New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-07-06
FREE USE OF
STATE LAND
VERY LARGE
POLICY OF STATE LAND CON-
MISSIONER HAS RESULTED IN
LARGE INCREASE OF CROPS
AND GREAT IMPROVEMENT
OF LANDS AND THEIR VALUE

Commissioner Ervien's permit
= farm the states leased grazing
ENDS during the period of the war
without additional rental. issued by
tate land commissioner, Robert P
Ervicn. at the beginning of the
Greater food production movement
p New Mexico. has added total OF
R,44l acres to the producing area
of the state this season. Returns on
acreage planted under the permit up
to July |, were made public by the
state land office today, the total be-
ing regarded as about final for this
season. Farmers on the grazing lea
ses have followed closely the advice
Of state agricultural college experts
to stick to New Mexico Pinto bans
corn, sourghums, and Irish potatos
wherever conditions were known to
be favorable. OF the total of 2244l
acres planted, 4426 acres are in beans
chiefly New Mexico Pintos; 343]
acres in corn, SIT acres in sorghums
1861 acres are in milo. 4l46 in Kaf-
fir, 229l in wheat, 1881 in hay crops
and the balance in barley, oats, rye,
fetirita, sudan grass, broom corn.
eowpeas and truck.
In issuing the permit to farm the
leased lands the Commissioner made
4 plain that the leaser was to use his
1udgment as to whether or not his
hnd was most useful to the country
In supporting cattle or sheep, or for
crops, Hundreds of leasers ans
vered at once that no part of their
leases could be Jared successfully
and that to break the sod would be
to spoil good grass land to make a
poor farm. Others reported that
their plans for the season were made
and could not be changed. but that
they would break the land this fall,
should the war continue. The num-
ber of these and the acreage indi-
Gated makes it probable that double
the area now in crops on the leased
lands will be broken this fall for
winter wheat or for next seasons
planting. Every county in the state
is represented in the grazing lease
farming returns, except Bernalillo,
where the state land area is very
small. Union county leads with 29l2
acres; Quay is next with 2l8l Curry
IS third with 1907, and the other
counties range from 1907 in Guada-
tupe down to 20 acres in Sandoval.
There are a considerable number of
women among the grazing lease
farmers.
The names OF all these new farm
ers have been given to the county
agricultural agents through the state
agricultural college and will receive
every possible assistance in caring
for their crops. The state land Of
flee proposes to keep a careful check
on the results obtained, and if these
prove as satisfactory as has been
the patriotic response to the COM
missioner's permit, vigorous CAM
paign to extend the acreage farmed
will be made during the coming win
ter.
Many holders of grazing leases
reported that they were farming on
their patented land or homestead
claims adjacent to the state land
held by them. Blanks were sent to
all of these. A total of lao replies
from twenty counties that of total
acreage of 1887 being farmed this
season, oneIhalf, or 1879 acres was
the increase over acreage farmed
by these same men last season.
Beans, corn. sorghums, milo, and
Kaffir also lead in the reports from
these lands contiguous to the state
lands. An equally careful report of
results will be sought by the state
land office from these contiguous
lands, since the crop production will
be of Importance in determining
character and value of the state
lands adjoining.