El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-04-06

the entire valley embraces about $500
square miles AIr. Fuller estimates the
annual accrotiOns to the vast under
ground supplies at 900, 600 acre feet
Cor the benefit Of the uninitiateC-
an acre foot enough water to cover
an acre one foot in depth while Mr..
Clapp states the Indications for
large underground flow are very
good The Mimbres river is a Per
ennial stream to where It leaves the
mountains TO the north Of the valley
ana enters the valley proper. There IL
sinks-its waters finding their way IN
to the underground system Of the al
luVial and cOlluvial deposit which fills
the valley proper During Hood pc
RODS the head OF live water pushes
It's way a considerable distance into the
valley, but IL also is lost and sinks into
the lower strata The valley "till"
consists first. soil from . to so feet
deep, then alternate layers Of clay and
gravel The logs" of 100 wells from
100 TO 200 feet in depth show gravel
strata ranging from to 90 feet in
depth and from 2 TO 10 strata within
that depth The water plane, or depth
from the surface, varies from 10 to $50
Ieet, there being an area OF probably
Iz5sUOU acres over which the pumping
lift for wells of from 500 to 1900 gal
Ions per minute capacity will range
from 30 to SIS feet Mr. Fuller, further
estimates that If 500. coo acre feet were
WltndraWn from the underrlOW tWith-
out considering the annual accretiOns
water plane only three and One-halr
inches, and places the limit of proba-
Die future demands of profitable life"
at 2Z5,OO0 acre feet. annually. eXclu-
slYe Of loss by evaporation and ditch
eepage-which items with a well upon
e9ch quarter section or less Is a negli-
g1ble factor.
Character OF Water.
The water pumped from the Mimbres
EalIey is very soft and pure-contain-
ING only SO parts of solids per 100000
Dy analysis Alkali is ing-organic
matter-frOm the purity Of its origin
necessarily so. From the standpoint OF
IrlgauOn, the absence Of alkau Is a
factor or the utmost Importance.
Soil characteristics.
AIohS the river bottoms, the soil is
Oh sandy aluvial type, but over the
Naiiey at large. OF a more compact type.
ChueIIylng the top soil, which varies
IN ueptn from to so feet, is a clay
tVdIn ana this condition, together with
me remarkably level character Of the
IlOOr OF the valley and its uniform
Slope towards the river channel makes
Sdtloh STANDPOINT The heavier soil
holds the moisture while the more por-
Gus top soil receives and transmits Ii
eddlly 70 the lower stratum, affording
excellent drainage and preventing wa
ter logging" There is no evidence Of
olack alkah and the presence OF excel
ienl crops IN almost every part Of the
Nauey appears to preclude the presence
OF oLner salts In appreciable quantity.
No soil survey" has been made as
Yet, by the federal government
Crop Possibilities
Some Of the possibilities are set forth
by Mr.. Fuller as follows: some Of the
most remarkable possibilities from irri-
cation We're observed in the quick re-
Spouse of the soil One-the place OF
Dr. Conway (160 acres in cultivation
was first plowed and irrigated on April
L. 1871 ana now, July IS lsll-in 90
days-maiZe stands eight feet high
while corn and alfalfa has made an