Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1909-02-20
WILL MAKE The
DESERT BLOSSOM
Sub-Irrigation to
Re Tried Near
Santa Fe
CONTRACT LET THIS WEEK
More Than a Million Dollars
to Be Spent in Taos
Valley Alone.

tion scheme to reclaim half million
acres in the Gila Valley and the other
projects in the Mimbres and other
southwestern valleys reviewed yester-
day in an interview with Territorial
Engineer Vernon l.. Sullivan, there
are other projects on which work will
be begun this year, SO that works to
reclaim at least million acres of fer
tile land will be under way by summer
sub-Irrigation Near Santa Fe.
B. F. Pankey, of Topeka, Kan,
owner of the famous San Cristoval
ranch, just south Of Santa Fe, closed
a contract today with the National
Land and Sub-Irrigation company, OF
1120 Commerce Building, Kansas City,
by which the company will soon begin
work on the installation of ten-acre
demonstration farm which will be
placed eighteen miles south of the
city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. 1t is
understood that Mr.. Pankey expects
to have the greater part of his $4,000
acre tract put under irrigation by this
new system of underground tiling, wa
ter to be supplied from ordinary
drilled wells.
The Southwestern News Syndicate
learned today, from President Wig
gins, the inventor of the continuous
tile-making machine, that a number OF
small tracts near Albuquerque and
Santa Fe would be equipped early this
spring. and that his company expected
to expend several hundred thousand
dollars in New Mexico, Colorado and
Arizona during the next two years, in
establishing experimental farms. 1t is
believed the department of agriculture
will Join the $3,OOO,O0O organizations,
who control the Virgins patents, and
establish numerous stations in the
arid and semi-arid sections OF the
great Southwest. This new system OF
watering the soil from underground
cement tiles requires but little water,
it is said, and as evaporation by this
method is less than 10 per cent, 1t
solves the problem of economical r.
rigation-a thing greatly to be desired
in portions of New Mexico and other
western states and territories where
but little surface water can be had
from streams, by dams and ditches.
Million Dollars for Taos Valley.
C. T. Higgins of Washington, D. c.,
will be in Santa Fe next week to in
itiate steps that will result in the ex-
penditure of a million dollars or more
in the Taos Valley under the provi-
sions Of the Carey Act which has been
extended to cover New Mexico and
for which the legislature will pass
suitable legislation next week SO as to
make its provisions applicable and
available Immediately.
The Colonial Bond and Security
company of Taos, which yesterday
filed incorporation papers with Terri
torial Secretary Nathan Jaffa, also
has far-reaching plans for the irriga-
ton of the Taos Valley, which, when
consummated, will make the region
north of Santa Fe the granary OF the
Southwest and will eventually provide
homes for half million people IN the
valleys tributary to the Rio Grande
north of Santa Fe. A. R. Mandy OF
Taos, is the moving spirit in these
projects and has in addition to the
Colonial Bond and Security company
incorporated the Taos Valley Land
and Irrigation company which is at
work upon several large irrigation and
colonization projects.
Big Colonization Project.
A colony of German Luthefans is
figuring On taking up tract of nine
thousand acres thirty miles west OF
Santa Fe. The colony will plant the
tract to fruit trees in greater part but
will also try dry farming methods for
staple crops. Water Is to be piped
from the Jemez Range and to be aug
mented by pumping.