Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-12-08

limestone; one township west. red
sandstone; and the remaining four
townships northwest, granite. The on
ly favorable indications of mineral are
a few dykes of porphyry, there being
no veins of quartz. Not a trace of any
valuable mineral has been found in the
13 eastern townships. Thirteen hundred
assays of specimens taken from the re-
naming townships, collected from the
surface to Is feet below, has not reveal
ed any mineral, in sufficient quantities
to warrant any person desiring to To-
ate a mining claim on this reserve, if
it We're thrown open for mineral entry.
The statement made in former reports
and in newspapers time and time again
that this reserve contains gold and sill
yer in paying quantities, is not borne
out by the facts CLEANED from am ex-
tensive and exhausting investigation.
To open the reserve for mineral entry
or for settlement would only be a sub
terfuge to get possession of the timber.
Extensive inquiry, by circular and
otherwise, among the actual citizens in
the vicinity of the reservation, who
have agricultural and stock interests.
developes the fact that, with few ex-
centions, they are very much opposed
to having the reserve opened; stating
that such an act would ruin their water
supply by permitting the timber to be
cut off and the land to become over
stocked. 1t is a we'll established fact,
that the cutting of timber extensively
and the over-stocking of mountain
lands, causes droughts and extinction
of all springs. In this country, and we
speak from personal observation and
experience, the cutting Of extensive
areas of timber has the following eff
feet: the laps, tops, brush, etc, dries
and burns off, causing the death of abb
solutely every particle of vegetation
over the logged area; rains then fall on
this bare ground washing every parti-
Gle of soil off the hillsides, leaving the
ground covered with stones. This land
does not grow up again in forest. The
rains in this country are torrential in
character, the extreme difference in the
temperature of the plains and the
mountains causing very violent down
pours and hail storms. These storms
falling on deforested lands run off as
they would off a tin roof, flow down the
narrow valleys in great floods causing
destruction to beautiful ranches, homes
and even herds of cattle, and ~depositing
millions of tons of debris and silt or
good valley land. Before the timber
was cut, this rainfall would be checked
by the timber and forest cover, the
ground would not become compact, the
flow of water would be checked by veg
citation, absorbed by the loose earth,
decayed roots and mulch, and trickle
down slowly, to supply numerous
springs below. Evaporation would be
continued from the wooded area, for
months. On this reserve, there is an
area that was cut and burned over 20
years ago; it has not yet grown up to
forest nor has it any indication of doing
so. 1t is now covered with scrub oak
and locust bushes. No portion of it is
covered with annual or perennial grass
es.
In a less marked degree, the effect of
over pasturing forest lands may be seen
in various places, near the reserve, but,
more particularly, just north of the res
ervation. Thousands of sheep and
goats were seen there last year and
this. The grasses, shrubs, etc, are
just about literally annihiliated, the
mountain floors present a general brok-
en- condition and are SCARED with deep
washes. On the reserve, the forests
have been protected from timber cut
ting and ver pasturage and the noun
tain floors are unbroken and the ground
is we'll sodded with perennial and an
nual grasses and covered with forests.
Wherever sheep, in large numbers, have
pastured for a few years these condi-
lions do not exist, and just north of the
reserve, there are thousands of acres
overgrown with weeds, where originally
grew grasses and underbrush of briers
and oak brush. The Mescalero Indian
reserve embraces a portion of the Sac
ramento and White Mountains. Like
the country south of the reservation on
ly a small per cent of the lands are
agricultural in character and the soil is
not deep, is loose and porous and us
ceptible to wash from torrential rain
fall. In the reserve the forest Is less
dense thar further south and there is
even more necessity to protect it from
spoliation. The agricultural lands are
already occupied by the Mescalero
Apache Indians who are just adopting
agricultural and pastoral pursuits, and
are at this time self supporting. If the
reserve should be thrown open to set
Element, only the mountain lands could
be located and these lands have no. val
whatever, except for forest conser-
walton of moisture. If the reserve
should be thrown open it should be i'm
mediately embodied in a forest reserve
and the forest perpetually protected.
The ruin of the forest not only means
ruin to the agricultural land now occu-
pied and cultivated by the Indians, but
to thousands Of acres occupied and Gull
tivated by white settlers outside the
reservation. 1t will mean the aban-
donment of the Fort Stanton hospital
marine service sanitarium at Fort
Stanton, N. M, where the government
is spending $50, 900 for the purpose of
caring for the sailors who suffer from
tuberculosis. The water supply and the
farming lands of the Indians and the
Mescalero boarding school will be ruin
ed. AT this school the government has
spent large sums Of money, and is still
spending money for improvements.
1t is true that the Indians do not use
all the land ON the reserve. 1t cannot
ha ,,cad II cbould NOT ha llcad aycapt