Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1904-04-11
Timely and Interesting Statistics
for 1902 Furnished by the
Census Office.
GREAT PROGRESS
SINCE 1889
But One Per Cent of the Waters Of the
Rio Grande Arising in New Mexico
Reaches the Mexican Frontier.

The United States census bureau
has given out the following prelimi-
nary statement concerning irrigation
in the Territory of New Mexico in
1902.
New Mexico occupies the slopes of
the great continental divide and in
cludes parts of the southern portion of
the Rocky and the northern portion of
the Sierra Madre Mountain ranges.
it extends from the thirty seventh par
allel on the north to Mexico and Texas
on the south, and it's general elevation
with the exception of small areas in
the Rio Grande and Pecos Valleys in
the extreme southern part, is 1000
feet or more above the sea- Within
the Territory the mountains lose the
characteristics Of the Continental Di-
vide and become a series of detached
masses, which sink into rolling for
nations and spread out in sloping
mesas and tablelands The mountains
constitute an interesting feature, dvid-
ing the region into various areas or
chambers dissimiar in climate and
rainfall
Natural Divisions.
| The Territory is naturally divided
by the crests of the Rocky and the
Sierra Madre Mountains into three
well-defined regions, an eastern, cen
tral and western
The eastern division belongs to the
great plains. It's northern portion is
traversed by numerous streams tribu-
tary to the Canadian, Cimarron and
Pecos Rivers, and the southern in
cludes a section of the valley of the
Pecos and the western half of Llano
Estacado, streamless tableland
The central division comprises the
valley of the Rio Grande, and has an
average elevation of about 5000 feet.
Aside from the narrow valleys along
the rivers, it is very mountainous and
rough.
The western division embraces the
high and broken plateau extending
westward from the crest of the Sierra
Madre Mountains, which attain an al
titude of 10000 feet or more in the
midwestern part. The hoadwaters of
the Gila, Little Colorado and San Juan
Rivers drain this portion of New Mex
ico
Irrigation Systems.
The irrigation systems in New Mex
leo are the oldest now in use in the
United States. Many of them were
constructed centuries ago by the Pue-
bio Indians or their Mexican neigh
bors The farm areas are small, and
the lands under these old systems are
cultivated in most laborious fashion,
largely by hand. The methods of ir-
rigation are almost identical with
those followed in the early days of
Spanish rule. The bitches are simple
and inexpensive, and the crop-yields
are light because of imperfect tillage.
The contrast between the modern
systems recently installed in other
parts of the Territory and the pr1ml-
tive Mexican bitches, whose origin was
in the days of Spanish rule, is very
marked. The old New Mexican farms
consisted of long. narrow strips of land
extending over foothills to the rivers
and crossed by bitches. They are
measured, usually, by varas or yards
fronting on the ditch, and the result
is much inconvenience in cultivating
and a lack of economy in irrigating.
In the older settled valleys large pOr-
tions of these bottom lands have be-
come alkaline, and in many localities
drainage is almost as necessary as ir-
rigation.
|
Great Progress Made of Late.
With the influx of new settlers and
the use of modern systems and meth
DDS, great progress in irrigation has
been made in the Territory in the past
few years. At the present time most
of the normal water supply is appro-
prated and the question of water
storage is of paramount Importance
to the further development of the agri-
cultural resources.
Water Supply.
Over most of the plateau which
comprises so large a portion of the
surface, the rainfall is deficient The
average annual precipitation is but
fifteen inches. This is sufficient, how
ever, to produce excellent native
grasses on the plains and mesas. Cat
tie and sheep raising therefore, has
been the principa! industry, and the ir-
rigation that is practiced outside of
the small, well favored valleys is
largely auxiliary to this industry.
The streams of New Mexico in most
cases are dry during portion of each
Iyear. The upper tributaries, being
supplied largely from melting snow.
/ are fairly persistent, but the altitude
/ and relatively small area of suitable
arabic land prevents the full utilization
Continued on Pace Three