Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1911-02-17

e'fN H~At''tt4 "t4tt NHttt tHt AoiHtAti
Is sufficient. as is usually the case
in the in the mountain valleys and
In the northern part Of the terri
tory, II bids fair to BE- q success;
but after all our great advance in
agriculture must come through
lands which are irrigated. Large
irrigation projects are now under
way in almost evesy county in the
territory. The greatest irrigation
work now in progress in New Next
co is the Elephant Butte Dam, sit
uated in the eastern part Of Sierra
county, in the rich Rio Grande val
Hey.
4 AT this point the national govern
ment is expanding some $S.OO0.00O
or $4,000. 900 with view damning
the Rio Grande and making the
largest artificial body Of water in
the world. II is proposed from this
dam to lrrigate some 100000 acres
Of land. 10000 acres of which are
in this territory. The soil of the
Rio Grandc Valley is as rich as can
be found anywhere in the world
and produces large crops of grapes.
peaches and nearly all the fruits
raised in the temperate zone.
Great quantities Of cantaloupcs
are grown here, which have as fine
flavor as the celebrated cantaloupe
grown at Rocky Ford. Colorado.
Five crops Of Alfalfa are cut year
ly and each acre Of land when pro-
perly cared for will raise eight tons
of alfalfa annually.
Alfalfa commands a ready sale at
high prices. Raw lands in the Rio
Grande Valley ten or twelve years
ago could be bought at a nominal
figure of say $3.50 and S. an acre.
Today this same land is selling from
$50 to 500 an acre, and when Ele-
plant Butte dam is finished il is
confidently predicted and expected
that the improved lands will sell as
high as from $500 TO $500 an acre.
Near Deming. in Luna county
and at Portales, in Roosevelt coun-
ty, shallow water has been found in
unending quantities. This water is
being pumped at Portales by CEN
trail power plant. and many thous-
sands of acres. are being brought
under cultivation. Ten or twelve
years ago the land around Portales
and Dcming could have been home
steaded from the government.
while today the fortunate people
who own il are holding il at d price
of many dollars an acre.
In the Pecos Valley, from just
north Of Roswell for a distance of
sixty five miles south, is the artes-
ian belt OF the territory. A few
years ago this was bowling wilder
ness and all this land might have
been homesteaded from the govern
ment. Today there are upwards of
700 flowing artesian wells in this
valley and lands are selling at high
prices. Just below Roswell the APP
Pile orchard of the late j. j. Hager-
man, which contains upward of TO-
900 trees. is now being cut up into
small pieces and sold, am credita-
bly, informed. at a price of $500 an
acre.
In Guadalupe. San Miguel. and
Colfax counties large irrigation en-
terprises are now in process of con-
struction, and land under the ditch
es covered by these enterprises.
which few months ago could have
been had almost for the asking, are
now selling for 800 an acre and up
ward. II is expected TO raise on
these lands large quantities Of fruit,
alfalfa, oats and other crops of a
similar nature.
Agriculture in New Mexico is to-
day only in its infancy, and ] ven-
ture to predict that ten years from
now the value Of agricultural pro-
udcts of the territory will have
quintrupled and that we shall be ex-
porting much grain. Today we ex-
port trainloads Of apples, canta-
loupes, and alfalfa. So long as a
serious panic does not overtake the
country, values in the territory
where lands are selected with judg-
ment are bound to increase.
This Is not a country where ]
would advise people without capital
to come, but any one who has mon