Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-08-28

cipal constituents of New Mexico waters.
Magnesia is also always present, but
usually in smaller amo lnts than lime.
The hardness of a water is due to the
lime and magneSia present. A water
having temporary hardness alone can
be rendered soft by simply boiling. The
permanent hardness of water is due to
the presence of sulphates and Chords
OF lime and magnesia. These CON-
pounds, unlike the c%arbonates, are not
precipltated upon heating the water in
which they are dissolved.
Professor Goss describes several meth
DDS of breaking hard waters and then
describes the various materials found
in New Mexico waters such as soda,
potash. free and albuminoid ammonia,
sulphuretted hydrogen and alkali. Pro-
fessor Goss continues:
From the few determinations we have
made in waters of this territory, it would
seem that dangerous organic contamina-
tloH 10 Sohip POI luIV III 4NC" NV
leo we'll waters. This is specially true
of wells of sufficient depth to 60 below
the surface water, and they should all
be put down to sufficient depth to accom-
plish this end If possible. In the cast
of many of the small mountain streams,
however, in the summer. during the
rainy season., there is likely to be a dan
gerous amount of organic contamination.
This not only from the large
amount of decomposing vegetable matter
in the soils of the timbered mountain
slopes, but also from the prevalence of
manure and dead animals along the
streams running through sections where
stock raising is n OF the chief indus
tries. This material Is carried into the
streams with the rainfall and furnishes
a typical food supply for disease germs.
Waters contaminated with organic mat
ter can be rendered comparatively safe
for drinking purposes by boiling which
results in killing the germs"
Professor Goss describes what consti-
tutes good and bad water both from the
irrigating as we'll as the drinking stand
point and comes to the conclusion that
there is very little good drinking water
as far as mineral constituents are con
cerned, in the larger valleys of New
Mexico.
The pamphlet gives exhaustive tables
Of analyses of water during the past
eight years taken from the Rio Grande.
the Pecos, the Animas, the RonitO, the
Santa Fe and GaIlinaS, from different
mineral springs and well waters from
different parts of the territory. The
value of Rio Grande water as a fertilizer
is pointed out. The sediment in thai
river is the life of the Rio Grande valley
soils. The Pecos carries much more
solids than the Rio Grande and the alkal
constituents are seven times as great
so that Pecos water is liable to cause
trouble in a few years if used as an irri
cation water. The Animas carries ever
less sediment than the Rio Grande, anc
Of the Animas valley the writer says:
"The Animas valley seems to the writel
to be n of the most promising agricul
tural sections of the territory. Expert,
ments conducted at the sub-station al
Aztec, for several years past, have de-
monstrated that sugar beets of excep'
tlonally good quality a be grown there.
and it has also been demonstrated thai
fruit of various kinds does excellently in
that section. This valley has q decided
advantage over the Rio Grande valley al
present, from the fact that the river fur.
nishes an abundant and constant supply
of water for the irrigation of all the land
available. The amount of land capable
of being irrigated is, however, consider
ably less than in the Rio Grande valley
Of Santa Fe river water the following
is said:
THE Santa Fe river, from which San
ia Fe draws it's water supply, contains
the least mineral matter in solution of
any sample of natural water we have
ever analysed in this territory. 1t COM
pares in this respect very favorably in
deed with the very best waters from the
eastern rainfall districts. The albumi-
mold ammonia in the sample of this wa
ter analysed, while not sufficient to con-
denim it, was a trile high, as is often the
case in waters of the mountain streams"
Professor Goss In conclusion advises
that before the Rio Grande valley is
abandoned as an agricultural region a
trial should be made of pumping water
from wells as a supplementary means of
irrigation. In conclusion the pamphlet
speaks of spring and artesian we'll waters
Of the territory.
The work is a very valuable one in
deed and deserving of study by all those
interested In agriculture and irrigation
in New Mexico.