Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-04-28

but takes off produce worth $1,000
an acre.
J, Seventy-five per cent of the en-.
tire area Of the valley, If drained
would do as well with similar Work.
! Will drainage pay the owners of
this area?
Land Owners Hesitating.
Many of the land owners of this
valley are hesitating about backing
up drainage project because of
the cost. 1t is time to begin an
active campaign to show these peo-
pie that it is not a question Of
| Can We afford to drain ?" but
Can we afford not to drain? ?"
Statements already made as to the
Increased value of the land and the
increased value of the products
/ should he sufficient, but a concrete
example may be given as to how
| this increase should affect the pay
ment of approximately $22 an acre.
which, in the proposed plan, will
be distributed into twenty annual
payments. Alfalfa hay is today
selling for about S25 a ton. If we
assume that any part of this land
| to be reclaimed is planted to al
/ falfa (and it now produces approx
/ lmately nothing but mosquitoes and
frogs), one cutting on This land,
which should average at least a
/ ton to the acre, will pay the entire
drainage charges for that area. and
during the twenty years elapsing
before the last payment is due at
least sixty other cuttings of like
magnitude should be secured from
this land. OF the lands now under
cultivation, the improved condl-
tons should bring one more cut
ting or at least the small increase
in the productiveness of the field
should produce the equivalent of
one more ton of hay during the
season. This would be sufficient
in the one year to pay the entire
drainage costs. What Is true of the
increase for land producing alfalfa
will be true for whatever crops are
planted and it is very poor land or
very poor farming that will not
produce from any single acre in the
Rio Grande valley sufficient In
crease in crops In any one year to
equal the entire cost of its recla-
nation by draisage.
Indians ReaGy TO Aid.
In the upper part OF the area
under consideration, a considerable
portion of the land belongs to In
dams, approximately 46 per cent of
the land between White Rock cam
yon and the south line If the fsleta
grant, and there has been d great
deal of speculation as to whether
this land could be made part of
u drainage distrIc; and bear its
share of the costs. The local rep
resentatives of the Indian irriga-
ton service have from time to time
laid the matter before the depart
ment of the interior with the result
that the Indian appropriation bill
for the fiscal year commencing July
LIST next, contains an item which
will enable any or all of this Indian
land to be brought into drainage
districts. This section of the bill
will enable the secretary of the in
terror to provide for the drainage
of the Pueblo Indian land in New
Mexico in connection with the
drainage of the land in white own
ership and it provides that the Sec
rotary of the interior shall enter
into arrangements with the pro-
posed district or other body which
may be organized to carry on the
work after he is satisfied that the
plans for the work are adequate for
the purpose intended, or in other
words, as soon as a drainage dis
trict is to be formed the white set
tiers shall complete their plans for