The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1907-02-07
ANOTHER LETTER
FROM NEW MEXICO.
nr. z. w. Kelso Describes the Coun-
try Which He Is VISITING.

~ the EulIOI OF Inc Republican
Since my last letter to THE RE,
PUBLICAN l visited the immediate
country around Las Cruces for in
formation concerning various in
dustries and educational advan
tagcs.
Three miles from this place is
located the territorial agricultural
college with three hundred stu.
dents enrolled. Besides all mat
tiers pertaining to agriculture,
courses of music, languages, en-
gineering, sciences, domestic econ
omy, business, etc., are offered.
In the town of Las Cruces is the
Loretto Academy, a school for
girls, with about 800 in attendance.
Las Cruces also has two large and
modern public school buildings.
visiting several orchards and
vineyards, some containing forty
acres. l also saw several apiaries.
One man sold over $1,000 worth
of honey in one season. Most of
the honey is made from alfalfa and
mesquite bloom.
l visiting feeding ranch con-
tanning six hundred cattle. The
feed consists of alfalfa cut by steam
power into suitable length and
afterwards mixed dry with cotton
seed meal. This is put into large
feed boxes place about the lot on
posts. Water for stock is pumped
by windmills. The proprietor ex-
planned that he had herd of J, 900
cattle on the range thirty miles
distant, and that he takes from
the herd the inferior cattle and
fattens them for market, and keeps
the best cattle on the range. He
stated that he had recently bought
one hundred head of thorough bred
Herford males to turn with his
range cattle in order to improve
his stock.
am told that there are several
large focks of goats on the ranges
near here. Goats are very profta-
Bile, and there is less risk in rails
ing them than sheep,
The soil in the valley is of two
kinds. adobe and sandy. The
adobe soil is formed of the silt in
the river water. Every time the
land is irrigated there is deposited
a thin layer soil-sediment from
the river. The soil is thus con-
stantly renewed and remains fer
tile. The sandy soil is better
adapted for truck farming.
Unimproved valley lands sell
from $40 to S25 an acre; improved,
from S25 to $3.50. Much of the
unimproved land is covered with
small mesquite which has large
roots. These roots are sold for
fire wood and the proceeds often
pays for clearing the land. The
surface of the ground in many
places is uneven and requires con-
siderable labor TO put it in condi-
ton to irrigate. Land to be easily
irrigated should be level or nearly
so.
Farmers do their planting here
IN January and February. Crops
planted later do not do as we'll.
Water is obtained at depth of
fifteen to thirty feet.
Wages are good. Carpenters
receive so to IS cents; bricklay ers
IS cents; plasterers IS cents; stone
masons 50 to IS cents an hour;
common laborers 81 per day.
Some.of the Mexicans are very
wealthy. But some of those of the
lower class consider themselves
rich If they have sack of flour,
dollars worth of meat, fifty
cents worth of tobacco, and little
child.
There.are several valuable mines
in this vicinity. Three or four
are now producing. One has a
record of over a million dollars.
This mine produces lead and sill
yer. Copper is found in abund-
ance. 1t requires large capital
to develop a..copper mine. Some