The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-06-05

TO Inc TlNtfS anu ClOSStN ~ NAteA@H-
They are measured, usually, by varas or
wards fronting on the ditch, and the re-
suit is much INCONVENIENCE in cultivating
and a lack of economy in irrigating. In
the older settled valleys large proportions
of these bottom lands have become aka
line. and In many localities, drainage Is
almost as necessary as irrigation
With the influx Of new settlers and the
use of modern systems and methoos,
great progress In irrigation has been
made In the territory In the past :ew
years. At the present time most OF the
normal water supply is appropriated ana
the question of water storage Is OF para
mount Importance to the further develop
,nent of the agricultural resources.
Under the recent act of congress pro-
viding for the establishment of reser-
voirs over this western arid country,
several surveys have already been made
near this point, where ideal natural sites
are found. These reservoirs are to be
constructed at a cost of something like
two or three million dollars each, and
with the millions of gallons of water
caught by them in the rainy season and
held for irrigation purposes, the whole or
this arid section is sure to blossom into
one of the richest agricultural districts
III the WHOLE COuUlINs NlOic ltlAilS iaiidS
than these are not to be found Water
is the sole need.
Over most of the plateau which COM
prises so large a portion of the surface
the rainfall precipitation is but fifteen
inches This Is sufficient, however, to
produce excellent native grasses on the
plains and mesas. Cattle and sheep rails
Ing, therefore, has been the principal in
dustry, and the irrigation that is practice
ed outside of the small, well-favored val
leys Is largely auxiliary to this industry.
The streams of New Me&icoein most
cases are dry running as,portion of each
year. The upper tributaries, being sup
piled largely from melting snow, are fair
ly persistent, but the altitude and rela-
lively small area of suitable arabic land
prevent the full utilization of their
waters Even during the dryest seasons
many of the larger streams have an nn-
der flow of considerable volume and
wells In the valley sunk into 1t furnish
an almost inexhaustible supply of water
Lack of capital, however, restricts its
use.
Spring are numerous In many sections,
especially in the Canadian Pecos and Rio
Grande drainage basins. and afford a
fairly adequate water supply Many of
diches supplied from such streams are
not classed under the head of irrigation
from springs.
Snow may be found upon the highest
of the mountain peaks just north of Las
Vegas the year through. A beautiful
view of these snow-capped peaks is OBJ
tanned from the Hand ranch From this
snow the rivers are supplied with water
during the summer, furnishing a stream
about equal to the averaged mountain
brook. These streams are frequently
damned and many thousands of tons of
Ice are cut during the months of Deem
Ter and January.
he following are some interesting sta
tistics of irrigation for the year 1902 the
last year for which they ave been COM
Ileted.
In this year there were In New Mexico
-54945 acres irrigated from all sources.
The number of farms represented was
9,2S5, and the average cost per irrigation
systems cost, .ntialy, for main canals
and bitches and the necessary headgates,
reservoirs, dams, pumping plants, etc,
"a, 301, 915. The entire length of main canals
and bitches was 2,S46 miles, an everaee
length per system of nearly 2.3 miles.
Since 1899 the irrigated area has in
DffV'-
the increase for the decade 1S89-99 was
1872 per cent The number of farms on
which irrigation was reported ins19O2 was
lis per cent eater than in 1899
There Wee lips stream systems con-
structed at an initial cost of 81 49,, GIL
which Irrigated 249, 761 acres at an average
cost per acre of sl679. = orty-seven sys-
TENS, representing construction out
lay of sl8,165. were supplied from springs
and irrigated 3,072 acres at an average
cost per acre of $591 The II well-sys-
TENS cost s91,139, and 2,112 acres were ir-
rigated therefrom at an average cost per
acre of $43.45.
There are many improvements being
made to advance the material interests
of the territory, foremost of these be-
ing the building OF first class public high
ways. With the aid of convict labor the
territory is building a road that promise
es to become the most beautiful in the
west-the scenic route" extending from
Las Vegas to Santa Fe. The distance is
about forty miles, and the road Is being
built around the mountain sides at a
gradual grade until the summit is reach
ed and thence down the opposite side to
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