El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-11-02
FARMING
FARMS
SPREADING OUT
Apples, Alfalfa. Bees and
Chickens Find Homes
in ella Valley

Duncan Ariz-, Nov. 1.-The Duncan
valley is rapidly coming into promi-
nence as farming region. For years
farming has been done in the valley on
a small scale and many Mormon set
tiers, pioneers in the work here, have
maze comfortable homes for themselves
On their little irrigable plots along the
Glia river but Of late there has been
an influx Of homeseekers and the val
ley IS reemlng with farmers
The ella looks just like the Rio
Granue as IL flows sluggishly along a
MUDDY brown, az aimlessly as a snake
1lrSI washing a bed on one side of the
sandy soil In the little valley and then
jumping over TO the other, as PREACHER
Gus as the reptile for which II was
named, but always furnishing the life
giving moisture that makes the alfalfa
green and the fruit trees blossom and
produce.
Duncan, the metropolis Of the val
ley IS TO this valley all that FL Paso
is to the Rio Grande, though on
smaller scale, for the valley is smaller
but duncan is growing. A few years
ago, Duncan was q stopping place for
trains, beneath the towering cotton
woods whose knotty bark mark them
ola enough 70 have been the shelterinz
spot Tor the Indians wher Victoria and
Geronimo rode range o. the buffalo
nereabouJs, and that is what they did
many times the indians made camp
fires and broiled their buffalo meat
beneath the big trees on the banks OF
me CHA that now shade the streets OF
the town Of Duncan.
Today Duncan has a school house
Inat would be a credit to a town much
larger-that appears to be the case,
however In all Of these new, growing
Arizona and New Mexico towns. The
Duncan school house is a big two story
brick mOdernly furnished. and accom-
mOdates several hundred boys and girls
from the farms surrounding and from
western line Of New Mexico and the
eastern line Of Arizona, but is in the
state OF Arizona, Just over the line It
mas substantial stores, hotel accOmmO-
cations and numerous pretty residences.
livery street Is shaded by a wealth Of
cottOnWoods and weeping willows and
Il is one OF the prettiest little towns
IN the two new states; though smaller
lnan many 1t makes up in its beauty
anything that &c may lack in size All
about the town are orchards and gar
dens-ceIery, green onions, lettuce and
many tender garden vegetables are
growing wonderfully wen even at this
peEOd or the year, while beautiful red
apples hang from the bending limbs
or the trees in all the orchards.
The farmers have a community ditch
system, taking water from the river by
means OF diversion dams, which some
times wash out but are easily recon
structed- There is a movement under
way to construct a big irrigation system
and carry the water back onto the rich
land that Is now productive only for
range purposes. This can be done and
Duncan, like Santa Rosa, n. NJ. only
awaits the coming OF capital to reclaim
hundreds OF acres of very valuable
land.
And farming and horticulture are not
the only resources Of the valley. King
Rooster and queen hen have found
their way here and king and queen bee
are also on the Job The honey pro-
duced mere is Of very fine flavor, as
a lfalIa ana orchard blossoms are plen-
rlful, besides the wild flowers Of the
me curtains nearby. Chicken ranches
may be seen all along the valley. from
Duncan to Guthrie, and even between
Guthrie and MOrenCi, up in the noun
tains. The soil is without alkaH and
the chickens are grown here with a
minimum loss from disease There is a
ready market for all the chickens and
eggs that can be produced as MOreuci
Clifton, Metcalf and many other min
Ing towns VIII buy them at good prices. /
J. WhittredEe, a MOrenci man. in busi-
ness there, has invested heavily Of late
In a chicken ranch near here and
there are many other outside interests
in the business Of raising poultry
The steeple Rock mining district
north OF here In the New Mexico noun
tains, receives its supplies from this
place and viii soon be making large
shipments rom here. Present plans
call for the construction Of wagon ]
road from SteepIe Rock. This is one OF
the Oldest camps in New Mexico. In the
southwest in fact, and an English cor
porauon spent millions Of dollars on
equipment and took out millions Of dol {
lars in values in the days when in
dams claimed the region, but were |
finally forced to abandon the place on l
account OF continued raids from the /
red man. A regular fort was main /
tained by the company, with men paid I
to guard the property and do nothing
else, but so many officials and en-
ployes were killed from time 10 time
and the freighters were so often mum 4
1ered and robbed, that the company had /
10 shut down. OF late years there has /
been considerable activity on a small I
scale In the region and the old English /
nine has been taken over and is to be
operated by an American company.