Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1908-02-08
LA LANDE GROWING
SLOW BUT SURE
Judge w. r. McGiI, Leading Citizen
There, Has Great Hopes in Future
Of Roosevelt County.

Judge w. X. McGill OF La Lande
Roosevelt county, has been in
the city for several days at.
tending to business before the
U. S. land office and before Territorial
Land Commissioner Robert P. Ervien.
Judge McGlll is not one of "your lank
lean Texans" but one of the kind that
Caesar thought Of when he said, "Let
me have about no men that are fat"
He weighed 300 pounds when he came
to New Mexico seven years ago and
Is glad to say that he only weighs 270
now. He likes Santa Fe but the other
night when the train broke down and
he had to carry his 27O pounds and a
heavy valse three miles on foot to
this city his preference for this town
became shaken.
To a representative of the New
Mexican Judge McGill stated that the
town of La Lande which Is only two
years old, has a population of about
roo people now. The place is very
quiet and orderly. The Eastern Rail
way of New Mexico has constructed a
handsome concrete depot and the
town is growing steadily, if slowly. 1t
supports a good hotel also built OF
concrete and there are some good bust
ness houses and residences. 1t is sit
uated four miles east Of the Pecos
river and In what is called the dry
farming country. Every available
quarter section of land for twenty miles
north and south of the town has been
homesteaded and last year the farmers
who were there raised very good
crops of corn Of from 80 to 35 bushels
to the acre, other feed stuffs and
vegetables.
The immigrants are mostly from
Texas and Oklahoma but lately quite
colony of Iowa farmers has settled
there. The growth Of the country is
retarded by the fact that large tract
of land is not open to entry, 1t being
contained in the Lake Urton project
by the U. 8. reclamation service and
withdrawn from entry for the pres
ent.
During the past two years that Sec
ton of the country has been blessed
with very fair amount Of rainfall, so
that crops were good and this has In
duced more immigration to come
there. Judge McGill who came to New
Mexico seven years ago from Sey-
mour, Baylor county, Texas, where he
had practiced law for thirteen yeas
and where he was twice elected dis
trict Judge, says that the soil through
out Roosevelt county is much richer
than that In western Texas and that
he has seen very good crops Of corn
and from one.half to three.quarters of
bale of cotton raised on land last
year which had been broken for the
first time and that with deep plowing
and using the Campbell dry culture
system good results have been attain
ed. He thinks that cotton will be
profitable crop, the experiments 80 far
having been successful.
When he first came to New Mexico
and settled on ranch on the Pecos
river in Guadalupe county seven years
ago he had no idea that the stretch OF
country from the Texas line to the
Pecos river would become an agricul-
tural country but this has certainly
been the case and is so today. The
country from Texico to the Pecos riv-
.er has settled up TO an extent that is
almost impossible to believe for the
old.timer who travelled through 1t six
or seven years ago.