Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-07-29
TEN THOUSAND
MORE ENTRIES
ON PUBLIC
DOMAIN
HOMESEEkERS STILL
MARCH ON NEW MEXICO
Last Years Land Office Busi-
ness Shows Two and One
Quarter Million Acres Taken
Up by Settlers

Ten thousand. nine hundred and
thirty.eight original land entries
,,,on the public domain in New
,i,vico covering a total area of two
u uIion two hundred and four thous-
aff,. nine hundred and seventy-1iye
a,res is the record of new business
done by the United states land offices
in this territory For the fiscal year
ended June goth, 1909, according to
report just c2mpl&ted for Governor
Curry by The Rtnea,e of immigration
covering immlgrauoh Autsties for the
territory for the lisc \ year just
closed. The figures indie tie that in
suite of the unfavorable business
conditions which prevailed through
out the nation in spite Of year of
drouth ana OF unpromising crops, that
New Mexico's development has con-
tinued with little abatement over. the
highwater periods of 1907 and 1905.
illt bSCui Nfcl just NiNf'NP bA't'' -
approximately 1000 homestead and
other land entries as against approx
imately 10000 in the previous fiscal
year, a falling off of about 5000 orig
inal entries. The acreage entered dur
ing the fiscal year ended June so, 1905,
was 2,A51,13i as against 2,204,975
acres for 1903, falling off of close
to quarter of million acres. II
should be recalled, however, in con
sidcring these figures, that during the
years 1907 and 1908, when there
was tremendous rush for home
stead lands, much of the more de-
sirable area was picked over ana from
this time forward, according to mon
who have made the most careful
study of the situation, steady de-
crease in the area of homestead en-
Try may be expected. During 1907
and 1908 occurred the great rush for
the so-called dry farming land There
has never been any effort on the part
of the territory to encourage imml-
grafton onto this land ana such as
has come has been voluntary 1t has
dry-farming was an experiment, or al
least in its experimental stage and no
effort has been made to encourage il
until its permanent success should be
proven, The continuance of !mmi-
grafton. however. is the most con-
Vncing proof Of the success OF the
system Bad years may come and go
but the belief of the homeseekcrs in
the value of these lands is evidenced
by the continued immigration of the
present year.
BY making all allowances for en-
tries made by New Mexico people, the
figures obtained from the five New
Mexico land offices this year indicate
an increase in population of not less
than 10000 when it is recalled that
these figures take practically no ac-
count of the immigration to irrigated
land, or to the centers of populatioh'
the increase in population for the past
twelve months may be estimated con-
servativcly at $4,000
or the ten thousand original land
entries made during the year, the
Roswell land office led in number of
entries, while the Santa Fe office LED
in acreage The Roswell office
showed S463 original homestead en-
tries. 126 desert land entries and 900
entries under the enlarged, or 52V
acre homestead law of February
1909. The homestead entries covered
472,6S5 acres. the desert land entries
30,1iO acres and the SEQ acre entries
$3.50 acres.
Santa Fe had total of 274t orig
inal homestead entries with ti4''os
acres, 1iS desert entries with 22'l7o
acres and other entries which with
drew i65,G7S acres from the pubic
domain. No 320-acre lands have yei
been set aside in the Santa Fe dis
trict. OF the acreage withdrawn IN
cludcd under the heading other en-
tries" 466,67S acres were included ll
railroad and territorial sections.
The Las Cruces district. in Whlen
the area of available agricultural "h'
is small. had $50 original homestead
entries with an acreage of s@'N''
acres and les desert land entries WIN
an acreage Of 21.lSi
The Tueumeari and clayton "no
districts maintained the rate of th'
mast two wears the new land "hice a.
Tucumeari having 1858 origina
homestead entries with an acreage
% 2i0.077 and 1i5 entries under th'
Ss0-acre act with 3s.00o acres
Clayton shows t43e original en-
tries with an area Of 23o.24o acres
and 55.000 acres Of territorial selec'
tiOns.
Summarized the FIVE land "iiiee'
show totals for the wear as follows;
Original homestead entries ''NN