The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-08-16
OBSERVATIONS OF A GADDER
BY FLORENCE JOHNSTON
Ell Paso and Mexico City, Aug. I.

Ell Paso and Mexico City, Aug. Z.
There are deserts and deserts
some get theirS-some don't. This
week we are getting ours. Everybody
else in the world. I suppose. knows
what northern Mexico is Ikea con-
tinuation of the American desert-but
/ didn't Nor could I have imagined
such miles and miles of wild open
country, such treeless wastes of sand
and shaIe and lava. dotted with the
uncouth desert vegetation, and inter
Spersed every now and then with Gull
tivated sections, where some system or
irrigation is in operation, or broad
expanses of wild native grasses which
spring UP wherever water is found
Part of the country is of marvellous
promise agriculturally. and the real
estate men in our party are enthus1-
astic about it's possibilities. 1t is all
of unfailing intereSt-the shifting,
varying. beWildering colOrS of the deS-
crit and the mountains that hem 1t in,
the brilliancy of sky and sun and
cloud effects, the unaccustomed plant
life. and the picturesque people in the
cities and villages which take on the
colors of the desert from whose soil
the houses are made, the costumes of
the men and women making vivid
spashes of red and yellow against <he
prevailing tawny backgrounds is
impo ssible to tire of 1t because there
is something real or beautiful or rO-
mantle every mile. And the very i'm
inensity of it holds one in a trance CT
wonder.
1t is. of course. dusty journey. but
the predictions of the people who told
us that we would be thoroughly I'M
comfortable, have not yet been full
filled. For dust is clean dirt. com
paratively, and the weather is cool and
pleasant Yesterday there were show
ers all around us and the air was de-
lightful.
The train service is astonishingly
good. We enjoy the novelty of order
ing our meals from the "brotler" and
having them served in our state room,
and If there is a good bit of sand in
the butter, we reflect that we prob
ably ate as much daily in our pepper
before the pure food laws were en-
acted 1t is surprising how well the
buffet cars are stocked, and how COM
fortably they provide for so many
people on such a long trip with so
few resources of supply by the way.
OF course there are also stops for
meals at some of the stations. The |
first of these was at Moctezuma, |
veritable oasis. The little frame sta
ton and eating house are surrounded
by a beautiful garden-flowers, fruits, |
vegetables, a kind of grass which |
looks like bluegrass at distance, |
walks of sand, tiny dripping foun- |
tain. vines and arbors and hanging |
baskets We have not yet tried one |
of these railway restaurants. because
we suppose we will get enough of the |
Mexican cooking when we reach the |
1SthmuS of Tehauntepec, Wnlcn Is our |
destination.
We passed through such a refresh
ing verdant stretch of country yes
terday afternoons wide. level valley |
with a lake fifteen or twenty miles |
long with soil so evidently fertile and |
many signs of conditions favorable |
to irrigation, that the men in our
party were unable to understand its
lying idle except for the longhorn /
rangers of which one sees many thou |
sands in the course of a days jour-
ney through this land. Finally, at
one of the stations we saw an I'M
mistakable American and one of our
men went out to talk to him. 80 |
yes!" he answered readily, this is =
cility for sub-irrigation, but the land
belongs to a wealthy nonresident
who rarely visits it. AS it is, he reaps
an immense yearly income from it,
and doesn't seem to care about dupli-
eating it further. He ships 100000
head of cattle annually from these
ranges. These landlords are usually
descendants of the original Spanish
grantees and their lands are enor-
NOUS. This man owns tract ESQ
miles wide and 800 miles long, rich
Alphabetically and in minerals. The
government wants the country opened
up for settlement irrigation and de-
veIopment and will doubtless finally
force the owners to sell. for there are
lots of people ready to develop the
country if they get a favorable oppor-
tunity-"
In fifteen years the real estate men
in our party say this country will
of irrigated farms will lie where now
the desert stretches in unbroken sol
itude Such tracts as have been ir-
rigated and where fields of cotton,