Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-01-12
PLENTY Of LAND
IN SAN JUAN
Still Remains to Be
Placed Under Cul-
tivation.
PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
With Many Enterprises the
Forecast. Ed
wards Enthusiastic.

Pennington is counting on securing
another railroad, coming in from the
south and the indications are that the
line may be built into the town. The
st. Louis, Rocky Mountain e. Pacific
Railroad is pushing its survey in that
direction and Pennington appears on
the map indicating the route to be ira
versed. A party of surveyors was
there several weeks ago which is be-
lieved to be connected with the
"Swastika Route"
Attorney A. M. Edwards of Farm
ington. who has been in the city for
few days in attendance ON the ses-
sions of the Territorial Supreme
Court and was admitted to practice
law in New Mexico. was asked last
evening concerning the prospects of
the new railroad building into Farm
ington. He said
New Railroad Almost a Certainty.
"The proposed line Of the ST. Louis,
Rocky Mountain & Pacific Railroad,
which is now building into Taos runs
down the south side of the San Juan
River and crosses near Pennington.
The construction of this railroad up
into that country would give Farming
ton an eastern and southern outlet. 1t
4, would make the mining camps of
southern Colorado tributary to Farm
ington as well as open up a new mar
ket for fruit and agricultural products
raised in San Juan County, both in
the cities east of the Rockies and the
mining camps to the south"
Mr.. Edwards stated that he was
not in a position to give out any de-
finite information relative to the ex-
tending of this new line Of railroad to
Pennington. He said he felt reason
ably certain. however, that the rail
road was heading for that place. He
does not believe that the officials OF
the company would stop at Taos after
all of the expense incurred in con-
structing the line across the noun
tain divide and tapping only the Taos
Valley.
Identified With Many Enterprises.
In addition to the practice of the
legal profession Mr.. Edwards is iden-
titled with several enterprises at
Pennington. He is president of the
San Juan Chief Canning Company
which gives employment to large
force of men and women during the
height of the fruit and vegetable sea-
son. Twelve carloads of fruits and
vegetables were shipped out from the
canning factory last year and most OF
the product went to the adjacent min
ing camps in southern Colorado
Peaches, apples. plums, pears, to-
matoes and pumpkins are put up at
the canning factory. Apples are pared
and cored by machinery but the other
fruits have to be pealed by hand on
account of their being so soft when
ripe. The apples are pared by re- |
volving knife and there is scarcely !
any waste After the skin is peeled !
off the core is punched out by little |
iron rod No machines have as yet |
been devised for removing the skins |
of the other fruits on account of their
softness when ripe and they have to
be prepared for the cooking vats by
hand.
Fruit Prospects Encouraging.
"The prospects are that the fruit
yield will be even greater this coming I
season than the record breaking crop
last year." Mr. Edwards stated when
asked regarding the conditions in San
Juan County. "There will probably
be thousand acres of orchard come
into bearing for the first time this
year. The fruit growers are cutting
down their old orchards and putting
in new trees. 1t Is estimated that
there will be easily another thousand
acres of new trees set out in the
spring. The ranches in the fruit
raising district are being cut up into
ten, twenty and forty acre tracts and
into orchards. Fruit is the
most profitable crop and the net in
from some orchards last year
ran up as high as $1,000 per acre. AL
falfa is also a good crop and the yield {
is about $50 an acre.
Sugar Beets to Be Raised.
Sufficient contracts have been
signed in San Juan County and LA
Plata County, Colorado, to justify the
building of a large sugar beet factory
at Durango, fifty miles north of Farm
ington. The bottom lands that have
become sub.irrigated and unfit for
fruit raising are especially adapted to
The growing of sugar beets. so that
much of the land that is now aban-
1oned or used as pasture will yield a
net income of SIS an acre producing
sugar beets. Perhaps a dozen farm
ars in the vicinity raised sugar beets
this past season and the crops were
very successful.
Last month I went over the unde-
veloped country to the south of the
San Juan River where there are sew
aral hundred thousand acres of rich
and all of which can be watered from
The San Juan River. The land is a |
series of mesas and in some places
forty miles square without a break, {
The land now without irrigation
crows grass to height of two feet I
while in the draws the Navajo Indians t
salse good crops Of corn by their sys. {
an nf dry FARMING Thnra arn I