Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1900-12-18
HOME IRRIGATION.
Civil Engineer Harroun Says Much
Land Can Be Reclaimed.
THE Old SPANISH SYSTEM.


der ar Intelligent system Of Irrigation
l2.0Oo.OOO acres Of land in New Mexico
can be reclaimed and made into farm
ing land which would have no superior
In the whole world.
This Is the statement made by ~. f.
Harroun. OF this city. a civil engineer,
n one OF the ~bcst-known irrigation
experts In the west and southwest. MI.
Harrouu emphasizes the supplementary
statement that to reclaim this vast
tract OF land congress must Institute
II control the irrigation system, II
the work be left to private n corpo-
rate enterprise not more than 1000. 900
acres a be reclaimed. In view Of
these possibilities, the citizens OF New
Mexico are vitality interested In the
proceedings OF the irrigation congress TO
be held in Chicago this week. They
hope that congress will recommend con-
gressional action on the question, be-
%lieving. a. Mr.. Harroun does. that this
Is the only solution of the problem.
There are 100000 o square acres OF
land In New Mexico and only 100000 of
them under Irrigation VI any form. Ex-
| cept In a few Instances these systems Of
Irrigation are Of Spanish origin and
have been In vogue for the last 900
years. MIR. Harroun says that he is con-
hdent that the Indians used them even
before the S%paniards came here from
ola Mexico. That such systems are un-
scientific and wholly Inadequate lie OBJ
vious.
But ever these crude and antlquated
systems demonstrate the possibilities.
from an agricultural point OF view. OF
New Mexico if intelligence were used
In the water distribution. 1t Is a mis-
taken del that New Mexico Is a waste
Of desert. beyond the possibility OF rec
lamation. q Wherever lands have been
reclaimed and put to agricultural pur-
poses the highest results have been OBJ
tained. Two and three and In some In
stances four crops are raised. New
Mexican wheat Vas awarded 4 prize at
he Worlds Fair I'm 1898. CEREALS, fruit
md vegetables raised ON land even in
sufficiently irrigated compare favorably
with similar products of the banner
states Of the country. Nor can 1t be
aid that farming has b1cn lntelllgently
lssayed In this country. those who fol-
low Il being In most Instances humble
Il FNbNAf NiAAANAA iAAfAilaf VIZ Y uhdVl'
" want OF capital to prosecute It TO
It, full degree.
Irrigation In New Mexico" says Mr..
Harroun, rs wholly confined to tn
valley Of the Rio Grande. the lower Pc
COS, the head waters OF the Canadian.
md the upper portions OF the valley,
Of streams furnishing a perennial va.
.er supply, leaving the vast bodies OF
lrable lands between sources OF sup
ply and the trunk streams, unimproved.
Scientific development OF the water
supply for irrigation has been under
taken IN but two sections OF the terri
.ory, on the lower Pecos by the Pecos
Irrigation and improvement company.
md In the upper Canadian district by
he Maxwell land grant company. To
lay there are the most wealthy and
prosperous sections Of New Mexico
thousands Of acres now In cultivation,
where before there was little or none
OLD SPANISH SYSTEM.
The old Spanish system" continued
MI. Harroun. "is made by merely cut
ing a hole In the side OF the bank
against which the river impinges. and
clustering It up with stone. grass and
brush. all Of which Is weighted down by
heavy powders. Through this cut into
y ditch the water OF the river IL divert
ID. There are no regulating gates OF
sluices whatever. These bitches carry
1 surplus ot water. and as a conse-
Iuence the use and waste OF water are
%xceSivc. The surplus water In the ir.
figated field and the bitches Is allowed
20 find It's W way to the river and the
result Is that during irrigation season-
from April 1 to Nov. 1, the roads ar,
almost impossible and nearly us much
land IL In swapms as In in cul'
tivation. with this system OF irrigation
It Is little surprising that New Mexico
which has a climate unsurpassed b,
any country on the globe. Is contemp
tuously referred to az an arid desert
New MeXico's natural water supply
has been deprecated by Colorado OF
the north and Texas on the south. II
both Of those states intelligent irrlga
ton methods have diverted the water
which nature intended for New Mexico
But even whore streams are absent wa,
ter Is found in abundance at an aver
age doptn OF IA feet below the surface
This Is reached by artcstan wells
which Is pumped and spread over thu
land by a small gasoline pump, wher,
this system has been used land ha,
been reclaimed at a cost OF 81 an acre.
That there are those who are willinG
10 put their money into irrigation sys,
tpms in this territory Is evidenced by
the fact that an English syndicate with
a capital OF 81. 800. 900 Is already organ,
ized to build an international dan
across the Rio Grande at III Paso, Tex
At the head OF this organization Is Col
Arson Mills. formerly OF the United
States army, and now in Washington
Owing to certain complications tn,
work Of constructing the dam has beer
suspended. 1t was held by some thai
the obstruction of the river was a vio'
lation Of the federal law regarding the
damming OF navlgable streams. The
federal land office VAS appealed TO and
The commissioner ruled that 10 diver
sion Of the Rio Grande could he made
This ruling was generally satisfactory
to the citizens Of New Mexico because
Il held the whole system In abeyancs
until some definite system OF irrlga,
ton could be settled upon ana the ques.
lion OF national control OF irrigation
placed before congress.
With the government controlling tn,
irrigation system, New Mexico woult
profit immeasurably by increased pop,
ulatiOn. development OF resources anC
thus directly benefit the whole country
at large. by her products n demand
, for uhe products Of other states and tn,
increase In the taxes to the federal gov,
eminent the territory would many
times owe repay the money expended
for the proper distribution or watei
within It's limits.
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bismnrck's Iron Nerve.