The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-01-17

ed condition that they fell into when
things began to happen.
But meantime New Mexico is pros
peri1g. Such settlers as we have
been receiving are a welcome addition
to any commonwealth. They all bring
money with them with which to pur-
chase tools lumber and make i'm
provements. There is little of the
pioneering in their settling up of the
country. None of the suffering that
the early settlers in western Kansas
up like magic where a few years ago
were only wastes of sheep and cattle
ranges. And one must be wide awake
indeed to keep track of them, 81 fast
are they being brought into being.
New railroads are building to accom-
modate these changed conditions
and others are planned to Still further
settle up the country. IN the end
New Mexico will have more sheep
and cattle than ever before.
WltItOtiS VI SdIlIC anu SHCGps
True, the great herds, which have
for centuries ranged over these
plains will have gone, but in their
places will be hundreds and thous-
ands of settlers each with his little
bunch of live stock, which in the ag-
| gregate will equal, if not exceed, the
| great herds they have displaced.
New Mexico has today, IN round num-
bers, 5000, 900 sheep and 100000 cat
tie. She probably shipped out il the
year 1906 a million and half sheep
| and 200, 700 cattle. Our stock general
ly has been graded up very steadily
in late years. Six or eight years ago
the average shearfng of a New Mex
leo sheep was three pounds. Today
it is about six pounds, and the staple
much heavier.
Fiv Or six a ago a New Mexi-
| co bunch of lambs that averaged 40
pounds were considered top ~notcners.
contract to weigh sixty-eight or sev
enty pounds at loading.
In cattle the improvement has been
| as great and III long[Aorned Next
can stag has given way to the trim
built, well-grown Hereford or Short
horn.
More Coal Than Pennsylvania.
AS for coal, New Mexico mas more
coal than the state of Pennsylvania.
All the northern portion of the terri
tory is n vast coal deposit. There
are lots of mines opened already and
the number would be doubled if the
men to work them could be found.
Irrigation Work.
In the line of government irrigation
works, the government has just begun
on the largest one yet planned under
the irrigation law. 1t is the great Ell
ephant Butte dam in the Rio Graade
| valley, which, when finished will be
the largest in the world by many feet
and will bring under cultivation hum
dreds of thousands of acres of the
most fertile land il the world, the
great Rio Grande valley above Ell Pa
so for a hundred miles, a valley that
has been farmed for 800 years and
for fertility and extent has been call
ed the mile of America"
The Open Range is Com
And so, practically, has passed out
of existence the "ope1 range" in the
Southwest. There will be little need
of government control of the open
ranges from now on. The farmer and
small stock raiser will take care of
the question. There will be double the
number of live stock on the same
ranges, and they will be. a better
class and better cared for. The man
with ten thousand head will pass out
of the game and in mis- place will
come ten men with a thousand head
each who will provide feed for ev-
cry animal they own during the win
ter months, and no more will the re-
ports come of heavy losses on the
open range for want of feed. Tne
change will be for the best from W
cry point of view and the southwest
will continue to be in the future, as
it has beer in the past, the breeding