Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-06-14
VALUE OF IRRIGATION.
Extracts From Census Bulletin Treat
ing on Agriculture and Irrigation.
THE RIVER

iioiiNh ~ Aht OChSuo buitdu anu vi Vs.
pecial interest to every resident of this
territory:
The following are the principal tribu-
taries of the Pecos. many OF them fur
nishing a constant supply: Aqua Ne
gra, Aqua Negra Chiquita, Rio Hondo,
Berendo rivers north, middle and
SOUTH, the Spring rivers north and
Penasco. Seven Rivers, Rocky
Arroyo. and Black rivers.
In the western plateau region the
total number of acres irrigated is small
with the other two main di-
visions of the territory. The waters
affording supply for this region are the
San Juan and it's tributaries, the ella,
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 noun
tains in Colorado, and the affluents
which ii receives from south are I'M
important. Near the Colorado line. the
San Juan has a mean flow of about 600
cubic feet per second. This is aug
mented by the waters of the Rio de
Los Pinos, which has an estimated flow
of so cubic feet per second. The most
important tributary is the Las Animas,
which has a normal flow. at a point be-
low Aztec of S55 feet per second. The
Rio La Plata. another tributary. has an
estimated flow of so cubic feet per sec
ond.
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 basin OF the
San Juan there are ffty-two bitches.
located as follows: On the Las Ami
mas twenty bitches. ~irrigating 7,132
acres: on the San Juan. nineteen, irri-
| eating 1899 acres. and on the La Plata
thirteen. irrigating 3.063 acres. the
total area irrigated by the San Juan
and it's tributaries is 14.734 acres.
The ella river Uses in the Black and
Mimbres range and in Grant county
flows Tor the most part through narrow
mountain valleys. The total area irri-
gated by it is 1898 acres. The flow is
perennial. and only a small portion is
Used.
In the northeast eTn part of Grant
county a small area is irrigated by the
Rio Mimbres. This stream fiows south
ward as far as Deming. then turns alb
ruptly to the east, and discharges its
waters on the Florida plains where
they are lost in the sands.
Between the basins of the San Juan
and the ella rivers, there is a small
area drained by the Zuni river. Por'
tions OF this area are irrigated by the
Zuni Indians.
OF the 1884 400 acres of land sur
face in New Mexico, only ~5,13O,S7S, OF
6.5 per cent. were included in farms In
1899. and only 26,S73, or 0.42 per cent
were improved. OF the improved land
303 ,43S acres are located outside of the
Indian reservations. The Importance
of irrigation is demonstrated by the
fact that in 1899 the irrigated ares
outside of the Indian reservations was
2O3, 1913 acres. or 67.2 per cent of the
improved land. In 1899 the correspond
ing irrigated area was but 81 ,745 acres
BY the building OF new bitches and III,
extension of the old ones, the irrigated
area of the territory has been aug
mented 12,14S acres, a net increase o
1922 per cent.
The total of land irrigated in 1897
was 203, 1893 acres, while the total arei
of irrigated crops, as given above, wa
1S2, S04 acres. The d~ifferece, 2l,OS'
acres. represents approximately tn
area of pasture lane irrigated. 1t Il
probable that a portion of the arei
upon which the crops were reported al
without irrigation, was really irrigated
at some time during the year.
Of the farms of the territory, ".
per cent were wholly or partially irri
gated in 1899, while of the improves
acreage 67.2 per cent was irrigated
The average area of the improved lam
in each irrigated farm was ~thirty-thre
acres, of which twenty-six were lrrl
gated. For Arizona the correspondent
averages we're seventy-siX acres OF in
proved land. and sixty acres of irrI
, gated land.
The average number of acres of irr.
gated land Tor each mile OF ditch r.
! ported is eighty-siX. The area unde
ditch for each mile is PIP acres, 0
over three times the average irrigate
area. In many states. where there
2 a larger percentage of new irrigatio
' enterprises than in this territory, tn
area irrigated bears a much smalle
ratio to the area under ditch. In Tn
sections of New Mexico where irrig;
ton has been practiced for centuries
the effect on the old canals of the d
: vision of water at points farther up IN
. streams is shown by the difference b'
; tween acreage under ditch and acreag
actually irrigated. This is especial
n evident along the Rio Grande. On IN
r other hand. in the valleys of the Peco
d and the San Juan rivers n their tn
J. u~taries. the difference is due to IN
p, presence of new enterprises whlc
n have not been sufficiently developed
furnish water to all the land unde
them. In the newer districts this al
ference indicates that an increase
the irrigated area is possible. In IN
5 older districts further deyelopmer
f without water storage is unlikely.
o The average cost of constructing IN
o bitches was Sl,73S per mile, $6.4O pc
acre of land under ditch, and 5000 pc
e acre of land actually irrigated in lS9
e The term water right. as used in u
f bulletin, means the first cost, per acr
t TO the ~irrigator. of putting water on III
land irrigated in 1899, exclusive Of tn
cost of maintenance of the ditch, or
annual water rental. The average coi
a of water right per acre irrigated
l. 1899 was 1853, as stated by the owl