New-York tribune., 1908-07-26
SOMETHING LIKE A FARM!
Eioht Million Acres in Extent and Nearly
100000 Animals-A Mexican Agr1-
cultural Domain Described.

The biggest farm-if farm" 1T can be called
is that owned by Don Luis Terrazas. in the state
of Chihuahua, Mexico, which measures from
north to south $50 miles and from east to west
200 miles, or 100000 acres in ALL says Tit
90 head Of cattle 100000 sheep and 100000 1OO9
magscent in thd Worid for f4o6o6o
build and is more rienl{ 6 {astsaS aione are EN-
pioyed a hundred male servants The gardens
cent than those Of the German Emperor. and there
is G Rs 800 Sas randh # sfs
outlying stations each one OF which % mas eaarge
cow punchers line riders. shepherds and hunters
number 1000, ana the Terrazas ranch is the & only
tering and packing plant Each year 10000 head head
of ca59 att o are shssn 0n luis personally snperin
tends the different industries his ranch. cover
Governor Of Ghhqahua but d P1be lie se1Ia life dd not 6
spend his life riding over the plains and looking
ac after his % ohT an in Mexico s and has the
nan name C of being liberal and generous toward his
Don Luis is very handsome man: married .ted,t to
beautiful wife He snd s the ds1TheG fa5nfT s e
sons are ali associated with Don Luis in looking ok g
the most beautiful women in Mexico-remain ,s main
quietly at the h9mestead All the Sid Children were
pIished have travelled through Europe and speak
Don Luis founded his cattle ranch about four
teen years ago, and four years later ne sought to
land But there was a considerable difficulty in
the way The import duty foreign cattle was
so heavy that II was impossible to bring over the
animals in numbers sufficient for his purpose, so
Don Luis appealed to the Mexican government
pointed the absurd.ty of restricting the i'm
portation of good stock into the country and sue
that time Terrazas has increased his stock by the
importation of something like five thousand bulls
of the best breeds from the famous studs or
Europe.
Five years ago Terrazas installed on his ranch
four big reservoirs, costing flVOOOO besides Which
there are three hundred wells scattered over the
huge farm, of them going down TO depth
of 800 feet These wells, the water from which is
raised by of windmills cost another flO0Wn.
Every kind OF grain Is gToTh W th ras6g on Of % er
ent foods for supplying the wants OF his I'M
mense herds during the rainless season.
An enemy which has TO be Sternly fOuzht on th1s
great ranch is fire, and scarcely a summer passes
without great tracts of prairie being laid waste
by its destroying advance Throughout the torrld
at every station each hour of the twenty-four,
and directly he indications which tell hirn
that fire has started he rings the massive alarm
bell and in an incredibly short time men come
riding in ready to hght the DANGER Win thei liNe
The frightened cattle are driven sidewise from
&c attacked from the rear. 1t is good attempt
ing to stop a prairie fire from the front. for IT'S
nr0gress is too pid and too annihilating Heavy
chains are dragged along the ground. which help
10 weaken and dsspate the fire Across the
nrairIe long burrows fifty feet apart are QUICKLY
made and these also help to stem the progress OF
until the last spark is quenched are the men able
TO take food and rest 1T.
In these efforts TO subdue the flames Don Luis
and his usually to be seen WORKING ike
demons and urging their men TO greater eroFts
Fighting prairie fire has all the eieInents OF
danger, and for excitement II mas rev .. a.
combating the flames. and declares that 1t Is one OF
the fascinations of prairie life.