The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-02-21
IRRIGATION.


something modern-as is the county
to the white man, but not to the Pueb-
10 Indian. For how long a time he
has assisted nature in supplying
moisture to his corn, and other crops
in New Mexico, we have no means
of telling accurately.
| We read in ancient history of the
Egyptians raising water from the
Nile by means of the shadoof and
making that country the granary of
the world.
| Irrigation is carried on in India
and in many Asiatic countries. In It
| ally, irrigation has become an art
In the United States, irrigation is
used from the cranberry bogs of
Cape Cod to the orange orchards of
Southern California
But from the mountain regions of
the West extending down on the fer
tile plains, water is now beginning
to transform the homes of the roam
ing Indian and the buffalo into farms,
where the fruit, grains, alfalfa, and
fine stock build up our live growing
cities.
We, of Roswell, feel proud of our
City and our Valley, and why? Be-
cause of irrigation.
Nature has been especially good
to this section of our Valley, and in
the last few years, Uncle Sam has
realized it and helped us out. Our
Hondo Reservoir, while not one of
the big projects of the U. S. Recla
nation Service, has the distinction
of being the first completed, and we
trust before many years will be the
means of Roswell's having 10000 ad
ditional acres of alfalfa orchards and
grain.
North of the Carlsbad district sup
piled by the Pecos, through Lakes
Mcmillan and Avalon, our Valleys ir
rigation prospects, until within the
last seven years, were supposed to
be limited to the area supplied by the
Spring Rivers, the Berrendos, AID
the extreme mouths of several arroy
as emptying into the Pecos.
tesla were first struck, in 1902, our
whole valley for sixty miles south |
has proved that it can do its part in |
furnishing the alfalfa, fruit and |
grain, for which we are to become |
noted
The bitches around Roswell were |
taken out in the early eighties to |
carry as much water as was thought |
could ever be used on the land under |
them. They were made large and car
and more than should have been for i
the acreage cultivated.
Quite largely from this cause of |
too much water, we have some sub |
irrigated farms. Parts of these have
been drained, fertiIized, and cultivat |
ed until they are again in their prime |
Beware of too much soaking.
Where much water is applied to |
the land, unless directly taken up by |
the growing crops-or there is a nat |
ural drainage-the water table, or
surface water level. is raised until
the alkai, of which by far the larger
part of our heavier soil has it's share,
instead of being distributed through
10. u, or more feet, is raised until
all is within two or three feet of the
top of the ground When this condi-
ton is reached, vegetable growth is
uncertain in the extreme. To drain.
to apply water to dissolve the alkali
so it can be drained out, is the rem:
edy, and as soon as grains aid alfalfa
will grow they should be sown.
The farm of our president, Mr. de
Bremond, east of town, shows better
than any other. what drainage will do
For irrigating, do not have the
bitches larger than is necessary to
easily carry the amount of water you
have to use.
As far as possible, build up the
sides of the bitches, and dig out the
bottom as little as possible, always
keeping them free from vegetable
growth and whatever is blown in by
the winds.
Lateral bitches should never be
farther apart than two to each one
fourth mile, and when irrigating with
from two or more second feet of wa
ter, three bitches to one-fourth mile
is a satisfactory distance.
When irrigating by flooding. bord
ers or ridges keeping the water from
spreading at the sides, when two or
moro cecoud foot 0f uafar are need
from 35 to so feet apart will be
found satisfactory.
In this irrigating. set the water
over the laad or the distance between