Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1907-05-29
FROM NEW MEXICO
B. D. element Writes Entertain
ingy of New Mexico and
Its Future.
DAM FOs IRRIGATIAG
Cattle Care For Themselves on I'm
mense Ranches-SmaIl Creameiies
In That Country.

ALMA KEOOkD, AHA, MICH -
Perhaps some of your readers would
like to hear more of Texas, so will try
and describe it as we'll as my limited
opportunity will permit. Since / last
wrote you, have been twice across the
state and, also i'll New Mexico, travelling
through the southeast corner about two
hundred and seventy-ive miles
After leaving Flatonia, Texas, | went
to the west central part OF the state,
through a fairly we'll settled place, for
here if you find house on each section
to average it, they call it pretty we'll
settled, that is as far as any one owning
it is concerned. After leaving Sweet
water, going west, the land is more or
less broken by hills and mountains and
given to stock raising, .of perhaps to be
more truthful, stock taking care of them
selves, for on the ranches the stockmen
look very little after the herds except 10
cut them that is go in and sort out
those that are in good enough condition
to stand shipping to the northern feeders,
as there are but few herd owners who
feed the stock enough so they are ready
for slaughter house. Most ranches are
fenced now with barbed wire, so there
are not as many COW punchers here as
i'll earlier days. A stockman owning a
thousand acres is not looked on as much
of land owner for in order to be a Texas
stockman right, he has to own at least
ten thousand acres; so you can take 1t for
There are several ranches that contain
one hundred thousand acres or more.
The Slanter ranch is considered the
largest in the state, having what is called
drift fence fifty-hve miles long and is
used to keep the cattle from travelling
with the storms, holding them so they
do not get scattered.
Was interested in New Mexico and
the large dam the government is putting
in at Carlsbad. Most of the people i'll
that section went nearly broke when the
irrigating dam went out three years ago,
SO they took it up with Uncle Sam and
he is expending about 1000, 600 to build
it up for them again and doing it better
than it was before; the same as he does
everything else.
There is a small town between Pecos
pronounced as though it was spelled
Pacos) and Carlsbad, called Dixie Land,
where about fifty Michigan families set
tied, ccming from all parts of the state
AT Carlsbad they are raising fruit, of all
kinds; alfalfa and dairying to some ex-
tent They irrigate by getting water
from the river above the dam. The water
had just reached the smaller bitches the
day | arrived and the people were having
a regular celebration and l. of course
thought it was on the occasion of my
arrival there but found out the difference
by some one telling me it was water they
had been looking for This was the first
place | had seen any shade trees for
about six hundred miles end they looked
like Home, Sweet Home" to me. At
Artesia-called so on account of the large
number of wells there that delivers the
water above ground-one of these wells
has an eight inch pipe sending a solid
stream of water eleven feet and three
inches above the top of casing, this being
largest one drilled so far, and when
closed off has pressure of 81 pounds to
a square inch and will irrigate 100 acres
and then be closed off more than one
half the time.
| reached Roswell, New Mexico in
time for the Cattle Mems Convention,
which is like large county fair except
there is nc admissions, and the stock is
marched through the streets every day
and speeches made on how to improve
the country and stock. There is a small
creamery here, churning about as much
in a month as the {. VI. =. Co. of
Alma, does in a day, and they point to
it with pride it being the only one with
in two hundred miles All of these towns
are in the valley of the Pecos River, with
mountains on each side, the White
Mountains on the west being snow cap
ped and very pretty in the morning with
the sun shining OH lhem. Along this
line of railroad one can see very often,
coyote taking a run across the country.
and trying very hard to see how soon he
can get out of view. reached Amarillo
about the time the cold wave did and
saw what was left of eight inches of
snow, SO | had chance to make a few
snow balls. which seemed like good old
Michigan. From all appearances this is
going to be the largest city in the Pan
haodle district; it is 1900 feet above
Galveston, with air dry and pure and no
sign of dew at any time of the year.
You can also look out OF the car window
at any time, and see what appears to be
lake about one mile off. and seeing the
reflection Of house. tree. or stock on
the other side, but cattle will die here