The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1909-10-02
HAS NEW MEXICO ADVANTAGES
FOR THE HoMEsEEKER

HAS NEW MEXICO ADVANTAGES
FOR THE HoMEsEEKER
Has New Mexico advantage for the
honeseckeri The answer il not far
to seek. II Is mos, easily found by
consulting the records Of the Ave Uni.
ted States Land Offices in the territory.
Those show up to date nearly 10000
entries have been made on public lands
in New Mexico since the first Of July,
1907.
The query Is most effectively answer.
ed by the statement that the pOpula.
ton Of New Mexico has increased in
the pas; Ave years by nearly 100000
people. Be conservative and call il
10000, and Il is an increase which
causes the man who has heard the call
II the West to stop and think. II Is
quite conservative 10 say that the Ger.
sus Of 1910 will show that there are
over half a million people in New Mex.
leo.
Nearly half ~ the population will
nave migrated to New Mexico in the
space Of half a decade.
"Why are these people coming'"
is the natural question.
To tell briefly what New Mexico has
for the farmer and a nan looking for
a good place to establish himself a
prosperous home Is difficult. There arc
so many business chances for 4 man
with a little capital TO start with, some
brains and n capacity for hard work.
The great influx in the past few
years has been into she eastern coun.
ties where the land is mostly high.
Now there are a few districts in the
west where the storing Of waters Of riv.
ers and consequent irrigation Of valley
lands has brought the bloom to the sand
dunes more extensively or more rapid.
ly han In New Mexico. Millions have
been spent, are being spent and will
be spent by the government reclamation
service and by private enterprises to
reclaim the valley lands Of New Mex.
leo. 1t is unnecessary to refer to the
great Elephant Butte and Hondo and
Carlsbad projects the reclamation
schemes on the rugged ella, in the
smiling valley Of the San Juan, the Pc.
COS, the Rio Grande and hundreds Of
other streams. Al these mean the
building up like magic Of prosperous,
contented, thriving farming communi.
ties, and comfortable homes for thous.
ands Of newcomers.
But large as the combined area OF
irrigRble valleys, their smallness when
compared TO the wide sweep OF the
great uplands, shows that irrigated
farming alone would mean the develop
ment Of New Mexico's agricultural re.
sources up to a certain limit only.
II is curious how people take things
for granted. Taught In their school
Biographies that New Mexico is large
ly a desert, men have called IL a des.
ert and let II go at that, until some
hardy spirits anne out and settled on
the "waterless" plains and started
TO raising crops as cody ~ IL they
were In the Ohio valley. They raised
crops just like any self .respceting farm
er, much TO the i%ncrehulous surprise Of
their friends. When people generally
begin to find out that II you know
how you can raise, with the natural
rainfall aud hard work, profitable crops
Of nearly every thing on the south.
western plains, the farmers began
trek southwest. They have been busily
at IL ever since.
DRY farming" has literally rev.
olution6d conditions In New Mexico.
One farmer after another has tried
II out and found they can make mon.
ey.
New Mexico II far from being a
rainless country. Dry farming is
simple. Plow deeply, pack the soil
below and keep II loose above, forming
a blanket that catches the moisture.
holds IL, transmits 1t to the root OF the
plant below aud prevents evaporation.
Mr., Campbell, the original dry farm
ing man, says the crops Of grain raised
on the meadow lands OF the Las Vegas
land grant Of $4,000 acres In the
north central part OF New Mexico can.
not be beaten in the United States.
His opinion is REINFORCED by that Of
many experts who have seen the crops.
This grain Is grown with no moisture
save that from clouds, the annual pre-
eipitation being between fourteen and
sixteen inches.
Dry farming and It's success means
that New Mexico Is to become the land
Of the small, intensive farm. BY scien-
tiae culture here, an industrious farm.