Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1911-09-29

papers have been filled with wonder
ful accounts Of the miracles that had
been observed in the valley south Of
Deming. The stories were that the
men had put in pumps and raised the
water for irrigation, and had pro-
duced great crops. Men who had
known that valley for years read the
stories and took them all with liberal
supplies or salt The Liberal is one
Of them. 1t knew that water could
be pumped in that valley, and that
when II was put on the ground veg
citation was luxuriant. but had grave
doubts as TO its being possible to
raise enough water economically TO
make farming a practical success.
Gardens and fine lawns were numer-
Gus in Deming, produced by the ever
present windmill, bnt a field crop
was another thing. Last Thursday
the LIBERAL was in Deming, and it
was known to some of the citizens
there that 1t was a doubter, and ar
rangements we're made TO show. Au-
tomobiles were brought around, and a
trip was made ove the surrounding
country. The first place visited was
r. @. Ely's pumping plant. The
power is electricity, and the pump
threw an acequia full of water.
The water led away from the road,
and 1t was not easy t see his crops.
The party then went over to John
Hund's place, where a gasoline en-
CINE was throwing a similar stream
OF water. To a person not familiar
with irrigation this body of water
meant little, for he would not know
whether this was enough for a water
melon patch or a peach orchard. To
show this Mr.. Ely's auto went down
the road for a quarter Of a mile or
more, where the water could be
found flowing inside the fence. and
beyond 1t was a vast field OF alfalfa,
from which the fourth heavy crop
had just been cut. all produced by
this n well, and the field seemed to
stretch for another quarter of a mile.
returning to the we'll which was on
the corner Of the farm, the a went
in the other direction, where there
were large field of beans, and a re-
Gently planted orchard, with beans
between the rows of trees. This is
the second year that Mr.. Humid has
been farming this place, and he says
that the income OF the place for the
two years Will pay for the original in
vestment and all Of the labor and
money that has been spent on it. Mr.,
Humid is a farmer. The next was the
Hicks place. From the appearances
Mr.. Hicks is not the farmer that Mr..
Humid is, but his place shows luxur-
liant vegetation, and he has the finest
looking farm house in the valley.
Then the fern Of DR.. Conway was
visited, and he is a farmer. The
first sight was a large field Of sorgum,
which had just been cut for fodder.
1t was piled in cocks, and from the
frequency and size of the cocks II
was to be seen that there had been
an enormous crop of fodder. Then
came his bean field, acres and ceres Of
beans, enough to feed a MaderestC
army through a campaign. The doc.
tor estimates that his bean crop will
yield 1890 pounds to the acre, and bean:
are worth six cents. Beyond the bean.
was a 6eld Of milo maize, which will
yield, experts say, 100 bushels to thC
acre The doctor has 173 acres under
cultivation; and all OF IL was produc
ing big crops, and all watered by one
well, supplied by a %ifty-horse power
gasoline engine. The doctor has 800
acres desert land entry, and next year
he will put In another well, and re.
claim 1t all, Mr.. Ely is the father Of
the plan Of pumping for irrigation
He is an Intensely practical man, anC
although a lawyer he differs from
most lawyers, In that he is a bushes,
man and understands the science o.
bookkeeping. He commenced exper
imenting with pumping some year
ago, and like all men who start out
on something new. had to stand thu
gibes and sneer Of the unbelieyers
Notwithstanding this he kept on ex
perlmentlng, and now he has the fact
and ngures to show that where Their,
is an abundant underground supply o.
water at a reasonable depth It can b.
pumped and the land Watered NOR,
economically than can be done wheru
the water is put on the ground from
a natural supply, like the Elephan.
Butte dam. Mr.. Ely's experiment.
has made the Mimhres valley. TIL,
land which a year ego could be bough.
for from five TO ten dollars an acre Il
now selling for sixty 10 a hundred
dollars an acre, and there is q strip o
land some five or six miles wide, reach
ing from DemIng TO the Mexican lin
that can be irrigated by puDplnl