Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1912-06-28
!. S. CONGRESS TOLD
Of M|MBRES VALLEY
Congressman Ferguson Tells
His Colleagues of Our
Great Achievement
DEMING FOR EXAMPLE
The New Mexico Bulletin Re.
fers to Mr.. Fergusson's
Latest Bill as Follows.


Congressman II. b. Ferguson has
introduced in the House of Repre-
sentatives n bill, which II passed vii
do more toward developing the des
orr lands of New Mexico than any
thing yet undertaken. There are in
New Mexico to-day thousands even
millions of acres of barren waste
This land has been lying idle since
the dawn of creation and unless in.
ducements on the order of Mr.. Fer,
gussons bin are held out to the
people to develop the land, il will
in a great measure remain idle for
MI time to come. Mr.. FERGUSON
proposes that every man who devel-
ops water on the public domain, by
pumping from a depth of so feet or
more be- given 40 acres Immediately
surrounding the well, which must
he cultivated, no man to be entitled
to more than eight such tracts or
the present 320-acre desert claim.
The bill was referred to the Com
mittec on Irrigation of Arid Lands
and in explanation of the necessity
Of such law, Mr.. Fcegusson made
the following address before that
committee:
THE first result of this bill will
be the prospecting of land absolute
" unsuitable, as far as demonstrate
ed, for agricultural purposes or for
irrigation, and will induce cattle and
sheep men in regions where they
can not Craze cattle and sheep now
because of lack of water will in
duce the grazing men to prospect
for water, and proposes to reward
them fer the expense incurred in
procuring water on grazing lands
now absolutely inaccessible to the
herds because of lack of wat e +.
Should water he found at less than
100 feet in depth, it has been dem
onstratcd, at least in New Mexico.
that in many places water will come
up to within a few feet of the sur
face that is not strictly artesian, and
in five or six different places in New
Mexico where it is not necessary TO
pump water from further depth
than so or 60 feet. little farms have
been irrigated from these wells and
agriculture largely promoted. !
might mention the Mimbres Valley
in New Mexico, around Deming,
where there are more than hun
dred farms on land that was form
erly fit only for grazing, and fit on
ly for grazing where water was ac-
cessiblc within 5 or 6 mile drive.
BY accident it was found that water
in inexhaustible quantities could he
pumped from wells and farms could
be created. So that If the cattle
man or sheep man sinks a well and
to go 100 feet or more for water,
he can not by pumping irrigate any
thing, because the pumping would
he too expensive, but one can afford
for the sake of reaching the rich
grass, to spend all that is necessary
in sinking to n great dept h and
pumping from great depth in or
der to get and make valuable for
his herds. either cattle or sheep, the
grazing lands"
The citizens of New Mexico can
not commend this action too highly
and no time should be lost in trying
tn influence every congressman and
every senator in Washington to sup
port the measure. The homestead
ers Of New Mexico and of the other
western states are indebted in n
great measure to ne W 3 spape r
throughout the west for agitating
in the strongest terms possible the
passage of the three-year homestead
bill. II was through their aid that