El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-01-25

THE agricultural and horticultural
outlook for FL Paso and vicinity
could not be better. With the
great Elephant Butte dam under way
new wells being SUNK throughout the
valleys in the dry farm" regions, ex-
periments in dry farming proving the
adaptability. value and worth Of this
new system to the country, and the
irrigators rapidly increasing their
acreage throughout the southwest.
farming is fast coming into It's own
and taking rank even with the mining
IN Psso occupies the center Of an ir-
rigated district rich as any IN the
world During the past year there was
a large increase in the cuItlVaIeQ acre
age-Over 10 percent IN actual 1lSuEes
and last year there was big IN
crease over the cultivated area OF pre-
vious years. Practically every tnlng IN IN
the line Of fruits ana vegetables Is
grown Grapes, peaches, pIums, pears
apples, celery, chill cabbage IuEn4pS'
cantaIoupes, watermelOns, casaba mel
Ons are among the crops grown N
marketable quantities on the land sur
rounding Fl Paso; other crops grow
done here.
Irrigation and Dry Farming.
The farming is all done in the FL
Paso valley by irrigation from the Rio
c co IIt1g s surrounding III Paso much
farming is done after scientific SOL
culture methods-often called dry
farming" Much Of the territory IN
New Mexico and Arizona is devoted to
dry farming" and In west Texas the
cultivated area was largely increased
and surprising results were obtained
during the past year on land where
there was no artificial application OF
moisture. The Mexican government
continues to carry on its dry farming
experiments in the region close to Fl
PaSO and 1t has just arranged to have
Prof. Romulo Escobar and r Branagh,
Of Juarez, establish several experiment
stations throughout the Mexican re-
public, particularly at Torreon and
Monterey.
Dry Farm Work.
Arizona this year spent a large sum
in conducting experimental Dry
farm work and It is estimated that
the state has 235, 600 acres under cul-
tiVaion without irrigation The terri
toriaI legislature in 1911 gave $4,000 for
dry farm experimental work, the Fl
RaSo & Southwestern railroad gave
$4,000, the Santa Fe $4,000 and the
chamber Of commerce Of Prescott $4,000
This is being used on experiment farm
work in several different localities, but
the one most advanced IS IN the sui
phur Springs valley, near Douglas. The
results Of private farms In that region
have been as splendid as the state
farm and the experiments have gone
forward sufficiently to prove beyond a
doubt that dry farming is successful.
New Mexico mas several cry farm
stations and the FL PasO & Southwest
ern and Santa Fe railroads are giving
Il every encouragement Both these
roads have scientific SOL cultivation
and moisture conservation
Pump Irrigation.
Of FL Paso is done from the river, but
Not all the irrigation in the vicinity
much OF 1t is done by pumping. Big
pumping plants have been installed at
POrtales and Roswell, N A., this year
on a cooperative system and at Dem
ing, N NJ, Midland, Texas, PecOs, Tex
as, WILCOX ana Douglas Arizona, ana
several other localities surrounding ,
and tributary to FL Paso, there have
been some big developments during the
past year in pumping water for 1rriga-
ton and adding to the cultivated area
More than twice the amount under cul-
tivatiOn a year ago may be found now
successfully producing big crops N all
these communities.
Elephant Butte Dam
When the Elephant Butte dam is
completed north OF FL PaSO, water viii !
be assured for over 100000 acres of
land IN the Rio Grande valley, tmme- |
diately surrounding FL Paso. The pre-
liminary work has about been com
pleted on this vast project and actual !
construction on the dam VIII begin as I
soon as the spring floods subside- This ]
is the biggest irrigation undertaking i
in the world, and will cost S1O,O00,O0O- (
The lake formed above the dam VIII be 4
40 miles long.
During the year past several hun /
QEeQ men nave DGGn at WOEA preparing /
the prelin1inaries A town has been !
built to accommodate the officials and |
WOrkmen, WaterWOrks have been put /
IN. the railroad from the Santa Fe main
line, Il miles away, has been com
pleteds and power plants, rock crushers
and machinery have been erected
Bridges have also been built over the /
stream and work has been under way /
for turning the river out Of its present !
course so that the great dam may be /
put down between the rock walls Of
the muddy stream
Dry Farm Crops.
n Arizona, where the rainfall ap-
pears to be heavier or the soil better
constituted for holding the moisture
than in New Mexico and west Texas,