Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-12-31
material PROGRESS Of
NEW MEXICO PAST, PRES
ENT AND PROSPECTIVE

acres The government has in addi-
tlon approved Of two other projects,
the Las Vegas reservoir, to reclaim
10000 acres; and the Urton Lake pro.
ject in southeastern New Mexico, to
reclaim 10000 acres. Nor Is private
enterprise deferred by the activity G.
the Reclamation Service, from inevst-
ing in irrigation enterprises. In the
office of the Territorial Irrigation en,
gineer there were filed this year ap-
Iplications for the approval of plans 10
reclaim G54,500 acres, one-third by the
United States and the other two.
thirds by private enterprise. These
latter include plan for huge high
pressure syphon under the Animae
river in San Juan county, to carry the
water to fertile mesa lands; four res
|ervoirs on the French Land and Irri-
cation Companys plot. of $4,000 acres
on the Maxwell Land Grant in Colfax
county; an irrigation system on the
Miami ranch near Springer, Colfax
county, now being colonized; the Cat
Claw Reservoir on the Penasco In
Eddy county, an irrigation system on
the Red river in Taos county, and
several canals to take waters out of
the Rio Grande in Rio Arriba and
Santa Fe counties Unique among
these projects Is that of the FL Paso
and Southwestern railway to divert
the Rio Bonito across the White noun.
tain range in Lincoln county and car.
rying 5 cubic feet of surplus waters
by means of pipe line 100 miles long
to various stations along the road. The
securing of the National Irrigation
Congress for next year at Albuquer-
que will draw general attention to New
Mexico's irrigation progress in late
years.
Forest Reserves.
Intimately connected with the IT.
rigation development Is that OF forest
preservation and during the year the
Federal government has added more
than 100000 acres to the forest re-
serve area SO that New Mexico now
has exceeding 100000 acres of for
est reserves, the most important re
serve created during the year bein !,
the Sacramento Reserve of ovt $40, 900
acres in Otero county. There has been
some complaint that included in these
reserves there is considerable agricul-
tural land and some areas that ere fit
merely for grazing that will never be
timbered. For the purpose of eliminat-
ing such areas, and restoring them to
entry, the Forest Bureau i, now max
ing an inspection, especially of the
Jemez and Lincoln reserves.
Instead of hindering the lumber in
terests, the creation of the forest re-
serves has given the industry in vari
GUS sections, but especially on the
huge Jemez Forest Reserve on which
numbering operations are now being
carried on on large scale. This indus
try is a very important one to New
Mexico and especially at Albuquerque
and at Alamogordo, large manufactur-
ing plants are utilizing the lumber In
the manufacture of building timbcrs,
ties, boxes, doors and sashes. In all,
there are at this date 80 saw mills in
New Mexico and the annual produc-
tion is 1,25O,OOO,OO0 board feet.
The Stock Industry.
Mainly owing to the lack Of cars
for shipping stock, both cattle and
sheep owners have not Jared as well
financially as in former years. Herds
and f1ocks have entered the winter in
prime condition however. The cutting
|up of the range by homesteaders, has
had its detrimental influence upon the
|sheep industry In some sections but
the fact that the range is being pro-
|tected on the forest reserves, almost
|compensates for the loss of public
range by settlement There arc be
tween 5,G00.000 and 100000 sheep in
New Mexico today aad about three
quarter million of cattle The wool
production this year was about TO-
100000 pounds and about two million
lambs AMI sheep and a qulrter Of a
million head Of cattle were shipped to
market feeding grounds from New
Mexico.
Mining.
Unfortunately, the untoward financ-
| ial condition of the past two months
have affected the mining industry in
New Mexico to the same extent as
elsewhere. There is one exception, that
In coal mining, in which the Territory
has added twenty per cent to its pro.
duction during the past year, the to-
Ital amounting to almost two and a
half million of tons. In Calfax county,
Especially at Dawson and at Yankee,
| lflourishing coal mining towns have
|been established. At Carthage, in So
corro county, too, there has been a
great increase In production and
work has been resumed at the famous
mines at Madrid, in Santa Fe county.
However, the coal resources of New
Mexico are being merely scratched
for according to an official estimate,
New Mexico has 100000 acres OF
coal lands that have been prospect
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