Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-05-30

ed in shccessfulNfhy simply turning
the water on them and allowing the
silt To settle. Fills Of five feet have
been made nfeight YEARS In this way
The silt-depositiug qualities OF the
water also insure the farmers against
the necessity of fertilzing their land
any time In the future. for. ifrigatlng
with such water, they practically are
farming new land each year The
bitches in the valley an have grades
higher than are usual practice and
SO are self-cleaning. They are never
dug ont In the spring. to rid them OF
their accommodations Of silt. as are the
bitches In the Rio Grande valley.
Ditch Construction Easy.
The construction of these bitches
IL rendered very easy by the light tex
ture Of the soil. A pillow is simply run
along the line of the desired ditch. the
line corrected, then subsequent FUR
rows plowed beside il until the ground
mas been loosened a sufficient width.
Then neayy wooden "go-devll."
which Is simply big V made OF
planks and well braced. is started
down the burrows behind six or eight
horses and the earth is showed aside
After that the water is turned into
the ditch
The valley is the center OF great
stock raising Industry. though little
enough stock Is actually ranged ia
It except in the extreme eastern por-
ton where the Fernandez company
has its establishment Tributary To
the valley--that Is owned by valley
people and ranged around Il, are cat
tie to the number of 2.200. excluding
the Fernandez compnnv's holdings.
and sheep To the number of As. 600.
This stock ranges far down into So
zorro county and Just ms far north,
but all of il is connected more or less
intimately with the valley. Some
stock is ranged In the hills immedi-
ately back of the valley
Stock-fccding Opportunities.
u Is not In stock raising. however,
but in stock feeding. that the COM
munity offers the creates, advant-
ages. Along several small streams in
the hills near the valley there are gov
eminent lands that could be home
steaded or reclaimed under the des-
ert land act and made the centers of
stock ranches which would grow
enough feed 10 fatten a considerable
number OF cattle or lambs every year
The valley itself has one real sure
enough feed lot. that of Mr.. lSile,
and he shipped in feed profltably last
year. This fact shows what local
market Is available. Mr. Kile shipped
in eighteen ears Of hay, five ears OF
corn and two cars OF oil cake. and
fed all OF II 20 stock. Besides this he
bought all The food in the valley that
he could and he raised as much on
his 510-aerc home ranch as he could.
Once he was told OF that beautiful
market at Gallup il would not take
the average stock feeder long To fig
ure out the possibilities of the valley,
IL he could see what It Is producing.
Nor would he need a blueprint TO tell
him what TO do.
Fine Crop This Year.
As the growing season in the val !
ley begins about May l and lasts al |
ways TO september ) and frequent- |
~ month or more longer. the farm |
ers have plenty Of time to mature
crops Not all of them have finished
planting at this time for this year, /
though most of them have In gen
eral. the fields look fine. The valley /
is green wherever there was crop
last year and ON the ground that is |
being broken this year alfalfa and
oats. the principal crops show splen- I
did stands The corn that is being
planted. is also showing well. There !
are plenty of places where the al |
falfa went two cuttings last year
without irrigation and quite a num- |
Der where 1t went three.
Things look very prosperous in !
the community. a new school house, |
to cost $3.50, has just been begun