Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-06-15
HISTORY OF DRY
FARMING IN NEW
MEXICO
INTERESTING ARTICLE BY
H, B. HENNlNG IN EARTH
Santa Fe Publication Prints
Story OF Conditions to be
Overcome by TiIIerS of Soil
Who Depend on Rainfall Only
Oh. b. Hening in the Earlh.)

1903 New McXlcO, over practicallN
its whole area, suffered from n Sc
we're drouth. All interests were more
or less affected. The range was poor,
and cattle growers suffered and
sheep growers were likewise hard hit.
Primers on irrigated lands were the
only ones who did not feel the i'll ef-
feels Of Wha was one of the worst
seasons the southwest has had in the
past twenty years.
Naturally. the first to suffer from
This drouth were the farmers on dry
farming lands; end among these the
first to feel the drouth were the new
comels who had not had time to be-
come established or to learn dry
Tarming methods. New Mexico has
had an enormous immigration move
mcnt into its dry farming districts,
during the past five years. In 1906
end 1907, 1t averaged $4,000 home
stcad entries n year; in 1905 there
were more than 1000 entries, and
in 1909 about 5000. During this
period, more than five million acres
Of the public dcmain were filed upon:
chiefly in 160-acre homesteads; 50
per cent of these entries were upon
what are Chased MS dry-farmine
lands. II was an extraordinary flood
Of immigration. The more remark
able because It was to q large extent
voluntary, in the sense that it was
not encouraged by promotion or pub
licitV cT3npaigns. IT has been the
fixed policy Of the territorial govern
ment end OF the buraeu of immigra-
ton, which is the t%erritoiy's publicity
pnd information department. not to
encourage settlement upon dry farm
ing lands until the conditions have
been thoroughly tested and proved.
nj. &c. I.44- 1...., ,1eA t1,,L ,Nttf,,1a Of
the Santa Fe Railway, the most i'm
poitent developments egency reaching
New Mexico. since its lines serve not
only the greater part OF the dry
farming region, but the greater pant
of the settled norton of the territory.
Certain OF Sueccss.
This attitude. Which has been con-
sistcntly m0intained. does not indi-
cate amy lack of faith in dry farming,
Of its complete practicability ana Ill
timatr success IN New Mexico. ON
the contraAY. it indicates an absolute
certainty. OF ultimate success; the
KIND tf fgitia tIint desires .t6 move
slowly, being suie Of the final out
come ard only desiring to avoid, in
so .ar as IS possible the mistake
witch must go with any pioneer
movement. In . word, the position
has been that. although believing in
the future Of dry farming, it would
he better to let the movement de-
velop slcwlv and naturally, testing
each district thoroughly, confident
that IN the final result Il very great
portion Of New Mexico's vast 9rea
would he proved good dry farming
territory.
Tho Immigration movement, how
over. was me that could not be con-
uolled. AS has been said. it was
largely voluntary ana Il spread all
over eastern, northeastern, and
southeastern New Mexico rs the
W9ves spread from q rock dropped in
a pend. IIomesteader No. |, finding
a good location. wrote to his friends
back home and not ~infrequently, a
dozen followed him to the new
county" Not in%frequently they
found the whole district Ground the
pioneer friend completely settled UP.
They tried some other district; end
in many cages they went into districts
where no dry farming tests had been
mode. While New MaXico's proved
dry forming area is great; the area
not yet proved is far greateI-for
this territory. in spite Of the settle
ment % the pest hair dozen years,
still he's more than Thirty million
Geles Of public land open TO entry.
Naturally much of this lend is not
suited to dry forming. Soil cCndi-
ions Cte not pr0ncr and the rainfan I
rs inadequate. just as naturally
many of the newcomers. wholly ig-
nofant CT conditions, joining blindly
IN the rush for homes, locatcd them
selves on these improved, and in
some cases. wC.thlcss lands. This
wee cX9ctlr what had been feared.
This W's the reason why everyone,
geuninely Interested in the ultimate,
perm"rcnt development of New Mex
leo N general. and dry farming in
particulGl, by every influence sought
|" discourage any rash Of homescek-
into dig farming territory until
thnt territory had been tested end
proved.
The Lands VIII Make Good.
AS the dry farming industry de-
Nelops. as dlouth-resistant crops ere
produced; rs those crops best suited
70 the region are tried out; doubtless
much of the area which we now conf
slder unfit for dry farming, or Tor
any kind Of farming, Will be proved
good, producing land. But when the
mouth in 1909 came, this devclop-
hnent had not come. In addition to
the natural disadvantages Of their
ohWisely chosen locations many Of
the hom~esteaedrs were wholly With
49, '' i'Ai1t w ilbH ~ Wy ~
ne result WIS failure, and in the
.al of last year. a movement out of
hese newer districts which discour-
'sed everyone saw those most thor
'ughly familiar with conditions and #,
greatest faith in the final success
y my farming. To these latter this
'Nodus had been expected. To them
ne wonder had been that IL had been
so long delayed.
And now, in this spring of 1910 an
Ven more remarkable condition pre-
'ehts itself. These people who. dis
outraged and disheaTtened. were
moving GU of the new dry farming
in 1909 aIe now coming
'"ck. their numbers augmented. They
'esan 10 return in the early spring
ma up TO the beginning OF May came 7
y constantly increasing numbers.
nus time II is not an excited. iever-
movement. II is calm. deliberate
iu determined. Going out OF The
"Anay lest fall nine-tenths of these
'eeple cav farms, without irrigation, Z
mere good crops had been raised. !
neg asked why, when they had
aiiec. these people had succeeded.
no they learned IN every case hat r
ne successful ones. those men Who'll
ucceeded in spite OF the drouth had
iTrned how 10 dry farm. The edu- 7
1'"nal movement had its start right I