The evening times., 1899-12-14
THE Value OF IRRIGATION
lis Great Importance Pointed Out
by New Msxict's Governor.
In n Report to the Secretary of the
Interior He shows What Has Been
Accomplished I'm the Territory.
The Various Crops Produced and
the Profits Derived From Them.


Governor Miguel Otero, of New Mexico,
has been making careful study of the
great Western question of irrigation. He
is great believer in it, and in report to
the Secretary of the Interior, under the
caption of Ten acres. What a man can
do with a small tract of land under irriga-
ton.' the governor says:
Sweet potatoes of most excellent quail
ity yield abundantly in all the valleys of
the central and southern portions Of the
Territory, and constitute one of the best
crops that the farmer can raise. because
they enable him 10 realize n good return
for his seasons work from a very small
tract of land. which is an important con-
sideration to a farmer anywhere but es-
pecially so to one in an irrigation country.
The soil and climate of this country seem
TO be peculiarly adapted to the growth of
the sweet potato: the quality of ;he prodict
is fully equal to that of the famous rota-
toes of New Jersey, and fair average crop
will give from 800 to 1000 bushels 10 the
acre with proper cultivation. They never
sell for less in the fall than 81 busbel,
and those that are kept into the winter
1
will be seen that one acre cultivated to
sweet potatoes in New Mexico will yield
the farmer as much money as he can hope
to realize in a good year from eighty acres
of corn or wheat in Kansas or Nebraska.
and since the results are to be measured
by dollars and not by acres, it will be ap-
parent TO anyone that the irrigation farmer.
although he may not be able 10 cultivate
fields as broad as those of his neighbor in
ba ha1
cess and "a decidedly better chance of
bank account at The end of the year
The Growing Of Vegetables.
The onion is another product that seems
~ be peculiarly adapted to this section of
the country. The large white Spanish
onion. which grows to a greater perfection
in the Southwest than anywhere else in the
United States affords one of the most
profitable crops that can be grown in this
Territory, and requires irrigation TO bring
IT to perfection. On account Of its beau
tiful silvery color and its peculiar mild
flavor this onion finds ready sale in any
part of the country. and always brings the
highest market price. The yield is about
500 bushels to the acre. under proper cul-
tivation, and the price at home ranges from
81 10 $3.50 per bushel.
Celery and asparagus are also articles
which are especially adapted 10 the sill
and climate of this country, AMI attSin
here \ degree of excellence rarely found in
such articles grown elsewhere.
The New Mexico celery is far sGpe-,or
to that grown in California. and is pro-
nounced by all who try it fully equal in
all respects TO the famous Kalamazoo
product which is noted throughout the
country for its superiority.
And when ii comes to asparagus New
Mexico can fairly claim to 'bsat, the world
for nowhere else on the American conti-
nent is there raised asparagus which can
al all compare with that grown in the
valley of central and southern New Mexico.
In many places there are large quantities
of saltpeter in the soil tthe American set
tiers call it -alkaii, because il comes 10
the surface after rain and makes the
ground white, causing ii to resemble the
alkali of the north. This article which is
deIeterious to many kinds of vegetables is
the favorite food of asparagus and obviates
the necessity of applying salt TO the
ground. as has been done wherever this
vegetable is grown in the Eastern or Mid
die States.
.,.- The Rio Grandc Valley.
l'An-asparagus bed Of one acre will yield,
after the third year. about 200 pounds a
day for sixty days, which is as long as 1t
is wise to cut it: this will bring an aver
age of 10 cents pound during the sea-
son. An acre in sweet potatoes will yield
900 bushels worth 81 a hushel at least as
soon as they were dug An acre of onions
will yield 500 bushels. worth never less
than $500 and an acre of celery can be
relied upon TO bring at least $500. A man
needs acres in alfalfa. and in corn or
oats for his horse and COW, and acres
for house lot orchard, and kitchen gar
n hat in a is
as much as any man needs to farm for
profit and is fully as much the most !
industrious man can cultivate properly.
There is an abundance of good land for
such purposes to be had in all parts of
the Territory. Take. for example, the /
Rio Grande Valley, the Oldest portion of !
the Territory III point OF settlement.
section that has been settled for more !
than 300 years, and yet not one-fourth of
the available land in this section Of the !
country is under cultivation at the pres |
ent time. Beginning little above Ber- =.
nalillo and going down 10 a point a little !
below San Marcial, We have one of the :
most desirable and fruitful sections Of the /,
famous valley. and lying right in what /!
may properly be called the agricultural I
centre of New Mexico. district of about !
$50 miles in length. and with an average |
width of about five miles, embracing $50 |
sections or 10000 acres; and yet care /
ful writer, who has travelled frequently |
over the district of country in question,
gays: If we concede that one-tenth of
the land is row under cultivation, we are
making a very liberal estimate" But if
We should almost double this very liberal
estimate. We should still have in the dis
trict referred to- about 400. 900 acres OF
unused land-enough to furnish homes and
profitable employment TO 100000 families,
or more than the entire present population
of the Territory.
Water in Plenty.
And there is no waste land in this dis
trict named; ii lis all arabic and all tilla-
BILE and needs only the application of wa
ter TO make ii productive as the best
land in any part of the yorld. The Rio
Grande carries water enough for the culti-
walton of the whole of this tract without
in the least upon the rights |
of those who live 1, rthcr down the river
True, there would not be water enough /
under the system of irrigation at present
in use-a system that was adopted 300
years ago, when economy In the use of wa
ter something wholly unknown and
totally Unnecessary, and under which the
water wasted is at least five times as much
in quantity the water used-but it is
not TO be supposed that this system will
continue many years longer Modern sys-
TENS Of irrigation are being introduced in
all other sections of the country where
farming Il d,pe nv irripa1ion Nev- Mox;co