visits the principal
horticulturists of the territory and
gathers from them all possible data
about fruit growing. He pays special
attention to the irrigation and trans
luton of which he considers the prime
necessities for the development of the
wealth of this territory.
when I came here from Iowa and
Missouri l was astonished at the i'm
mense agricultural and horticultural
possibilities of New Mexico" said Pro-
fessor Keffer. Merely a slight begin
ming has been made in developing that
wealth, but with irrigation and lower
transportation rates, there will be an
astounding development of the latent
agricultural u Of this territory,
for New Mexico has an advantage over
other parts of the United States in its
grand climate, which always assures a
crop if sufficient water is in reach.
lone of the most necessary facts to
be a~scertained is the minimum of water
with which a given field can be culti-
waited. The work at the Las Vegas sta
ton this year will be entirely along that
line. Many of the existing irrigation
systems are extravagant with their wa
ter simply because the minimum
amount hat each field needs has not
been scientifically determined and there
is a great waste that might be used
to open new areas to cultivation.
II think in time the national govern
ment will build big reservoirs for the
irrigation of the arid regions. A begin
ming has been made by the recent estab-
llSllIIltIlI VI liz .UulCdu VI lIIl6atlolis
Artesian wells cannot extensively enter
into the solution of the irrigation prob
lem, as the artesian area is only very
limited and compares in size to the arid
regions as a garden compares with a
big farm.
1.-THE transportation problem will
solve itself as soon as sufficient fruit and
grain is produced to make it worth
while for several producers to go to-
gether and export their products by the
train load. The railroad rates at pres
ent are not exorbitant, when one con-
siders the long haul, but the competition
Of states nearer to the markets is so
keen that it does not pay to export pro-
duce a great distance in small quanti-
ties.
"We are at present collecting data to
determine the date of peach blossom
ing, and what relation it bears to the
prevailing weather as recorded by the
weather bureau. We are also ascer-
tanning varieties which are easiest in
jured by frost and those which can with
stand frost the best. We have $50 va
rieties Of peach trees planted at the
Mesilla park experimental orchards,
and our bulletins will inform growers
as to the results that we achieve with
them. By the way, those bulletins that
the college issues should prove a very
valuable aid to horticulturists and ag-
riculturists. 1t is the aim Of the col
lege to be not merely a local institution,
but to do away with primitive methods
of agriculture all over the territory, and
to develop the enormous agricultural
and horticultural possibilities Of the
magnificent domain"
Professor Keffer called on a number
of local horticulturists and ~endeavored
to interest them in the work Of the ag-
ricultural college. He will visit the
orchards along the Rio Grande north of
here before going to Aztec.