The evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1914-1922, 1914-02-18
VALUABLE RESOURCE
ON RAPID ROAD
To RUIN
Plains Of Pecos District Might
Produce Three Times the
Amount Of Cattle Say Big
Growers in Letter to Presi-
dent Wilson.
NATIONAL LEASE LAW
OR STATE CONTROL
[spselsl srrssp.aasss b .as RsrsIal

Especial Consequences to The fisraidl
Roswell, y. N, Feb. 1.-THE big
stock interests of the southeastern
part Of NeW Mckee have addressed "a
letter To- President Wilson APP
pcaling to the government Tor
The conservation oi the public range
In his part of the southwest. The
petition. signed by all the big grow
crs. points out the dangers of the
growing meat shortage and the ineN-
table ruin OF what WAS once the
greatest range ON the continent un'
less steps are taken to care for H.
The petition follows;
Roswell. y. NJ, Feb. 10. 1914.
To The President.
The white House,
Washington. u. g.
Mr. President. Ne. the under
signed. your petitioners, most respect
fully state that We are residents "i
southeastern New Mexico. and thai
we are either directly Interested IN
The livestock Industry or indirectly IN
terested VA that industry through
hanks. mercantile establishments, or
other business establishments whose
success or failure is dependent In u
very great degree on the success or
failure OF the live stock Interests III
our country.
The section Il which We live is one
Of the oldest cattle ranges In the
United States. II comprises what ~
now Eddy county, ChaVes county n
Roosevelt county and those parts oil
Lincoln and OterO counties lying east
OF the III Paso and Southwestern
railway. With parts of all this oun
try many OF us are intimately ac-
qualnted. We have ridden, driven
and camped and handled cattle IN
this district so long that. AMONGST US
We know nearly every square foot oil
Il, and are speaking of our own know
ledge when We max any statements
In regard To Il.
During the past twenty years great
changes have been brought about IN
a certain limited area of this district
Along the Pecos river which runs
south. dividing the district about even
Is east and west. great advances nave
been made in agriculture, wherever
irrigation water In sufficient quanti-
ties has been developed. This IL es-
p~ecially true on "a strip Of land from
lNnltH To NV MlAl'H ~ ~
internationally along the river, from
Roswell on the north 90 Malaga oh
the south, a distance Of about one
hundred miles. Large sums OF money
have been and are still being Spent
by the government, by corporations
and by individuals In developing thls
area. with the result that several mil
lion dollars worth OF alfalfa, frui'
and other crops are now being an
nuaily produced there and lands WITH
In that area, which formerly were
useful only as range, are now WORTH
on a production basis. from flOe IL
$500 per acre and sometimes sell TOT
more. The source OF the successful
, irrigation Of these lands rs tWo fold
FIRST. gravity flow from the Pecos and
other surface streams and springs
and second. wells, artesiaB OF pumped
Resides TIC area Jast referred 10
limited bodies OF land In other part
OF our country are successfully irri'
gated. Al Portales. in Roosevelt
eounty, Is a considerable underground
How, made available by PUMPKINS
through an efficient electric power
station. Along the tributaries Of ihe
| IEtONa the DinAhn AMf EfAAef ~ -
asco and the Hondo are many sue
cessfuily irrigated small farms and
fruit ranches, some of which have
|, been cultivated for several genera
I tions.
A great many Of your petitioners
whose names are affixed 10 this pa
per. have contributed largely towards
the development OF these irrigated
areas. They have contributed 20 II u
IN iney. energy and labor. Many ol
them now own and operate irrigated
farms in this country. We all run
appreciate the fact that each acre o
our land made successfully and per
muncntiy productive IN grains, alfalfi
and fruit Is Increased IN value over
hundred fold. and contributes by -
much the more Ia the food supply oil
the United states.
. Now what we desire most %respectful'
: - TO call yorT attention to h this
, The area of successfully cultivated
land In this section with which w
are particularly acqualnted-and thu
same is true, We believe. in regard q
, much Of the rest Of New Mexico ans
/, other western states-nnd the area o.
luNd WHICH, ~ our oIlnl"Hf faN WIN
IN any reasonable Time, be successful
q 81 irrigated and cultivated Is ven
E small as compared with the total arei
! In the district. The total area OF tn
district described In the %beeinning o.
this paper Ia. roughly speaking. abou
thirty thousand square miles or abou
twenty million acres. OF this twent'
million acres We figure, after a care
ful estimate, that there ~ al the pres
ent time, no more than g5O,00O acre
In successful cultivation. That IL 4
say not more than Ia per cent o.
the total area Is In successful cult
walton. n h probable that 10 time {
larger p%ereeniase than this will b.
brought Under irrigation. but. whef
We consider the fact that Il has takeI
mnnN Annrn IL hnrA unrL md NH.