Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-05-29
THE VALUE OF
IRRIGATION
Conclusion Of the Extracts Made from the
Census Bulletin Treating on Agricul-
ture and Irrigation in
New Mexico.
SOME OF THE RIVER SYSTEMS NOT
MENTIONED IN THE PREVIOUS ARTICLES


resume of the agricultural census stat
istics of New Mexico recently published
by the census bureau and of especial
interest to every resident of this terri
| tory:
The following are the principal tribu-
taries of the Pecos, many of them fur
nishing a constant supply: Aqua Negra,
Aqua Negra Chiquita Rio Hondo, Ber-
endo rivers (north, middle and south),
the Spring rivers (north and south),
Penasco, Seven Rivers, Rocky Arroyo,
and Black rivers.
In the western plateau region the to-
tai number of acres. irrigated is small
compared with the other two main di-
visions of the territory. The waters af-
fording supply for this region are the
San Juan and it's tributaries, the Gila,
the Zuni, and the Mimbres rivers. The
lands irrigated by the San Juan river
are in the northern part of San Juan
county The sources of the river are in
the San Juan and La Plata mountains
in Colorado, and the affiuents which 1t
receives from south are unimportant.
| Near the Colorado line, the San yuan
has a mean flow of about 800 cubic feet
per second. This is augmented by the
waters of the Rio de Los Pinos. which
has an estimated flow of so cubic feet
per second. The most important tribu-
tary is the Las Animas, which has
normal flow, at a point below Aztec
\
La Plata another tributary, has an es-
timated flow Of so cubic feet per second.
While the flow of all these streams is
perennial, it fluctuates with the sea-
sons, being increased by the melting
SHOWS in the spring and later by the
rains, which usually occur in the latter
part of August and in September.
In the drainage of the basin of the
San Juan there are So bitches, located
as follows: On the Las Animas 20 ditch
es. irrigating 1882 acres; on the San
Juan, 10, irrigating 5000 acres; and on
the La Plata, 49, irrigating 3,O6S acres.
The total area irrigated by the San
Juan and it's tributaries is 14,734 acres.
| The Gila river rises in the Black and
Milnbres ranges. and in Grant county
flows for the most part through narrow
mountain valleys The total area irri-
gated by it is 5,93S acres. The flow is
perennial, and only a small portion is
used.
! In the northeastern part ct Grant
county small area is irrigated by the
Rio Mimbres. This stream flows
southwark as far as Deming, then
turns abruptly to the east, and dis
charges it's waters on the Florida plains
where they are lost in the sands.
Between the basins of the San Juan
and the Gila rivers, there is small
Iarea drained by the Zuni river. Por-
tions of this area are irrigated by the
Zuni Indians.
OF the 7S,374, 400 acres of land surface
in New Mexico, only 5,13O,S7S, or 6.5
per cent, were included in farms in 1899,
and only S26,S73, or O.42 per cent, were
Improved. OF the improved land, 3o3,43S
acres are located outside of the indian
reservations. The Importance OF 1rrlga-
tion is demonstrated by the fact that in
1899 the irrigated area outside of the
Indian reservations was 2O3,S9S acres,
Ier 67.2 per cent of the improved land.
In 1889 the corresponding irrigated area
Twas but 91,745 acres. BY the building
of new bitches and the extension OF the
old ones, the irrigated area of the ter
ritory has been augmented 12,14S acres,
a net increase of 1922 per cent.
The total of land irrigated in 1899 was
l203, ,S93 acres while the total area OF r.
rigated crops, as given above, was
l1S2, ,S04 acres. The difference, 2l'osS
|acres, represents approximately the
area of pasture land irrigated. 1t is
!, probable that portion of the area up
on which the crops were reported as
without irrigation, was really irrigated
at some time during the year.
Of the farms of the territory, 72.2 PEI
; cent were wholly or partially irrigated
in 1899, while Of the improved acreage
672 per cent was irrigated. The aver
age area Of the improved land in eacf
irrigated farm was SO acres, of whicf
l26 were irrigated. For Arizona the cor
responding averages were rs acres O
Improved land, and go acres of irrigatee
land.
The average number of acres of irri
gated land for each mile of ditch re
ported is SO. The area under ditch TO
each mile is 272 acres, or over three
!, times the average irrigated area Il
N many states, where there is a large
) |percentage of new irrigation enterprise
than in this territory, the area irrigated
bears a much smaller ratio to the are'
; under ditch. In the sections Of Ney
J; Mexico where irrigation has been prac
ticed for centuries, the effect on tn
J, old canals of the division Of water a
noints farther up the streams Is show
I, by the difference between acreage un
. der ditch and acreage actually irrigat
j. led. This is especially evident alon
}; the Rio Grande. On the other hand. i
}, the valleys of the Pecos and the sa
Juan rivers and their tributaries. tn
difference is due to the presence OF neN
!, enterprises which have not been suff1
!. GENTLY developed to furnish water t
,e all the land under them. In the newe
,s districts this difference indicates tina
@ an increase in the irrigated area
POSSIBLE. In the older districts furthe
development without water storage
unlikely.
II The average cost Of constructing tn
Z bitches was s1.73S per mile, $6.40 pc
= acre Of land under ditch and $20.So pc
!. acre Of land actually irrigated in 1SS
- r, 49,, xr,otor tight as used in tn