Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-12-31
man Industry and progress at the very
dawn Of history.
Agriculture.

man Industry ana progress at the very
dawn Of history.
Agriculture.
New Mexico is first OF all an agri-
cultural state. or i2l.i97 persons in
gainful occupations in the last feu-
eral census year, 66.SS7 were employ
ed on FIRMS II is significant that
the value OF products Of farm and
range Is twice that OF mining and
manufacturing taken together.
The corn crop harvested In 1914
was 2,f9o.po0 bushels: the wheat crop
l.l9i,000 bushels. oats I .93S,00o bush-
els; potatoes i,lf0.000 bushels; hay
$4,000 tons; apples 1884, 900 bushels;
barley 100000 bushels; beans 100000
bushels; sweet potatoes 10000 BUSH
els; broom corn 10000 pounds: cot
ton 1000 bales: kaffir corn l.000.0 600
bushels; peanuts 1900 bushels; dry
peas $4,000 bushels. peaches 10000
bushels: pears 5000 bushels; plums
and prunes $4,000 bushels: cherries
10000 bushels; apricots 1000 bushels;
grapes 100000 pounds: Strawberries
$4,000 quarts: other berries. 10000
quarts; nuts $4,000 pounds. Total
value OF the crops in 1914 exceed S20.-
100000, an increase of G. per cent I'm
five years, thus giving some evidence
OF the rapid development OF the re-
sources of the state and at the same
time glimpse of the possibilities that
the future holds in store.
Great Agricultural Valleys.
The valleys of the large rivers and
their tributaries, naturally, were first
occupied and cultivated. The rio
Grande blsects the state from north
smith "A fri I'M.
taries were the first irrigation sys-
TENS and cultivated fields. The long
est tributary of the Rio Grande Is The
Pecos. and II, too, furnishes wateT for
irrigation for tens of thousands of
fertile acres.
Another large basin Is that of the
San Juan In the northwestern part OF
the state. Smaller, only by compare
son, are the valleys of the Arkansas
drainage area, OF the Mimbres, ella
and lesser streams. The lower Peeos
valley alone shipped 5000 carloads Of
alfalfa, 1000 carloads OF apples, 400
carloads OF cantaloupes, 100 cars of
tomatoes. so cars of canned toma-
toes. 20 cars of cotton, 22 cars OF on
ions. 10 cars of honey. 1000 cars OF
cattle, 100000 pounds of wool this
gear.
Artesian and pumping wells supple
ment the water supply from running
streams. The artesian belt In the
lower Pecos valley is wonder and
a delight to every visitor and IL has
transformed a portion of the forbid
ding Staked Plains into Paradise Of
Verdure. Here. alfalfa is king. and
orchards make fortunes. A net pro-
fit of $4,000 a year from a twenty
acre apple orchard, has been recorded.
and the yield from small parcels of
land. intensely cultivated. seems al
most incredible.
Pumping wells have reclaimed
thousands Of acres in the Portales and
Mimbres valleys and Indicate possi-
bilities that had been only barely SUR
missed ten years ago. The net profit
on an acre OF cantaloupes In the Por-
tales valley in 1914. averaged $57.5S.
There sweet potatoes yield goo TO 800
bushels per acre. Dairying Is proving
money-making proposition and L.
500 acres in alfalfa irrigated from
wells attest to possibilities In raising
forage crops.
Irrigation.
But the mainstay of the irrigation
farmers is the irrigation project. big
or smell, that impounds the waters Of
the flood season for the day that they
are needed by the crops. The largest
irrigation system In the state Is that
which supplies the Mesilla valley with
water 1t Is federal reclamation
project on which SS.000.000 Is being
expended and which supplies water to
as many acres as were irrigated In
the entire state in the year 1900, Next
In size is the Carlsbad reclamation
project In the lower Pecos valley, also
In the hands Of the government. Both
of these valleys being the lowest In |
altitude in New Mexico and also the !
most southern. are marvelously pro-
ductive, for the soil is deep and fer
tile and the water supply permanent |
and assured
Private enterprise has built large |
irrigation systems in Colfax county,
and so-callcd community systems sup
ply the irrigationists in other coun-
ties. Careful stream measurements
indicate that New Mexico has suffi-
Client running water to irrigate 3
$50, 900 acres. Less than one-third
of that amount is under cultivation at
present, thus demonstrating that here
is promising field for further de-
The land is there, the
water can be stored. the soil is fer
tile and the climate favorable All
that is needed Is capital aud enter
prise to triple the area OF irrigation
farms and the agricultural production.
The College OF Agriculture and Me-
chanic Arts, the state engineers de-
partment, each and every community
to be benefited. are all eager to assist
in developing and utilizing this latent
resource. II
Under individual and partnership
Irrigation enterprises, 100000 acres
are under cultivation; under CONNER
cal enterprises, $4,000 acres; under
enterprises 100000 /.
acres: under the United States recla- /
nation service. 10000 acres. There !
ire almost thousand artesian wells
$4,000 acres. 500 pumping /
wells supplying nearly 10000 acres. A !
thousand storage reservoirs and ten {
thousand miles of canals and bitches 4
pour theis waters upon the fertile Z
ands during the growing season.
The United States census bureau [
yiyes the average cost of construction {
n New Mexico of irrigation enter I
)rises at s14.1g per acre and the cost
II maintenance at $1.36 per acre per O
ear. The census bureau also has l
ound that irrigation Increases the
iield of corn 1873 per cent, over nom q
areas: oats. "a per cent; /
wheat. 16S per cent; barley, sS per
ent; dry edible beans, 191 per cent; 4
Try peas, so per cent. timothy. "A per Z
ent; alfalfa. 16s per cent; other for [
Ige plants, n per cent; wild grasses.
20 per cent; coarse forage, 1S6 per
ent: potatoes, 10 per cent Ii
Dona Ana county leads In the acre. [
.ge irrigated for 1t Is the main bene- (
iciary OF the Elephant Butte project. q
The MesIlla valley which Is the sec q