The Fort Sumner review., 1911-06-10


about go per cent of the dry farming
area
Another question asked by the
/ bureau was as to how many home
steaders left each district during the
past season and what percentage Of
these have returned to their claims
! this season. The average of those
/ leaving in the homestead districts
last year as nearly as can be ascer-
taincd was about 40 per cent of the
total number of claim holders Of
those who left the reports indicate
fully 60 per cent have already return
ed ard others are returning daily
while there is beginning to be nc
ticeable incoming of new homestead
ers. This new influx to the dry farm
ing districts is practically all voluntary
since the territory has done no adyer-
Using along these lines and very few
of the dry farming districts have done
any advertising on their own ac-
count.
The bureau also asked for a classi-
| fication of acreage among the different
crops. This has brought out some
very interesting information. By far
the largest acreage is devoted to kafiir
corn, milo maize and the other well
known dry farming seed crops. A
most interesting feature is the large
increase in acreage in the native New
Mexico bean which the dry farmers
appear to consider one of their most
favorable crops. The information fur
nished by w. NJ Wiegand, well in
formed man at Wagon Mound, as to
the crops grown in his district, is a
fair example of the diversity of crops
and the increase in acreage over last
year. Mr.. Wiegand's figures are ac-
curate. He shows for his district
1000 acres in beans this year as
against 5000 last year. These various
crops, he says include peanuts, COW
peas, field peas, pop corn, water
melons and garden trutk. While
there is not this diversity of reps in
all the dry farming districts su!Ii-
cient number of varieties are being
grown to show that the dry farmers
at least have absolute faith in the
adaptability of the country to diversi
fed farming.
Another question asked by the
bureau was: what is the general
feeling in your district regarding the
outlook for dry farming this season?'
The replies to this question are in
teresting as showing the optimistic
tone which prevails throughout dry
farming New Mexico. They run about
as follows:
Boaz, Chaves county smiles.
Kenna, Chaves comfy Best for
years.
Black Tower, Curry county Fine,
Clovis Finest in four years.
St. Vrain, Curry county Good.
Knowles, Eddy county. Good.
Buchanan, Guadalupe county. Good.
Vaughn, Guadalupe county. En-
thusastic.
Les Tanos, Guadalupe county. Good.
Wagon Mound, Mora county. Very
good indeed.
Watrous, San Miguel county. Good.
Oscuro, Lincoln county. Good year
ahead
Logan, Quay county. Good
Bard City, Quay county. Good.
Nara Visa, Quay county. Good.
Rock Island, Quay County. Mod
crate.
San Jon, Quay county. Encouraging.
Tucumcari, Quay county. Best it
has ever been.
La Lande, Roosevelt county. Never
better
Portales, Roosevelt county. Excep-
tionally good.
Taiban, Roosevelt county. The best
ever.
San Miguel county Outlook very
promising.
Encino, Torrance county. The very
best.
Mountainair, Torrance county. Might.
y good.
Willard, Torrance county. First
class.
Clayton, Union county. Very fair.
Des Moines, Union county. Gener-
ally very good.
And so the replies run from practical.
ly every town in the dry farming dis
districts of the territory. 1t is the
opinion of the best informed dry farm
ers that with even little less than the
normal rainfall in the early summer the
season will be the most prosperous the
dry farming districts have known and
that nothing but period of extreme
drouth can check it.
10 on,,t braolyfocE p,ov ho