Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-05

(ths majority portion. at ieast) the public
citisen who possesses live stock. AZ to Sc
curing good private range. however, this
can only be done today at considerable out.
the na On
owns the public range surrounding It for
many miles. To be sure. there is much de-
velopment Of water going on. know OF
years, has dug or drilled eight wells on the
public domain, thus supplying all the water
needed for his extensive sheep herds.
Lands under cultivation and irrigation.
with water rights. can be purchased. es-
pecially in the valleys with streams, at
from $40 an acre up. according to location
near railroads or towns, water rights, sup
ply Of water, condition as to the crops, etc.
Locations OF this kind can be found in
many sections Of the territory. but they
will have to be paid for. For instances:
know of a fruit farm twenty miles north
OF Santa Fe of less than twenty acres, the
trees in actual bearing. which may be pur-
chased for 5000. and ! know of land In
the Rio Grande valley with water rights
and irrigation bitches located between
Los Lunas and Belen, which can be bought
for from SIS to $50 an acre. Upon the pub
lilo domain doubt if there are any quar-
ter-sections left containing living water,
but there are thousands upon thousands
or manifestations upon which the eRer-
getic, thrifty farmer or ranchman who I'M
derstands his business could develop wa
ter by the drilling of arteSian wells by the
driving or digging of common wells, by the
construction OF reservoirs and dams or by
pumping the overflow or seepage. Much of
such development of water is now going
on in the eastern portion of the territory,
and many homeSteads have been taken up
in that section in the last three years upon
lands heretofore considered absolutely I'M
fit for cultivation or the production of ag-
ricultural crops. In some cases intensive
and dry farming is being successfully prac-
ttCel land which | rode twenty or
twenty-five years ago, and which at that
time l considered worthless for even poor
cattle or sheep range.
To Obtain a Homestead.
I'm order to obtain a homestead the in
tending homesteader must first select the
100 acres he desires, get the number of the
section Chat is, the description according
to the United States surveys-quarter-sec-
lions, section, township and range. then
proceed to make his entry at the land Of
fee of the district where his selected loca-
ton is situated. The land office fees are
merely nominal, but the settler is required
to live upon his homestead for five years,
make 1t his home and cultivate 1t before
he is allowed to make final proof and
ceive patents. This is not difficult, the
four land offices in the territory are easily
reached. The greatest trouble will be to
find suitable manifestations on the vast
extent of public domain, which, I told
you before. still amounts to fiftytwo mil
lion acres of land including mountain lands,
timber lands, mineral lands, coal lands,
grazing lands. desert, lands, malpais and,
in fact. pretty much every variety of land
known or found in any quarted of the
globe.
What localities susceptible to irrigation
have not been taken up? That Is, where
are there vacant farming lands?"
Vacant farm lands may be found all
over the territory" continued Gov. Otero.
'"Ihey In county Thera ic NOT q
single county out of the twenty-five in the
territory that contains less than 100000
acres OF public domain, while there are
several which contain 5000 coo acres and
over. OF these 1 think quite a percentage
might be used for agricultural and stock
raising purposes could water be secured.
OF late 1t has been secured by deep wells
and artesian wells and the construction OF
reservoirs and ditch systems In many sec
lions where 1t was deemed impossible to do
so, even as late as three years ago
1T Is fact that the only irrigated and
cultivated lands of the territory today are
in the valleys of its rivers and streams
The second and third benches and the vast
stretches of high table lands are used only
for stock-raisng purposes
Many Farms for Sale.
There are many improved farms for sale
in the valleys of the Rio Grande and It's
tributaries on the Pecos river, the San Juan
river, the Red river and their tributaries In
any of the river valleys in this territory
and many OF the scattered mountain val
leys. Prices for these will range all the
way from SIS to $500 acre. This terri
tory is so vast in extent and is country of
such magnificent distances that no general
rule can be laid down, and conditions are
SO different, also, that each section one
might say, is almost sufficient unto itself
No man need come to New Mexico expect
Ing to purchase land under irrigation ditch
es and with water rights for less than $40