El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-08-17
place of irrigation to a great extent"
Rapid Advance In MImb-es Valley.

Rapid Advance In 8Iimb=es Valley.
/ There is NJ portion CT New Mexico
! where a more rapid advance of the
pumping system for irrigation has been
I made than in the Mimbres valley.
Three years ago the first successful
! irrigation well was installed can
/ vass was recently made by a special
! committee appointed by the directors
/ of the chamber of commerce, which
! committee reported as follows concern
/ ing the increase in the power con-
/ sumed for pumping, in part as follows:
1 The first gasoline engine pumping
] plant was installed in this valley three
| years ago The same year two other
= So horsepower plants were installed and
] a number of smaller ones, aggregat-
! ing 200 horsepower; the next year ad-
! ditiOnal plants aggregating probably
| 900 horsepower were installed; the
/ third year, l e, 1911, plants aggregat-
I ing 1900 horsepower were installed.
| At the present time as nearly as your
| committee can estimate, plants al
/ ready contracted for to go into COM
mission with the beginning of the next
pumping season aggregate 1000 horse
power, and it is conservative to say
that plants aggregating 500 horsepower
Will be contracted for and installed be-
tween now and June l, next; which
will make $500 horsepower actually
consumed in pumping water for irriga-
ton at that time. Judging by the per-
centage of increase in horsepower con-
sumed during the past three years it
would be safe to estimate plants re-
quiring 1000 horsepower will be in
stalled in the year June 1, 1919. to
June l, 1913. which will make the total
amount required for operating pumps
at that time within the Is mile circle
around Deming $500 horsepower"
Profits Evidently High.
When an industry develops with such
remarkable rapidity as the foregoing
figures indicate, it is very evident that |
the profits in that industry are excep-
tIonally high. 1t is easy to understand |
this development in the Mimbres val |
ley. When the first pumping plant |
was installed there were grave doubts |
in the minds of practically the whole |
community as to whether pumping wa |
ter for irrigation was feasible. 1t re- |
quired actual demonstration to over |
come these doubts. The first years |
test made many converts 1t was |
shown that alfalfa could be grown on !
Mimbres valley lands by pumping wa
ter at a net profit per acre of $50 to 1
$75. This was verified the next year
under dozen different plants, and
now it is a matter that no one &C
quainted with the facts car dispute.
that a profit of above $50 per acre net
can be made in the Mimbres valley with |
reasonable care in farming, and where |
the lift of water does not exceed as !
feet
Growing California Pink Beans.
1t has also been demonstrated that
California pink beans can be grown at
a profit of from $50 to $50 per acre net
IN the MimbreS valley by pumping
water for irrigation. The California l
pink bean is a crop naturally adapted
to this region It is especially profit |
able In that a comparatively large acre
age can De tended by one man. This |
crop is planted in the MimbreS valley |
from the middle Of June to the middle |
Of July and IS marketed 30 days after |
The amount of water re-
CURED for bean crop in the MimbreS |
valley does not exceed IS inches. as
against SO inches for alfalfa. Again,
beans are as staple in the market as
corn or cotton, and hence can be de-
pended upon by the farmer as a money |
crop Besides this, beans produce in |
the M1mbres valley with absolute GER |
talhty. Ihese causes have led to the |
of a larger acreage in beans
here than any other one CROP
The profitableness of pumping water !
for irrigation in the Mimbres valley !
has been demonstrated, however, with |
many other crops. Garden truck of
all kinds produce abundantly and i'll |
excellent quality; while fruits it is
believed, will ultimately be the chief
product of the valley.
Pumping Method Now Cheapest.
So rapidly has been the perfection of
machinery that irrigation by
is now the cheapest and most
effective system of irrigation, except,
Of course where gravity systems are
almost ideal And where a gravity
system is in operation under ideal ,
conditions land and water rights are so
expensive as to preclude the possibil-
ty OF any very great return upon the
Investment 1t is in new fields where
The large returns are found for money, /
and there is no new field of such
promise as investment in arid lands
Which can be reclaimed by pumping at
shallow lifts.