El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-11-07
WILCOX A GROWING TOWN IN THE
CENTER Of 4 FERTILE TERRITORY

IN the state. Water IS secured here at
ue2ths OF from eight to 40 feet in the
valley and an artesiau flow has Just
oeen struck at a depth Of $40 feet on
the higher land
mere are now 125 pumping plants
IN the valley within 20 miles of Will
cox ana every week a new plant is put
n The valley is 12O miles long and
from 10 to 80 miles wide During TIE
past three years. 100000 acres of gov
eminent land has been located i'm this
valley and at present all the "shaIlOv-
water land is taken up. but many
oomesJeaders who have not vet proved
up can De bought out at as low as IS
an acre me people who have stuck
on the job however, and have inn
proved their land are refusing more
Ihan $50 an acre. HOmesehkers of the
substantial kind are locking for homes
leIe every day and an agent of Is Cali
lorna families has just closed a deal
Tor them all to come here this month
Iney VIII arrive before the 18th.
Jumping Pays
Gasoline engines ana centrifugal
pumps are used for the irrigation work
The biggest now in use liTts 1000 gal
Ions minute In some instances wind
mills are used A windmill viii irrigare
Two acres and II can be installed for
4I4U. For orchards and truck patches.
the windmill pump is sufficient Some
homeSteaders have three and four
Wlndmllls on their places. Pumping
pays, is the slogan here, and il has
been proved.
As all the homesteaders have taken
up 100 acres, there is going TO be room
mere Tor thousands OF other families In
a re y years Tor as soon as the farmers
can improve their lands they are EOfne
10 cut them into smaller pieces and sell
tDem. They viii make money by i'm
proving and selling them. for the land
lnaI COST them nothing VIII then sell
readily for 800 an acre. From 90 to
40 acres is all that one man can cultivate
under irrigation except in alfalfa and
% a
large returns as fruits and garden
truck will bring, although alfalfa
planted year ago produced five
fPs 51.rs-J this go year ar: ana netted
on land that cost them nothing.
Many who have been on the land less
rnan two years and yet have three
years to live before proving up" and
S45 an acre this year from alfalfa
slone.
Prize Fruits Are Grown.
As the valley only began to be set
years ago, there are very few orchards
IN bearing on the newer places, but in
the gardens Of the older residents Of
Wilcox and on the ranches through
out this section, there are orchards that
have no superiOrs anywhere in the
quantity and quality Of their prOduc-
ulOn. Peaches, plums, apriCOts and
grapes grow here as If this was the
place Of their origin. Peaches weigh
ing u ounces We're common here this
summer, and TO prove 1t, J. W. Angle,
lumber dealer. secretary Of the school
board and president of the chamber of
commerce. has them in the preserving
Jars to show. He does not ask the visitor
to take his word for the statement that
they raise pumpkins here that won't 20
Into a barrel, either. He has not only
one, but several, in his office as proof
Neither does he ask people to believe
him when he says Willccx viii beat
Cuba as a tobacco center. He grows IT
out in his lumber yard with leaves two
feet long and he lets. the dOubter take
rule and 90 out and make the meas
uremeuts. Until the frost puts this ex-
htbit out Of business, it is a cOnvincer
without a doubt
Just to show WhaE watermelOns will
DO, he has some on exhibition that are
just now being brought in from the