Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-06-12
SAN JUAN COUNTY
AND IRRIGATION
Territorial Engi-
neer Makes In
spection Trip
FRUIT NOT ALL KILLED
Eden and Citizens Irrigation
Projects are Big Enter.
prises---Gauging Flow.

Were 1t not for the fact that mucl
OF the land suitable for cultivation
is On high mesas Territorial Enginee
Vernon L. Sullivan is of the opinion
that San Juan County would have tn,
largest irrigable area of any subdi
vision of New Mexico. He has JUS
returned from an official trip which
had for it's object the examination o
sites of several irrigation projects il
the northern part of New Mexico ant
situated in San Juan County.
Mr.. Sullivan is sanguine of the III
innate success of these irrigation
propositions albeit they are necessari
ly difficult engineering problems be
cause OF the topography of the coun
try. He says that the soil is the, fin
est he ever saw, rich red sand.
loan which is well adapted for irri
cation purposes. There is sand
enough in the soil to absorb the mois
ture and prevent the surface grount
from becoming hardened as is fre
quently the case He brought will
him several sprigs of embryotit
peaches and apples picked from trees
there to show that all of the growing
fruit had not been killed by the late
frosts.
Mr.. Sullivan in addition to lookins
into the irrigation possibilities of thu
county established three gauging sta
tions on the rivers flowing through it
He is anxious to gather statistics con
cerning the flow Oh the various
streams of the Territory and has beer
promised cooperation in this worl
by the u. S. Geological Survey. The
gauge consists simply of a measuring
rod which is placed at given poin
from which the stage Of the water Il
observed every day. However befor'
the actual flow of the stream can b.
determined the width and depth hav,
to be measured.
When asked today concerning hi
trip Mr.. Sullivan gave out the follow
ing interview:
Great Possibilities for irrigation.
THE largest supply of unappropriat
ed water in this Territory will b.
found in San Juan County, the prin
cipal rivers being the San Juan, La
Animas and La Plata. The count.
is largely composed of various size
Of mesas lying one above the othel
and extending for miles back. These
high land mesas have the very fines
kind of rich, red, sandy loan soil
which is ideal for irrigation purposes
on account of It's ability to retail
moisture and it does not, even afte
many years of irrigation under tn
poorest kind of cultivation bake 0
becomes hard. Irrigation is nov
largely confined to the bottom land
owing to the difficulty of getting tn
water out on the higher mesas.
Fruit Not All Destroyed.
"One may even now see as he ride
along the lower roads stretches O
ideal irrigated farms and as he az
proaches the generally we'll KEEP
buildings his eye is drawn towards
profusion of beautiful colored flow
ers as nearly every farmer has a
abundance of flowers scattered aroun
in the front yard or perhaps they ma
form curves or circles, as the path II
the front door winds around unde
the spreading almonds or weepin
willows. Peering through the we
shaded yard you may see stretchin
out towards the river the fragrant a
falfa or wheat fields or maybe tn
long rows of orchard trees with pei
haps garden in one corner wher
the rows of potato vines alternat
with the berry bushes and the larg
leaves of lettuce mingling with tn
narrow leaves Of radishes seem to d.
fy the creeping strawberry vine lade
with its juicy red berries as to righ
Of way. These conditions prove bt
yond the doubt of the fertility of tn
SOIL The fruit crop will be rathe
small on account Of the cold weathe
however, the apple, cherry and berr
crops will be fair, the peaches abou
half a crop.
Recording Flow OF Rivers.
II have installed gauging station
on the San Juan, Las Animas an
La Plata Rivers, and was able to fin
reliable persons who volunteered
read the height Of the water each da
and report the same at the end {
each week. On the San Juan Rive
the gauging station was installed a
Turley. The flow of the river at the
place on the day the station was d
stalled was S,100 second feet. On Ri
Las Animas, the station was installe
at Aztec and the measurement Of tn
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