Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-01-18
JOHNSON MESA
HAS RICH FARMS
Grains And Garden
Truck Produced
Abundantly
COAL RIGHTS SELL WE'LL
Farmers Dispose of Them
to Fuel Company Says E.
N. Burch of Ration.

What do you think of a man who
would induce his son-in-law to move
away from town so that he could oc-
cllpy the vacated house? That is what
was done by L. N. Burch, of Ration, a
prominent rancher and q member of
the Board OF County Commissioners
of Colfax County. However he could
not be blamed under the circum-
stances as 1t did not require much
persuasive argument on the part of
the astute father-in-law.
Mr. Burch has been in the Capital
for a few days attending the meeting
of the Territorial Board of Equal.za-
ton He was seen last evening at
the Claire Hotel by reporter of the
New Mexican. The incident came up
in the course of the conversation and
he chuckled after he had related It,
1t happened in this way, to use his
own words:
81 rented my farm and leased my
cattle several months ago and moved
to Ration. There were no vacant
houses to be found anywhere in the
town and it was a month before fin
ally got a place. l might have been
looking for house yet ii it hadn't
been that my son-in-law moved to
California. He had been thinking of
going out there for some time and
! rather encouraged him"
Farming ON Johnson's Mesa.
Mr. Burch has been engaged in
farming for several years on John
sons mesa, a fertile stretch of table
land seven miles in width and four
teen miles in length, which lies about
twenty miles south of Ration He is
of the opinion that this particular
tract cannot be eycelled anywhere in
New Mexico when it comes to raising
crops of grain and vegetables without
irrigation Speaking about its advan-
tages for agricultural purposes he
said:
ul lllluS 10 UClllS GdllitU VII Ncly
successfully on Johnson's mesa. am
more interested in 1t than anything
else because it is my home. 1t was
settled in the first place by coal min
ers who went out on a strike. 1t was
supposed at the time that the mesa
was valueless for farming purposes on
account of its high altitude. The cat,
tlemen there did all they could to dis.
courage the new settlers but being
compelled to make a living some way
the miners turned farmers and chung
to 1T. The result is that a country
was developed which we think can
not be surpassed in New Mexico for
dry farming. I might say farther that
the value of the land in that locality
In the last few years has increased
from $3.50 to $12 an acre.
Good Crops Of Grain and Vegetables.
"The principal products consist of
small grain such as oats, wheat and
barley and potatoes. Our potatoes are
not excelled even by the famous Gree
ley potatoes Where sugar beets
have been tried they have grown
abundantly and without any trouble
There has never been any test made
or the beets raised on the mesa as
to their sugar bearing qualities but to
all appearances they are as fine as
those raised in Colorado.
"Our average yield of winter wheat
for the past five years has been about
fourteen bushels to the acre. Wheat
has been raised there that made for
ty-two bushels to the acre. If 1t
wasn't for the wind in the spring the
average crop per acre would be much
larger. There is always more than
enough wheat to seed the ground that
IS blown away. The average yield of
oats is about thirty bushels but we
very often see fields that make from
sixty to seventy-fve bushels to the
acre.
Fine Opening for Creamery.
johnson S Mesa it seems to me
would be an ideal place for cream
cry. Cattle of all kinds do we'll and
milch cows will give an abundance of
milk off of the native grass from
which an excellent quality of butter
can be made. am rather timid about
having anything printed that concerns
myself or my doings but on our own
farnl hou1 WIN f1o hn 1ac.t fpi,r
years from an average of eight cows
during the year a little over four hun
dred pounds of butter which was sold
at thirty cents per pound.
THE Yankee Fuel Company has es-
tablished a coal camp at Yankee only
ten miles away that will to great
extent consume all the produce that
We can raise which of course will in.
crease the value of the land by
bringing 1t closer to market. There
are now about seventy-five dwelling
houses in the mining camp and
large amusement hall in course Of
construction. passed there the other
day and counted fifteen foundations
laid for new dwellings.
"The Yankee people are acquiring
title to all of the coal lands in the
immediate vicinity. They are giving
the farmers from SIS to sS an acre,
am told for the coal privileges under
the lands leaving the farmers the sur
face which is worth from $S to $40 an
acre. There are three openings to
the mines now in operation and open
ings will be made to other mines