Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-07-14
IRRIGATION AN
infant INDUSTRY
An Art Which is
Being Reduced
to a Science
ENTAILS MUCH HARD WORK
Farmer Who Has Had Actual
Experience in Otero Coun-
ty Gives Valuable Hints.

In competition for the handsome sill,
yer trophy cup offered by Territorial
Engineer vernon l.. Sullivan, for the
best story on the subject OF "lrriga
tiOn,' Merrill II. Fisher. a civil en-.
gineer Of Alamogordo, Otero county
has written an article descriptive OF
irrigation in that section Of the terri
tory. The article is especially good,
Mr.. Fisher reviewing the subject at
length and in an interesting manner.
He says.
Irrigation is the artificial applica-
tion OF water to land for the purpose
OF producing plant life. This appli.
cation being artificial, l. e., not due To
nature, it is under the perfect control
of man, and therefore the mode of ap.
plication, quantities applied, and re.
suits obtained are reducible to
science. Science is the classification
of knowledge. Although irrigation
was practiced by man thousands Of
years ago, for all practical purposes il
is Il new study. In other words we
are fostering an industry now in its
infancy, but which promises soon to
become a giant
Irrigation being SO new a subject
of investigation, knowledge concern
inD hn upt hnc hnnn thnpnnnhltf
classified therefore we cannot say the
subject has been reduced to science.
1T is evidently the purpose of our
territorial engineer, in offering a
trophy for the best article on irriga
ton in New Mexico, to gather knowl.
edge from the practical experience OF
farmers all over the territory--the
only knowledge really worth while, in
order that the same may be classified
for the benefit OF others; in other
words to help reduce the art to
science.
New Mexico is filling up so rapidly
with settlers from the rainfall coun-
tries that realize the advantages of
irrigation over the Mississippi valley
method of farming, that a wide dis
semination of knowledge is necessary
for such beginners to start as near
right as possible, so as not to waste
their substance in futile experiments,
1T is the history Of new countries
that it is the second and third crop
of immigrants that are the ones to
stay and consequently reap the bene-
fits to be derived. This has been
largely due perhaps to the fact that
the first comers did not understand
the country. They could only learn by
their own experience which usually
comes so high, that the money is all
gone before sufficient advance has
been made to enable them to con-
tinue on and support family.
This may have been partially true
of this territory, but now the many
communities have advanced so far
that there are many successful men
in each one and if the new conner is
a man that can learn from others, he
should take pains to profit by their ex
perience as much as possible. There
is also in these days wider spread
of knowledge from our experiment
stations among the farmers. The lat
ter are more intelligent, read more
good literature, and make their busi-
ness a trade instead Of the haphazard
existence of our fathers.
The Awakening Of Alamogordo.
In Alamogordo and surrounding val
ley, except for shade trees along our
streets and few isolated orchard
tracts--the ground remained practic-
ally unscratched for the period OF
eight years after the advent of rail-
road, and the people that made up
the little city. It is only in the past
two years that any especial endeavor
has been made to turn the soil to
account. We had as rich soil as there
is in the territory--we had water go
ing to waste, but why we did not take
advantage of our opportunities soon
er is hard to see, until we take into
consideration the personnel of our
population. Very few of us were farm
ers, and even then we had other busi-
ness to attend to, still some OF us
managed to care for small tract OF
land and open the way for the farm
ers that were to come. Even we did
not have the confidence in the future
of the country that the conditions
warranted. We were beginners and
did not know the possibilities OF the
soil under irrigation. Our water sup
ply is limited unless pumped from
the ground and this is being success
fully accomplished. We have under
construction water power plant that
will furnish power at a cost that will