BANCROFT LIBRARY BANCROFT LIBRARY -> THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA The PEC OS 6 VAL L E Y -/H New Twentieth Thousand. January, I go 3. THE PECOS VALLEY. 00 Why This Book Is Published. 00 This little book is issued to inform those who may be inter- ested in knowing of the conditions in the irrigated agricultural district known as the Pecos Valley of New Mexico. It is intended to relate in the plainest fashion the facts as they may be found and demonstrated by any investigator facts as to climate, agri- culture, stock-raising, fruit-raising and other industries, markets, cost and all the other details of importance to every prospective settler. The information has been gathered at first hand from the men who have done and are doing the very things here described. The pictures interspersed through the book are typical of the region, and are selected to illustrate graphically the facts related in the text. There has been no effort to embellish the tale with picturesque descriptions or glowing prophecies. The plain facts, plainly stated, may better speak for themselves. It will be shown that in this region the farmer and the stock- raiser may find conditions peculiarly favorable for his industry and his profit, wholesome in the surroundings and generally attractive. The Pecos Valley proper is a district where highly developed farms, stock ranches, orchards and gardens and thrifty communities prove the possibilities. The Pecos Valley has made wide fame for itself in the last fifteen years as the scene of noteworthy agricultural and indus- trial development by means of some of the most comprehensive irrigation works ever attempted in the world. Geographically, it it a particularly well-defined region, not to be confused with any other. The Rio Pecos, a historical river of importance since the days of the very earliest of the Spanish explorers, rises in a range of the Rocky Mountains in north-central New Mexico, near Las Vegas, and not far from Santa Fe, the ancient and modern capital. Receiving in its upper course numerous small mountain tribu- taries, it then flows almost directly south through the eastern half of the territory. Its ultimate river outlet is into the Rio Grande, Geography of the Valley, and Some History. after a tortuous course southeastward to the international bound- ary between the United States and Mexico. What is known agriculturally and commercially as the Pecos Valley, and therefore described in this pamphlet, is that favored part of the river course through Chaves and Eddy counties, the southeastern counties of New Mexico. The Pecos Valley Lines, a portion of the great Santa Fe System, extend north and south throughout the length of the valley, uniting all the flourishing towns and rural communities and affording facile communica- tion with all the outlying markets in either direction. The entire district thus characterized is thoroughly watered by comprehensive irrigation systems, and the richest of alfalfa, fruit and vegetable crops are produced here, as well as the finest herds of cattle and sheep. It seems but fair to allot a paragraph to the history of this interesting region, which is to have more ample space for an account of its later development and its present condition. In the prehistoric days what we know as the Pecos Valley was undoubt- edly one of the favored abiding places for those primitive races which depended upon their flocks and herds for sustenance, and for the few who tilled the soil. True it is that the more moun- tainous, rocky regions to the north and west have better preserved the curious architectural remains of the cliff dwellers and their kin, but enough is found in this valley to prove that it was the happy home of peaceful tribes. Coming down to the days of the Spanish occupation, the valley rises into immediate importance. Coronado himself, the great explorer, in his marvelous march to Quivera, which ended in northern Kansas in 1541, crossed the Pecos river on his northward journey and again on his return toward Mexico. Forty years later Espejo entered the valley with an expedition from the northwest, and marched southward throughout the entire length of it. He found the plains covered with immense herds of buffaloes, fatten- ing on the rich grasses that have brought wealth to so many ranchmen in later years, since beef cattle succeeded those wild herds of the past. From that time the Pecos Valley was a familiar road for many More History; a Land of Peace. an explorer and missionary of the Spanish regime. As soon as industrial life extended this far from the southern provinces of Mexico under Spanish rule, cattle began to be bred and grazed on these plains, as they were throughout the great Southwest. Then through all the political changes, from Spanish to Mexican rule, and from Mexican to that of the United States, there was little alteration until the era of railways and irrigation began, less than twenty years ago. The Pecos Valley was favored by man as it was by nature, for even warfare troubled it but little. The Mexican war never disturbed it. The Confederate invasion to Santa Fe in 1862 barely crossed it. And even the wars with the Indians Pueblo, Apache and Chiricahua barely intruded upon the peaceful valley, when the rest of the territory was harassed and terrified by the restless red men. While a dozen centuries of the Pecos Valley have been dis- missed upon a single page, the last dozen years and the present dispensation are worth a book. For the new era in this fertile, Irrigation: the Key to the Valley's Success. sun-blessed, well-watered land is not more than fifteen years old, even if one measures from the time the plans for development began to be formed. Throughout the territory of New Mexico the most noteworthy feature of the American development has been the modification of the primitive ideas of the first inhabitants as to agricultural methods to fit the needs of a more intelligent and more energetic people. Irrigation, planned and directed by skilful and scientific men, has brought back into profitable cultivation this smiling valley, long abandoned to pastoral use. This science of irrigation, which makes the agriculturist the absolute master of his acres and his crops, carried to perfection as it is here, is still the same influence which in cruder form was enlisted by the very races which lived in the valley and passed away a thousand years ago, the same which to-day gives all the wealth to Egypt by the aid of the River Nile. The only things required to develop this smiling valley into one of the most productive regions of all our broad land were to A Reservoir Spillway, North of Carlsbad. Where Farming Needs No Luck. provide it with means of reliable and rapid access and to prepare irrigation systems which would water it. Both necessities have been supplied in ample degree. By the completion in March, 1899, of the Pecos Valley Lines, a portion of the great Santa Fe System, direct communication is furnished to all the principal markets, north, south, east and west, so that shipments may be made regularly and promptly, and resi- dents of the valley have all the advantages of such a service at their command. By the construction of storage reservoirs and canals, at a cost of millions of dollars, water is ready at hand for every farmer when he wants it for the best treatment of his crops. Instead of depending upon erratic rainfall, "that inferior substitute for irri- gation," he commands his water supply, thus insuring the highest degree of productivity for his industry. The result is that settle- ment and prosperity have advanced rapidly in the valley, hand in hand, until to-day it is recognized as a most desirable region for the progressive agriculturist. This little book is intended to present, in condensed form, plainly stated, an account of the exact conditions in the Pecos Valley. There is no purpose to magnify any of its good qualities. The book will describe the scope of the great irrigation works and the climate and soil conditions which make agriculture so success- ful here. It will give detailed information concerning the fruit, vegetable and farm crops which have proved such a source of profit, and the raising of cattle, sheep, hogs and horses, all carried on with unusual success. The towns will be described, the mar- kets, the railway and shipping facilities and the conditions of land purchase and water rights. All of these things will be made clear by direct testimony from the men who have done and are doing things in the Pecos Valley and who know exactly what they are talking about. The illustrations included in the handbook have all be made directly from photographs taken in the valley; not exceptional ones, but such as may be duplicated many times by any one seeking verification. The climatic conditions with reference to agriculture are espe- cially inviting, but even more inviting as a health proposition. Climate; No Zero Weather for Twenty Years. The average winter is short and a large portion of that is open and mild, permitting comfortable outdoor work. The spring opens early and the autumn holds late, so that throughout the entire year there are comparatively few days when outdoor labor is in any sense trying. The atmosphere is clear, warm, dry and bracing, there being as many as 240 days in each year clear and forty in which moisture is precipitated. The winters are mild and brief, and the summers are not oppressively hot. The frailest invalid can enjoy the benefits of outdoor life nearly every day in the year. The porous, sandy soil permits of perfect drainage, and malaria is unknown. Persons afflicted with consumption in its earlier stages, bronchitis, asthma and affections of the kidneys and liver, are almost immediately benefited. The entire valley can truthfully be termed a health resort, its average altitude being 3,200 feet. The recorded mean temperatures are as follows: Spring, 63.1 ; summer, 79.5; autumn, 63.4; winter, 43.9. Occasionally during June, July and August the thermometer registers an apparent heat of over 100, but such warmth is exceptional and never long continued, and is not as oppressive as 80 in the humid atmos- phere of the East. The nights, even in the hottest weather, with very few exceptions are pleasant. The usual winter minimum is from 12 to 20 above zero. Only once in twenty years has the mercury fallen below the zero mark. The comparative freedom from serious discomfort even in the warmest weather is due to the rapid evaporation of perspiration, preventing the clammy, uncomfortable feeling so common to lower altitudes. The secret of getting the best results of the Pecos Valley cli- mate lies in adopting as far as possible an outdoor life. The man with weak lungs and weak stomach, who has been taking medicine for months and perhaps years, usually finds that moderate exercise in the open air and sunshine in this climate will very soon enable him to digest plain, simple food, and he begins to gain strength, provided he has not come too late. No climate will perform mira- cles, but an outdoor life in this climate has cured many and will cure those who come in time. Few localities can be named where the necessary agricultural conditions are so happily combined with attractive climatic conditions and pleasant surroundings. Uncle Sam Sends Disabled Soldiers Here. It is an evidence of the salubrious conditions to be found in this region that two sanitariums have been started by the United States Government for the climatic treatment of soldiers and sail- ors afflicted with pulmonary troubles. One of these, that intended for the Marine Hospital Service, now occupies the abandoned military reservation of Fort Stanton, a short distance west of Roswell. The other, intended for the army, is at Fort Bayard, near Silver City, in the southwestern part of New Mexico. To these sanitariums all soldiers and sailors thus afflicted are brought from all over the United States. Induced by the remarkably favorable health conditions of the valley, an important sanitarium is about to be established at Carls- bad for the treatment' of such patients as desire the most favorable circumstances around them. High medical authorities unite in declaring that the location chosen for this institution, on Hager- man Heights, across the Pecos river from the city of Carlsbad, possesses conditions which will make it noteworthy throughout the country. A splendid mineral spring near to the town from which it takes its name, pours into the Pecos river every minute five thousand gallons of water strongly impregnated with valu- able mineral substances. The health-giving qualities of this spring are an important factor in the general attractions of the vicinity, no less than in the sanitarium enterprise. The soil in the Pecos Valley is of the most highly fertile and A Beet Field, Pecos Valley. Nature of the Soil, and Its Virtues. tillable quality, as a rule a rich alluvial soil, formed in the course of ages by the Pecos river and its tributaries. The surface is generally very smooth and easy to cultivate and irrigate. The soil varies from what is locally called sand, through sandy loam, to adobe, a heavy, sticky soil, but not strictly clay. The prevailing color is a chocolate brown, changing in places to a dark gray, red or black. The base of the soil is limestone. The so-called sand consists not of silica, but of minute particles of lime and soil which disintegrate under irrigation. The sandy soil has, there- fore, a tendency to become heavier with use. In a few of the depressions there is some black, waxy land, but of this there is very little. Nearly all of the soils scour and plow well and can generally be broken with two ordinary horses, and are then very mellow. Plowing can be done at any time in the year, as the soil can be moistened at the farmer's pleasure and be ready for the plow within twenty-four hours. There is an abundance of potash and phosphoric acids in these lands for all crops, but in the raw lands nitrates are deficient and there is very little humus. These are characteristics of all desert and semi-arid soils. It is this lack of humus which gives the peculiar light appearance to the soil, so noticeable to the Eastern farmer, who is surprised that anything can grow upon earth which looks like that. Upon this naturally prolific soil the processes of irrigation at frequent intervals distribute a fresh layer of silt, A Scene on the Slaughter Ranch. Alfalfa; the Best Fodder in the World. nature's own fertilizer. Rich in mineral base, the natural home of alfalfa, a proper rotation of crops insures increasing productive- ness, with no call for costly commercial fertilizers, as is the inevitable fate of the less lasting soils of the rain belt, leached and water-soaked through countless ages, but still full of vegetable mold and humus unavailable for plant food. Although any crop suitable to the temperate zone which can sustain an arid atmosphere can be raised in the Pecos Valley, the experience seems to show that what are known as the forage crops are most peculiarly adapted to this vicinity. Primarily a live-stock country, as this is, the raising of alfalfa, kaffir corn, milo maize, sorghum and other forage crops preserves the economy of nature in the highest degree. These crops raised and fed to cattle which, while on pasture, contribute fertilizers to the fields where the crops are raised, are the most logical products to be considered by the general agriculturist. The remarkable development in the West of the species of hay known as alfalfa has contributed largely to the prosperous devel- opment of these regions. It seems but fair to say that alfalfa is the best fodder crop in the world. It is a species of lucerne or clover, a perennial, an enormously prolific grower, containing a very high percentage of nutritive matter, and is of such a hardy, aggressive character that once it is firmly rooted it requires little attention other than an occasional irrigation and harvesting of the heavy crop of hay which it produces. In the Pecos Valley, alfalfa is cut four times in the season, and in some instances, where fields are small, five times. As much as two tons of hay per acre have been made at one cutting, -but a good average on the large farms is three-fourths of a ton per acre to the cutting. Where properly cared for and not too heavily pastured, this is a permanent crop. It furnishes considerable pas- ture throughout the winter. A prominent local breeder, after weaning bull calves which he is crowding for next spring's sale, usually pastures them on alfalfa, when they are as fat, sleek and smooth as grain calves under cover in the North. The best time to sow alfalfa is from August 20 to October 10. It is slow to start and in this climate root growth goes on all 13 Four Crops a Year, and Their Profits. winter. Planted at this season, the crop gets ahead of the weeds in the spring and should yield good profit the first year. Planted in the spring, there is a hard fight with weeds, and unless con- ditions are very favorable there will be no profit and much labor throughout the year. Alfalfa, properly cared for, has a long life without reseeding. Gen. R. S. Benson, of Florence, New Mex- ico, has alfalfa ten years old, pastured by cattle and hogs, and mowed only to keep down the growth of weeds, producing abun- dantly, with increasing instead of diminished growth. Mr. D. S. Horton, on his farm near Otis, has eleven-year-old alfalfa in fine condition. Examples might be multiplied. Not all land is suited for permanent alfalfa. This is one of the deepest rooted crops known, and upon shallow land is not fully productive. It is then used in rotation as a soil renovator and enricher with wonderful results, often increasing the pro- ductiveness of the soil as much as fifty per cent, while at the same time producing profitable crops of hay. In August, 1901, hay sold for $7 per ton, in the stack, and the average winter price in Carlsbad has been $10 per ton. It is hardly to be expected that such prices as these can be maintained permanently, for the con- ditions have been peculiarly favorable and the shortage of corn throughout the Western States last year raised the price of alfalfa hay. Nevertheless, it is evident that the price might be materially scaled down and there would still be a very large profit per acre from four cuttings of this remarkable crop, which promises for many years to be of highest importance in the prosperity of the valley. Owing to the dry atmosphere, the Pecos Valley is not an Indian corn country. It takes rain to fertilize the ear of the Indian corn, and rain can not be depended upon. As many as forty bushels per acre of shelled corn have been grown on alfalfa sod, but the average yield is not over fifteen bushels. The stalks grow ten to thirteen feet high, but there is little leaf, and the fodder is practi- cally worthless. Nevertheless, as irrigation becomes more and more adapted to all purposes, the cultivation of Indian corn is certain to improve. With the valuable grains which do produce generously in the 14 Kaffir Corn and Milo Maize Pay Well. valley, farmers have a complete substitute for Indian corn. Kaffir corn and milo maize are the grain crops chiefly cultivated. They produce from thirty to fifty bushels of shelled corn to the acre, and the former yields from three to five tons of most excellent fodder. This fodder has a characteristic in the Pecos Valley which is almost unique and hardly observed at all in the rain belt. The leaves of the stalk, which are abundant, remain green after the grain is ripe. There is not the change to woody fiber common to the stalks of all other grains at ripening. Thus a full crop of ripe grain can be harvested, and if the stalks are cut immediately afterward, they will be in perfect condition for feed. The ordinary price for these grains at harvest time is $13 to $15 per ton, threshed, sacked and delivered, or $9 per ton delivered in the head from the field. As a result of the recent season of drought in the corn belt of the Mississippi Valley, the price rose far above these figures, and old corn sold last year in the Pecos Valley as high at $30 per ton. Kaffir Corn, by Irrigation. The Grains ; Sorghum and Beets ; Cotton. In addition to these important forage crops, which are of special value when considered in connection with stock-raising, other farm crops prove profitable to those who give attention to them. Winter wheat yields twenty bushels to the acre on raw land, and rye, barley and oats in proportion. Very little of these grains is raised, however, as there are no mills and, except for oats, no local market. Some millet is planted and thrives well, and sorghum also has proved a valuable crop. Most of the acre- age of sorghum is used for forage, but good syrup has been made from the juice. The sugar beet, with a high percentage of sac- charine, grows very plentiful crops in the valley. In the southern part of the valley, cotton was grown for the first time last year, and proved to be a good crop. About a bale to the acre was produced. The staple was long, the crop good, the price obtained favorable, the demand for cotton of this qual- ity is great, and beyond question the acreage will be increased rapidly as the possibilities of the crop are realized. Cotton makes Stacking Alfalfa. Facts About Market=Gardening. a good rotation with corn, is not exhausting to the soil, and the seed is so valuable an item in the crop that its successful cultiva- tion should be very important to the prosperity of the valley. The intelligent truck gardener in the Pecos Valley has an assurance of large profit. Market gardening has been neglected, owing to the indifference of general farmers and ranchmen to what they considered small matters, but the reward of success is great for the vegetable grower. It is true that the local conditions of soil and climate make it necessary to adapt irrigation to the market garden, but this also enables the gardener to control his products. The adjacent markets in the valley and those imme- diately accessible by rail in every direction guarantee a constant demand for choice vegetables. Potatoes, cabbage, turnips and beets sell at from 1 5/2 to 4 cents per pound, while early vegetables of all descriptions retail as high as 10 cents per pound. Berries sell at from 20 to 30 cents a box. Onions, peppers, tomatoes, turnips and squash are pecul- iarly adapted to the soil and climate, although some of these incline to be late. Cabbage and cauliflower also promise satis- factory commercial results. A few details concerning these crops will serve to indicate the conditions. Asparagus grows well, even on alkali land, for it is fond of salt. It can be put upon the Kansas City market as early as March 10. The flavor is excellent and the stalks are remarkably tender and not stringy. Experts pronounce it unsurpassed. The Pecos Valley is gaining special fame for its celery. It has been cultivated with great skill by expert growers, who have tested all the conditions, and the result is that now an important industry is developing and the markets are beginning to notice the fine quality of the crop. The most extensive production of this delicacy is near Roswell, on the Spring Brook celery farm. The constant sunshine, the saline quality of the soil, the ample supply of water from a fine spring on the farm and the attention that has been given to the cultivation have brought rich reward. The celery leads all competitors in every market to which it has been introduced, although it came into competition with the most famous celery farms in the United States. The soil of the val- More About Gardens, and Other Industries. ley seems to possess in a high degree the constituents which impart to this delicacy that peculiar nutty flavor so prized by epicures. The following paragraph from the Roswell Register indicates the commercial success of the Spring Brook farm: "W. M. Farmer has just received returns from his last shipment of celery. The total figures show that in addition to supplying the local demand, he shipped 88,815 pounds. The express bill on this was $1,389.80. The gross income realized at the farm for the crop of twenty acres was over $6,000." Spinach, lettuce and radishes are hardly known in the local markets and when offered bring very high prices. Yet the cli- matic conditions are such that they could be supplied by local growers almost without interruption during the entire winter, when prices in the city markets are the highest. Sweet potatoes produce most abundantly upon the sandy lands. No fertilizing is necessary. J. O. Cameron, of Carlsbad, bought a five-acre tract last spring for $150. He will realize $300 from his sweet potato crop on less than three acres of this land. The whole crop is sold at 3 cents per pound, the usual price for sweet potatoes. Willis Cadwell, of Malaga, in 1900 sold $150 worth of tomatoes from one-half acre. In 1901 his sales were even greater. The crop is shipped chiefly to Texas points. The vines bear continuously till stopped by frost. The average weekly import of cabbage into the State of Texas is about one hundred carloads, and the price ranges from I cent to 2^ cents per pound, wholesale. It has proven possible in the Pecos Valley to net $120 an acre from cabbage after deducting freight charges and crates. Onions have produced in the valley below Carlsbad at the rate of 45,000 pounds to the acre. With one-fourth of this yield, at the current prices in the Texas mar- ket, the profit would be more than $50 per acre. As the general farming industries of the Pecos Valley multi- ply and the railway systems tributary to the valley extend, both the local and the outer markets for vegetables and fruits increase rapidly, so that the profit steadily rises. Some of the expressions of opinion on this subject, which are quoted herewith, indicate the exact situation very clearly. 18 The Center of Irrigation Interests. Chaves and Eddy counties are the two counties which contain the more valuable and accessible portions of the Pecos Valley. From the northern limit of Chaves county, north of Roswell, to the southern limit of Eddy county, south of Carlsbad, and across into the State of Texas, the irrigation works in operation are capable of supplying all the water necessary for an acreage many times greater than that now under cultivation or demanded by the present population. Roswell in the north and Carlsbad in the south, the county seats of these counties and the most popu- lous of the valley towns, thus become the chief local markets and the centers of activity, though there are several other flourishing towns rising into prominence. As an evidence of 'the completeness of the irrigation systems of the valley, attention may be called to the statements of the Governor of New Mexico, the Hon. Miguel A. Otero, in his annual report to the Secretary of the Interior, made last year. His graphic description of the system centering around Carlsbad A Flock of Sheep, Pecos Valley. From the Report of the Governor. can not fail to impress the reader. He says in part on this sub- ject: " The largest irrigation plant in the Territory and probably the largest stable water supply in the whole West, are what make Eddy county peculiarly favored among her sisters. The Pecos river rises above Las Vegas in the northern part of the Territory, embracing a watershed nearly two hundred miles long and aver- aging seventy-five miles in width until it reaches Carlsbad, trav- erses the county from north to south nearly through the center, and is the source of supply of what is destined to be, if it is not to-day, a world-famous irrigation system. "By damming this river, the Pecos Irrigation Company has created two enormous reservoirs, with a capacity of 90,000 acre feet. From the most southerly of these, Lake Avalon starts its magnificent irrigation canal 45 feet wide on the bottom and carry- ing 2^/2. feet of water in depth to the berme. Two and one-half miles above Carlsbad this enormous canal is divided and one branch is carried to the west bank of the Pecos in an immense wooden flume, 20 feet wide, 562 feet long and 7 feet deep, and 37 feet above the river bed. The canal is in active operation for a distance of twenty-five miles, and serves with its life-giving streams thousands of acres of land. There are hundreds of miles of distributing canals, not including the small farm ditches. The two dams, each over one-fourth mile long and nearly 50 feet high, built of loose rock with massive earth aprons protected with rock riprap, with their immense headgates set in masonry and their huge spillways to carry off flood water, are a never-ceasing source of wonder and admiration to the casual visitor, the expert engi- neer or the drought-stricken homeseeker from less fortunate sur- roundings. " These reservoirs are the insurance of a stable water supply against seasons of unusual drought; but seldom is it necessary to draw upon them, as the ordinary flow of the Pecos is ample for all requirements. The first six months of this year nearly one hundred thousand acre feet of flood water was allowed to pass unused down the river, April being the only month that water was not spilled at the dams. When one remembers that this Artesian Wells ; Another Source of Prosperity. is a year of disastrous drought and that the local rainfall for the six months was only 3.6 inches, as shown in the Government reports, no argument is necessary to convince the most skeptical of the adequacy and permanency of Eddy county's water supply." Roswell has a special water supply in the territory tributary to it, which helps to guarantee the prosperity of the Chaves county settler, in addition to the large canal systems of the Roswell Land and Water Company. A remarkable sub-irrigation condition exists, at a depth of about ten feet, which serves generously to supplement the artificial irrigation of the canal systems. Still, in addition to this, is the famous artesian well district, which is about eleven miles wide and seventy-five miles long. This proved area, which begins about ten miles north of Roswell and extends to McMillan on the south, has now in it two hundred flowing artesian wells, and there has never been a failure in finding an artesian well within these limits. The artesian deposit is found at two depths, the first flow being reached at from 150 to 200 feet, with a total well cost of from $200 to $225, while the second flow is usually tapped about 100 feet deeper, at a cost of another $100. The deepest wells are 850 feet deep. The wells of both flows appear to be exhaustless, showing no shrinkage as time passes. A fair average of the wells now flowing in this belt is 400 gallons per minute. The city of Roswell has eighty of the wells, of which one, in the railway yards, flows 2,500 gallons a minute. Another discharges 1,500 gallons a minute, and several others pass 1,000 gallons. An average Chaves county artesian well will irrigate 160 acres without any other water supply. Some of the finest farms in the valley are irrigated solely by artesian wells. A windmill, tank and reservoir added to the farm equipment make the supply immediately available for the household use as well as the farm, adding materially to the conveniences of life. In addition to the large irrigation systems of the companies, the sub-irrigation that underlies the whole region, the springs that are so plentiful and the artesian wells that are to be had for the boring, there are numerous small " community ditches " owned by the neighboring farmers whose ranches they serve. Throughout the valley on land lying above the so-called arte- Water Right Is Sold With the Land. sian belt as at present defined, permanent supply of water can be had at depth varying from 25 feet to 200 feet. One of these wells equipped with a windmill and pump will successfully irrigate about twenty acres of cultivated land. All water used for irrigation purposes around Roswell, except artesian well water, is carried in a number of community ditches under water rights appropriated by the original settlers. This water is a part of and appurtenant to the land it serves and is sold with it. Therefore, in the country immediately surrounding Roswell there are water-rent charges to be paid out, beyond the small assessment levied for ditch mainte- nance. The great distinctive difference between artesian and windmill wells should be thoroughly appreciated. The artesian water rises by its own force and flows unaided into farm reser- voirs sufficient to properly irrigate about one hundred acres of land, while the windmill wells are not nearly so deep and the water from them must be pumped into the reservoirs by some mechanical appliance. An Artesian Well in the Valley. 23 Water Independent of Surface Conditions. A unique feature of the Rio Pecos is the manner in which its waters are replenished as it flows southward. The river is fed not alone by numerous tributary streams, but by thousands of living springs, which flow from fissures in the limestone floor with which the whole region is underlaid. In some parts of the valley are lakes fed by these fountains, the flow from which is so great as to justify the name of river. In the vicinity of Roswell the flow of water from springs is sufficient to irrigate thousands of acres, and from the river bank three miles above Carlsbad a single spring pours forth enough water to supply a city. Six miles above Carlsbad is the enormous dam across the river, which, during the storing and irrigating seasons, holds back every drop of the river's flow, which is carried miles away through canals. There is no seepage, and in this distance the river receives no tributaries, yet the outflow of springs in the river bed in these six miles causes a very respectable stream to flow past the town. The sources of water supply are therefore By -Products. Outline of the StocK=Raising District. seen to be in a measure independent of surface conditions, being, in fact, practically artesian flows, constituting this supply one of unmatched constancy and reliability in all the arid region of the United States. Farming in the Pecos Valley, therefore, begins with the abso- lute certainty that the necessary water supply for the crops is under the entire control of the owner. While there is some rain, floods or excessive rainfall are virtually unknown. The danger of drought is entirely overcome by irrigation, so that the risk of ever losing a crop from any cause whatever is almost entirely removed. Along the Pecos Valley Lines and their extensions from Pecos, Texas, on the south, to Woodward, Oklahoma, on the north, numerous prosperous communities have grown up, their character somewhat governed by the local conditions of the country immediately surrounding them. Roughly speaking, it may be said that from Woodward southwest across the " Panhandle " to the boundary line between Texas and New Mexico, the coun- try until recently has been almost exclusively a cattle-raising district, and the towns along that part of the line are supported by the stock industry. The same conditions rule more or less for some distance across the boundary into New Mexico, except that at Potfales is the center of a general agricultural district with characteristics all its own. The Pecos Valley proper, from some miles above Roswell in the north, down to the Texas-New Mexico boundary in the south, is the distinctive irrigated region, where fruits, vegetables, farm crops and fine cattle flourish so abundantly. In Texas, once more, to the terminus of the line at Pecos, stock-raising is the chief industry. Roswell and Carls- bad, therefore, as the metropolitan centers of the richest part of the valley, are the most important towns to be considered. Roswell, the county seat of Chaves county, is located at the con- fluence of the Hondo with the Pecos river. Located so fortu- nately, it has long been known as one of the most prosperous busi- ness centers of New Mexico. Its altitude is about 3,575 feet, and its climate the characteristically favorable one of the valley. The important irrigation systems of the valley begin just above 25 Roswell, one of the Centers of Business. Roswell, and have been so long in operation that the test is complete as to just what can be done agriculturally in this vicinity. Roswell has a population approximating 3,300 and rapidly increasing. The town is beautifully laid out and its various business houses and private residences are neat, modern and substantial. Brick and stone have been used more generally than in many Western towns, so that the appearance of stability is marked. The town is particularly proud of its multitudes of great cottonwood trees lining every street, and its many large springs and flowing artesian wells. Some of the latter yield two thousand gallons of water per minute, and contribute a valuable supply for irrigation. Churches of various denominations, two large public schools, a $30,000 courthouse, three newspapers, three hotels, three lumber yards, an ice factory, two banks, an elegant club and numerous wholesale and retail houses are some of the more important factors in the city life. The New Mexico Military Institute, considered one of the best educational institu- tions in the Southwest, is located here with an ample equipment of faculty, buildings and grounds. Being the headquarters of many large ranchmen, Roswell is consequently one of the most important centers of the stock- raising industry, and trainloads of cattle, sheep and wool are annually shipped east from this point. The volume of traffic by express from such a station as Roswell is an important indication of the general business conditions and of the growing prosperity of the entire vicinity. The records of the Wells-Fargo Express Company show a significant fact in regard to express earnings at Roswell. For the month of August, 1901, Roswell was sixth in the amount of business done of all the offices in the southern division of this company, being surpassed only by New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Beaumont, in the order named ; and, with the exception of Beaumont, Roswell showed twice as much increase as any other in comparison with the same month the year before, and has a greater increase even than Beaumont. One of the best evidences of the growing prosperity in the valley is found in the increase of bank deposits within the last Carlsbad, a City of Enterprise. few years. One of the banks, founded some ten years ago, shows an increase in deposits from $48,000 in 1892, to $350,000 in 1902, while a new bank, founded less than two years ago, shows an increase in deposits from $59,000 to more than $100,000 in a single year. These figures are particularly impressive when one remembers that in 1890 the census gave to Roswell a population of 391. At this time the mail was brought three times a week from San Antonio, two hundred miles away, and Roswell was the farthest from a railway of all the postoffices in the United States. Write to the Roswell Land and Water Company for informa- tion regarding lands and irrigations. Carlsbad, the county seat of Eddy county, New Mexico, owes its origin entirely to- the introduction and success of the irriga- tion systems of the Pecos Valley. It was founded some fifteen years ago, on what was then, to all appearances, almost an absolute desert. To-day it is a charming city of more than 1,600 inhabi- tants, while the systematic plan under which it was laid off, and Canyon Street, Carlsbad. 27 Other Growing Towns and Stations. the foresight of the early citizens in the planting of trees on either side of all the streets, has had the effect of making it one of the most beautiful places in New Mexico. Carlsbad is about seventy-five miles south of Roswell, and its altitude is 3,100 feet. Consequently, its summers are somewhat warmer and its winters milder than those of the former place. The people are such as would be found in a cultivated, intelligent, energetic community. Enterprise and progressive spirit rule here, as at Roswell and throughout the valley. A first-class water and electric light system, good schools and churches, a prosperous club, conveniently located, a fine hotel, newspapers, banks, a hospital, a wool-scouring plant and thirty miles of handsome shade trees lining the streets of the town and the residence sub- urbs of La Huerta and Hagerman Heights, justify the pride which the people of Carlsbad have in their community. The important mineral spring which suggests the name for the town has already been mentioned in connection with climatological conditions. Write to the Pecos Irrigation and Improvement Company regarding land and water in and around Carlsbad. Between Roswell and Pecos many small and prosperous set- tlements have been established, all adjacent to the river and the railway, and all promising good markets and easy shipments to the farmers in their vicinity. Among these, some of which are merely stations, while others promise to be thriving towns, are A Round-up Near Carlsbad. Ideal Conditions for StocK=Raising. South Spring, Orchard Park, Greenfield, Hagerman, Lake Arthur, Miller, Spring Lake, Penasco, McMillan, Lake View, Otis, Fran- cis, Florence, Malaga, Red Bluff, Palermo, Guadalupe, Arno, Lucerne and Brant. Pecos, the southern terminus of the Santa Fe System by this route, is the junction of the Pecos Valley Lines with the railways extending west to El Paso and the Pacific Ocean and east to the Gulf of Mexico. It is the county seat of Reeves county, Texas, and is a well-built town of some 1,500 inhabitants. The surrounding country is devoted almost entirely to stock-raising and consequently Pecos is an important distributing point for ranches in every direction. Business buildings and residences in large numbers are built of the red sandstone which is found in abundance near by. Artesian water furnishes an excellent domes- tic supply. Perhaps the most profitable industry of all in the Pecos Valley, for the general agriculturist, is cattle-raising. The remarkable combination of an ideal climate, cheap pastures, pro- lific alfalfa fields, nutritious forage crops and a ready market unite to make the importance of this line of business. Formerly, from the want of some cheap fattening food, the far West was entirely dependent upon the agricultural States for its fattened beef. Cattle were shipped from New Mexico to Kansas or Missouri, fed there on corn and then sent back as beef in refrigerator cars, to be eaten, perhaps, close to the place in New Mexico from where a few months before the thin ox had been shipped, thus requiring a double journey of 600 to 1,000 miles. To-day a good percentage of the beef eaten in New Mexico is fattened there on alfalfa, and large shipments of fat cattle are sent to Kansas City and Chicago, already fattened for the market. Superior climatic conditions have long since made the South- west the great cattle-breeding district of the United States. From this source are derived the feeders for the grazing lands of the Northwest and the corn lots of Kansas and Nebraska. The mild climate of the Pecos Valley, free as it is from the dis- astrous northers which are the terror of the cowman of the Texas Panhandle, is peculiarly conducive to full "crops" of 29 Mutton and Wool ; Two Great Products. calves and lambs. The winter losses on the range are prac- tically nothing. The hard time for the range cow in this valley is in the spring, after a dry winter, before summer rains come to fill up the waterholes and to renew the perennial grasses of the plains. To a Northern farmer it is almost incredible that stock can be wintered without shelter and with so little feed. But these are facts. Until one has fed in both places, he can not realize the great quantity of feed utilized by the Northern farmer merely to supply animal heat. Try to figure the difference between feeding from Christmas to March 15 under Pecos Valley cli- matic conditions, and feeding full through six months winter. March I alfalfa begins to grow, but frosts will cut it back as late as April i to 10. It can, therefore, be used for pasture until that date, even when it is being handled primarily for hay. Cattle breeders find it profitable to pasture breeding cows on alfalfa till nearly May to give them the best possible start for summer's grazing on the range. One of the greatest industries of New Mexico is sheep-rais- ing and wool-growing. Southeastern New Mexico has some of the largest and best high-grade flocks in the Territory, there being probably more than 250,000 sheep in Chaves and Eddy counties. The total shipments of wool from Roswell and Carls- bad amount to more than 2,000,000 pounds each season. Sheep- raising on alfalfa has passed the experimental stage and has become an established industry, insuring large profits. Examples of what can be done in that line will be shown in connection with some of the more important ranches of the two counties, to be described in the succeeding pages. Early lambs raised on alfalfa and put on the market in good shape from the Pecos Valley have brought top prices, buyers almost running over each other to bid on them. Intelligent management in the sheep business, either on the range or farm, brings good results in this valley. There is a vast free range on which sheep and cattle may be pastured outside of the irrigated, agricultural district of the valley. From the range the stock is brought to the farms to be finally "topped off" for the market. 30 Horses and Swine; Profits in Forage Crops. The principal demand for horses in the Pecos Valley has been for " cow ponies " with which to handle cattle. The climate and altitude give horses great lung power, and when raised on the range they develop sound feet and remarkable powers of endur- ance. With the increase of population a demand for fine drivers and roadsters has grown up, but has to be supplied from other localities. Men of experience, who are familiar with conditions here, say that there is no locality in the United States where the breeding and raising of horses will produce better animals than the Pecos Valley. Hogs raised on alfalfa grow very fast and are healthy, facts which have been demonstrated in a practical manner by many residents of the Pecos Valley. The most important undertaking in that business is that of Mr. Clifton Chisholm, who owns a large farm eight miles from Roswell. He has stocked with pedi- greed hogs and is devoting his attention to breeding, with remark- able success. F. C. Burtis, of the Kansas Experiment Station, has made some very interesting experiments in fattening hogs on alfalfa and Kaffir corn. He declares that according to the results of these experiments, alfalfa hay is worth $17 per ton when fed with Kaffir corn to fattening hogs. When farmers state that they are realizing from $40 to $50 per acre a year from their alfalfa, they are ridiculed by many, but this is not at all impossible if the crop is raised and fed with care. During the winter thou- The Otis Ranch. 31 Concerning Goats; A Good Investment. sands of bushels of high-priced corn may be saved from being fed to hogs by " roughing " the hogs through on alfalfa. Here is some interesting information in regard to the profits in raising goats. A neighborhood correspondent of the Roswell Register writes as follows : " John Hightower went to Roswell this week with a load of mohair. He secured 28 cents per pound in the Roswell markets last spring for goat fleece, and expects that much or more for this season's clip. Hightower has the finest grade of goats in this part of New Mexico. He began with 500 nannies and a few fine bucks and sheared the first season 1,400 pounds of mohair. Some of his California bucks cost him $150 each. He raised 250 kids, and last August sold 102 head of goats, which netted him $450. He sheared again last fall and weighed up 1,600 pounds of mohair. He has already been offered 23 cents for this year's clip. The cow and horse must take a back seat when compared to the goat business, Swine, Pecos Valley. 32 Experiences of Some Model Farms. with the same amount of capital invested. My advice to the small cowman would be to sell his cattle and invest the money in good shearing goats." Throughout Chaves and Eddy counties are scattered numer- ous ranches, large and small, where all of the different agricul- tural and stock-raising industries have been tested completely. In some instances large sums of money have been spent in bring- ing these ranches to a state of perfection, and the experience gained by many costly experiments is now at the service of any one who comes to the valley. It is not necessary, therefore, to waste time or money in the effort to discover the most profitable undertakings to enter. Some of these ranches are famous all over the country for their products as model farms. Among the more noteworthy of these ranches is that of Gen. R. S. Benson, sixteen miles east of the Pecos river, in a splendid grass country. Here he owns 800 acres of irrigated land, where he winters from 1,200 to 1,500 head of thoroughbred and high-grade cattle. One branch of his business is raising bulls for range delivery. These bulls are bred by registered Hereford sires on full blood Shorthorn dams. They are sold as yearlings, delivery about May i. They are wintered on alfalfa hay and Kaffir corn in the head. This sea- son's sales were at $65 a round, no cut backs, 135 head, going all to one outfit in Arizona, delivered f. o. b. cars at Francis sta- tion, Mr. Benson's farm shipping point. This is a nice little business in itself. Mr. Benson spares neither time nor money in getting good bulls and has the equal of any in the United States. Of his purchase of new blood last spring, Mr. Kirk B. Armour, in a personal letter, says: "Mr. Benson has just taken six bulls that I feel sure are quite as good as anything I have ever bred." Though on so large a scale, there is nothing " fancy " about Mr. Benson's operations. His is a plain, practical business enter- prise, not the toy of a man of independent means. His farm is run to make money, not to spend it. The bank account behind it has come from last year's profits and must be replenished from the business as it runs along. Experience has taught Mr. Benson the profit of feed in connection with free range. He has repeat- Raising Fine Hogs on Chisholm Ranch. edly said that he has seen the time when the feed he raises on his ranch in a single year would have been worth $50,000 to him. When irrigation was first established in the Pecos Valley it was believed that cattle could not be profitably fed for market. It was stated that, after the first year or two, steers do not make the bone that they make on the stronger grasses of the North- west. Corn was too dear to be fed. Experience with Kaffir corn has demonstrated the contrary. Mr. Benson, Mr. I. S. Osborne and others fed steers profitably in 1900 and will con- tinue to do so annually. Of the many fine ranches in the Pecos Valley, the Chis- holm, eight miles southeast of Roswell, is one of the finest. There, stock-breeding is reduced to a profit-paying business. A recent visitor to the ranch describes the conditions which he found there as follows : " The element of chance has but little to do with the results attained. The aim of the management is to raise, chiefly, fine hogs and to make it pay. To be able t^ do this they located on eight hundred acres of the most fertile land in the Pecos Valley. Fifty acres of this was divided into five ten- acre hog pastures (fenced with five miles of wire net fencing) which had been planted in alfalfa when operated by a previous owner. One hundred and seventy-five acres were planted in Kaffir corn. When there was no rain, water from the irriga- tion ditches was turned on the meadows and -fields, and the crops continued to grow. Three cuttings of alfalfa have been made, with an average of two and one-half tons to the acre. The Kaffir corn will yield about forty bushels to the acre, if not more. On the alfalfa meadows nine hundred head of Poland-China sows and pigs, from the finest registered strains, have been pastured most of the time. The pig crop has reached a high per cent, as the precaution taken to prevent disease is so great that there has been none whatever. A small truck garden furnishes vegetables in plenty for the household and the nine hands who work on the ranch, and besides this a wagon hauls about $10 worth each day to Roswell. An abundance of fruit is grown in the orchard, and the large apple crop sold this year will bring handsome returns." At the Vineyard Stock Farm, owned and operated by George 35 Concerning the Noted Vineyard Stock Farm. H. Webster, Jr., and located about three miles south of Carlsbad, there has been established one of the most complete and profitable ranches in the whole district. Mr. Webster's specialty is the raising of spring lambs for the market, and he has brought that business to a high degree of perfection. The visitor finds this ranch a most attractive place, so well kept are the numerous large ranch buildings, the handsomely furnished residence, the wide-spreading alfalfa fields and the multitude of lambs them- selves. Ample barns, corn cribs, ranch quarters, windmills, reservoirs and feeding pens form the material equipment of this model place. Mr. Webster's experience in the winter feeding of lambs proved that he could finish the product in shorter time and with nearly one-third less corn for fattening, and infinitely less loss, than the feeders of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. He gives it as his opinion that lambs can be fed in the Pecos Valley with less risk than in any other section of the country, and that hogs and cattle should be equally well handled. In response to a query for definite information, Mr. Webster wrote as follows from the Vineyard Stock Farm : "August 30, 1901. " DEAR SIR, In reply to your recent request for some details about the lamb-feeding experiment conducted at this farm last winter, I will state that on November 15, last, we placed in open feed lots on the Vineyard Stock Farm about 3,700 head of lambs; 1,600 of these were Shropshire crosses on New Mexican ewes, the balance were Merino grades. All were bred and raised on the range about this valley. The lambs were dipped thoroughly before entering the feed lots. They were at once started on rations of milo maize, with a little bran in it, and all the alfalfa hay they would eat. Plenty of salt and clean water was always before them. The water was pumped by windmills a depth of 125 feet, and was of good quality. The usual so-called Fort Collins method of feeding was practiced a feed of corn early in the morning and another each evening, always at the same hour. Alfalfa hay was kept before them at all times, but they were made to clean it up well. Milo maize was employed 36 Record of a Shipment of Lambs. in preference to Kaffir corn, for the reason that it is much softer and has a larger kernel, which renders it more easily masticated and digestible. I consider, too, that it has a relatively higher nutritive value than Kaffir, and in this valley it is less disturbed by birds during ripening than the more erect Kaffir, while the yield is quite equal to either of the other varieties mentioned. " These lambs took readily to feed, and as our winters here are always mild and open, no snow or high winds occurring at any time, the progress was almost phenomenal. Our lambs were easily worked up to full feed and held at about one and a half pounds of corn per day until finished. During the entire feeding period our total loss from all causes amounted to eighteen head out of 3,700. We experienced no loss from indigestion, a very inter- esting point, as the exclusive feeding of milo maize was wholly experimental. On February 15, just ninety days after being placed on feed, they were consigned to Clay, Robinson & Co., at Kansas City, where they arrived without loss or inconvenience Operations Profitable and Satisfactory. and with a shrinkage of not full three pounds per head, despite the haul of nine hundred miles. " These lambs sold well and weighed over eighty pounds in Kansas City. A week later we consigned over one thousand Shropshire crosses, which had been sheared and dipped ten days previously. This lot reached market in fine condition and weighed eighty-six pounds average in Kansas City. They topped all markets for this year on shorn lambs, selling within ten cents of the highest price paid for the best Colorado wooled lambs. We obtained an average of five pounds of wool from each lamb in addition 1 . The balance of our lambs followed rapidly, and we had shipped our entire flock within one hundred and fifteen days and succeeded in " topping " the market on this occasion with them. The killing test at Kansas City ranged as high as fifty- four per cent, and the flesh was pronounced fully equal to the finest Indian corn-fed lamb. " In conclusion, our operations were profitable and satis- factory. We believe that we have established here in the Pecos Valley an exceedingly profitable industry and one which should easily place this section, with its numerous climatic and other advantages, in the foremost rank of lamb-feeding sections. The fact that there are thousands of well-graded and thoroughly acclimated lambs on the ranges all about us which can be pur- chased, delivered at our yards, at reasonable prices, the absence Hagerman'' s Ranch. 38 One=third Less Feed Required. of nearly all disease, the mild, dry and magnificent winter cli- mate, the entire absence of crop failures under our irrigation system and the uniformly large yield per acre of hay and corn, offer, in our opinion, a proposition for the feeder which can not easily be excelled anywhere in this country. Trusting the above matter will cover the information desired, and awaiting your further pleasure, I am, Yours very truly, " GEORGE H. WEBSTER, JR." In an interview on the same subject, Mr. Webster spoke as follows : " Our experience has proven conclusively to me that the Shropshire and kindred breeds of mutton sheep are the ones that should be grown more extensively by Pecos Valley sheep men, as there is much more money for them in the meat than in the wool. Big-framed Shropshires, with light wool and much avoirdupois, are worth 50 cents more per head than the ordinary merino range sheep. It has been my object to so develop this property that it might produce the greatest possible amount of alfalfa and corn, and to that end we have this year planted more than 1,200 acres in these crops. There can no longer be any doubt as to the superior advantages in this locality for the suc- cessful fattening and marketing of live stock. The free range enables us to grow our own feeders at a comparatively low cost. The climate is salubrious, there being no heavy snows or fierce north winds and extreme cold, and the water is abundant and good. El Paso, Fort Worth and Los Angeles to the south and west, and Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago on the north, give us ample markets, and our railroad service, so far as my experience is concerned, leaves nothing to be desired. " I had employed all the season an experienced feeder from Rocky Ford, Colorado, and he stated that lambs could be finished off here on one-third less corn than in Colorado and other north- ern feeding points, owing principally to the mildness of the winter. Additionally, this same mildness of weather cuts a big figure in the economy of feeding, as it is unnecessary to build costly storm shelters as in the North, and the percentage of winter losses in this section is practically nothing. I am preparing to feed about 5,000 lambs next winter, and have acquired a largely 39 Some Other Famous Stock Ranches. increased acreage for the growing of feed, which will consist principally of milo maize and alfalfa. Nowhere in America can you find a more perfect combination of climate, water and cheap feedstuffs than is afforded in the Pecos Valley." The following extracts from the Live Stock Report, of March 14, 1901, issued by Clay, Robinson & Co., Chicago, Illinois, with reference to Mr. Webster's first shipment, need no comment: " Our sale to-day of the George H. Webster shorn lambs fed at Carlsbad, New Mexico, was the first clipped stock this season, and we obtained the highest price paid at any market so far, $5 straight for the lot." " Our Kansas City house sold yesterday for George H. Webster, 235 clipped lambs averaging eighty-six pounds, at $5, the highest price paid for shorn lambs on any market this season. They were fed at Carlsbad, New Mexico, on Kaffir corn and alfalfa. The price is equal to $5.45 in the fleece." At the Bolles Farm, W. P. Mclntosh, Jr., manager, 760 acres, six miles south of Carlsbad, old range cows, too poor to winter the range, are bought in the fall and wintered through on alfalfa, to go fat to the block or to produce calves, thrifty and healthy, worth from $2 to $5 per head more than those of their less fortunate companions. I. S. Osborne, on his 1,100 acres, confines his attention to fattening mature steers, at an average profit in three months on alfalfa pasture and some rough fodder of $10 per head. The accounts of large stock ranches in the Pecos Valley might be extended indefinitely, in order to emphasize the conditions which have been described already, if space would permit. It is only possible, however, to speak briefly of a few of the other more noteworthy ranches. One of the finest irrigated farms and fine stock ranches is that of the Milne & Bush Land & Cattle Company, of which W. M. Atkinson is manager. It contains 13,400 acres of patented land in one solid body, beginning two miles from the courthouse at Roswell. About ten thousand acres of this have been fenced and cut up into twenty-seven different inclosures and pastures, each of which is watered by ever- lasting spring streams and irrigation ditches. About 550 acres A Big Shipment of High=Grade Steers. are in cultivation, most of it in alfalfa, and there is an orchard of 400 bearing fruit trees. All improvements are of the highest character. The ranch is devoted to the breeding of Hereford cattle, and the stock here produced is of the most famous strains. Beef from the Milne-Bush herds brings the highest prices in the Kansas City and Chicago market. One of the most noteworthy examples of industry in this line is the now well-known " Hereford Home " of C. C. and George M. Slaughter, one thousand acres of rich alfalfa pasture and farm land in the irrigated district near Roswell, where they maintain a large herd of thoroughbred Herefords, headed by the World's Fair prize bull, "Ancient Briton," and another famous sire, " Sir Bredwell," said to be- one of the highest-priced ever brought into this country. This ranch is maintained mostly for the purpose of grading up the great Texas herds of the Slaughter family and as a reinforcement in preparing the finer young stock for the range and the older stock for market. It has proven a most excellent invest- ment and its success is said by its owners to be entirely due to the advantages of climate and soil afforded by the Pecos Valley. In June, 1902, upward of 5,300 two-year-old steers were sold from the Slaughter Ranch for shipment to Montana, being the largest delivery of that class of cattle bearing one brand ever made in this section. It comprised 2,000 white-face Herefords, chiefly the descendants of Ancient Briton. Cattle experts pro- Trainor's Ranch. 41 There Is Room for Hundreds More. nounced this the greatest herd of range steers of one age ever brought together. Other cattle ranches near Roswell, also very highly improved, are the Otis Ranch and the De Bremond Ranch; the former is owned by a Cleveland, Ohio, capitalist. The name of the Littlefield Cattle Company, with its famous " L. F. D." brand, which is burned in the hide of almost countless thousands of range cattle roaming all over the Southwest, is known to every cattle dealer in the United States. Major Little- field is probably the largest individual landowner in the United States, with ranch and farm holdings aggregating about 1,250,000 acres. The cattle in his herds vary from 70,000 to 80,000 head. The larger part of his holdings are in Texas, but the headquarters of the company are in Roswell, and of all his land and possessions, he takes the greatest pride in a farm of 1,200 acres near that town. The farm is all in a high state of cultivation and brings in a big annual revenue. A sixty-five-acre apple orchard is one of the An Orchard near Carlsbad. Large Capital Not Necessary to Success. profitable tracts on this farm, and his finest cattle are bred here and fattened on the alfalfa and grain produced. The foregoing examples of feeding on a large scale are given as typical of what can be accomplished by brains and capital under the favorable climatic and soil conditions of the Pecos Valley. What these men are doing is being done by dozens of others on a smaller scale. There is room for hundreds more. The demand for high-grade bulls and bucks for the improvement of range stock is practically unlimited, and will always exist. No breeding of this sort can be done on the range itself, for without enclosed pastures definite results can not be accomplished. Highly bred bulls must be cared for and fed during the winter months. The average cow- man prefers to hire this done rather than raise the feed himself. R. N. Graham, land and cattle broker, of Fort Worth, Texas, writes as follows after a journey into this favored region : " I want to thank you for a most pleasant trip up the Pecos Valley and at the same time inform you that I have a slight attack of 'Alfalfa Irrigated Fine Stock Farm ' fever myself and am thinking seriously of starting a herd somewhere in the valley soon. I have also given the fever to at least a half a dozen of our fancy stock- growers, and we are planning a trip up there for the early part of July. I never in all my life saw such a pretty country before, and the possibilities of the Pecos Valley, when settled up by peo- ple who know best how to utilize its products, are beyond compre- hension. I predict that in less than ten years' time this great Pecos Valley country will be the garden spot of America." It is not necessary to have large capital to make a success in this country. It is emphatically a good country for the man of small means. Many of the farmers owning only forty acres have sixty to one hundred head of cattle and sell all their corn and their alfalfa hay. The outside range, alfalfa pasture and corn fodder support their herds. Steers and farm products, poultry, eggs and bees pay all their living expenses, and the increase in heifers and the sale of their best young bulls represent clear profit, while the increasing value of their land offers safe insurance for old age. J. H. Charless, a prominent stockman of Roswell, says that the time is but a very few years distant when the Pecos Valley 43 Fruit, the Pride of the Pecos Valley. around Roswell and Carlsbad will send to Eastern butcher blocks 50,000 head of home-fattened three-year-old steers and at least 100,000 home-fattened muttons. The two great factors that will bring about this result, according to Mr. Charless, are the luxu- riant growth of alfalfa in the valley and the short haul and cheap shipment of corn from Kansas over the Pecos Valley Lines of the Santa Fe System. Alfalfa produced last year five cuttings, with an aggregate of six tons per acre. The home fattening of a three- year-old native Pecos Valley beef steer, of Hereford or Shorthorn strain, will consume alfalfa and corn in equal fattening propor- tions, the cost for such feeding, conservatively stated, being from $20 to $25, with a freight rate to market of $3 a head. One of these home-fattened Pecos Valley three-year-old steers will weigh out in the Eastern markets at an average of 1,200 pounds, and will bring from $55 to $60 per head. Eastern market home-fed mutton can be placed in proportion at a similar rate of profit. The pride of the Pecos Valley is its fruit. Apples, pears, peaches, plums, prunes, cherries, quinces, strawberries and grapes can be produced here in profusion, of the largest size, the high- est coloring and the most perfect flavors,. Owing to the altitude and the climate, Pecos Valley fruits come into the market at least two weeks earlier than any that could compete with them, and thus are assured of obtaining the highest prices. Up to the present, there has been an entire absence of any pests to trouble fruit in the valley, a condition probably not found in any other locality in the United States. The fifteen-year-old orchards at Roswell have borne eleven successive crops of perfect fruit, the same being entirely free from worms or insect punctures of any kind. The specialty of fruit growers in Chaves county, where the oldest orchards are, is apples, while in Eddy county chief atten- tion is being paid to peaches. The latter county being to the southward, the peaches are not subject to the possibility of late frosts. The Pecos Valley apple is a star in the Northern market for size, beauty, flavor and condition. It is recognized that, acre for acre, an apple orchard is more profitable than an orange grove. Bartlett pears, too, are proving a peculiarly valuable 44 Great Apple Orchards, and Their Products. crop here. These facts have made fruit-growing attractive to a great many, and the acreage in orchards in Chaves county is very large. Buyers from Northern and Eastern commission houses are always on hand at Roswell during the season, and the apple crops in all the orchards that offer them for sale are disposed of to the best advantage. The prices paid ordinarily range from 95 cents to $1.50 per hundred pounds, on the trees, the buyer to gather and ship the apples at his own expense. The largest orchard in the valley is that of J. J. Hagerman, on the Chisum ranch, a few miles south of Roswell. Mr. Hager- man, the famous railway builder, mine operator and banker of Colorado Springs, has a large ranch of several thousand acres at this point, on which he has planted an orchard of five hundred acres of apples. He has transferred his residence and his chief interests from Colorado Springs to the Pecos Valley, after years of intimate association with the climate and conditions of both regions, and is concentrating his attention upon this splendid orchard. The following quotation from a letter addressed to the Pecos Valley Orchard Company, of Roswell, by Moore & Sames, the fruit commission merchants of Texas, testifies to the quality of this fruit : " The car of apples we purchased of you were as fine as we have ever received from anywhere in the United States, and we have received apples from almost all over the country, from Oregon to New England. Notwithstanding the trade was well supplied, when the car arrived we found ready buyers for it and the car was sold the day it arrived, and we could have dis- posed of twice as many more of the same quality. If you can offer us as good fruit another season, we can handle twenty-five or thirty cars and will pay you as much for them as any apples will bring.* The price we paid you this year is, we believe, the highest price that has been paid for any apples." Mr. Parker Earl, an authority on horticulture, asserts that this is one of the best if not the very best, places for peach cul- ture in America, both for flavor and quantity. Aside from the commercial proposition, the Pecos Valley has made for itself a little chapter of history in the fruit-growing line 4 6 Pecos Valley Fruit at the Pan=American. that should not be omitted from this book. In 1901 the people of Chaves county made up a car of their products, at practically no expense, and sent it to the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo in charge of Mr. Ava E. Page, who was provided with the sum of only $150 for expenses, and who was in competition with large exhibits from principal fruit-growing districts in Cal- ifornia, Colorado, Washington, Missouri and New York. I have before me letters of notification from the director-general of the exposition to Mr. Page, showing that this small exhibit from a single county won the following awards : Chaves county, general display apples, pears and plums, gold medal. J. J. Hagerman, Roswell, display apples, gold medal. A. E. Goetz, Roswell, display apples and pears, bronze medal. George Stevens, Roswell, display apples and pears, bronze medal. J. P. White, Roswell, display apples, bronze medal. Melons in the Valley. 47 The Governor's Report on Fruits. Samuel Brown, Roswell, display prunes, diploma. Mrs. A. C. Rodgers, Roswell, display apples, diploma. Mr. Fuqua, Roswell, display apples, diploma. Harry Hamilton, Roswell, display apples, diploma. D. Mortimar Downs, Roswell, display pears, diploma. Governor Otero, in a report which he submitted to the Secre- tary of the Interior in 1900, speaks as follows of the fruit of Eddy county: "All fruits are absolutely free from worms. Experience has taught that care must be taken to choose the late-blooming varieties of pears, peaches and plums. Orchards are now old enough here and in Chaves county to be a guide in choosing the most productive and profitable varieties for new plantations. " The enormous fruit crop of Eddy county in 1900 proved that ready markets for first-class fruit can be found even in years of universal productiveness. At a time when many peaches were not bringing freight charges, carload lots of Carlsbad peaches . A Weeping Willow. Some Testimonials about Valley Peaches. sold at 55 cents net, f. o. b. cars at home, for California twenty- pound boxes, and not. a box of perfect fruit brought less than 50 cents. " The world is the market for such fruit, and its shipping qualities carry it safely anywhere within reason. " In 1900, $4,800 worth of peaches were sold from one orchard containing less than 1,500 bearing trees. "Apple and pear trees are not yet old enough for comparison, but this year's figures from Chaves county, the neighboring county to the north, will demonstrate what can be done. " Rocky Ford cantaloupe are grown commercially for the first time this year. The flavor is equal to the original article, the carrying capacity is .from two to four days longer, while the earlier season and the fact that it can be prolonged to October 20, date of first known frost, assures the best of prices." This year's crop of Chaves county apples was sold at 3 cents per pound on the trees, while Eddy county peaches brought $1.25 per California twenty-pound box, f. o. b. Carlsbad. Here are a few unsolicited and disinterested testimonials as to quality: " ST. PAUL, MINN., August 6, 1900. " Car of peaches that arrived to-day was the finest car of peaches ever received in my thirty years' experience. " (Signed) A. W. FISK, " Of A. W. FISK & Co., Kansas City." "TRINIDAD, COLO., August 18, 1900. " Regarding peaches, can handle all that you can send as high as twenty-five boxes daily. Our Colorados are coming in quite plentifully now, but not up to your quality. We think we can hold our trade even at the figure of your cost as long as the quality remains. Kindly advise what we may expect, so we can figure on enough Colorado to help us out. We want your peaches. THE GERARDI MERCANTILE COMPANY, " Imported, Fancy and Staple Groceries." " Grand Junction, Colorado, will have to look out or it will lose its laurels, as the peaches at Carlsbad, New Mexico, in the 49 An Address of Congratulation. Pecos Valley, are the finest raised in the United States." From the Kansas City Packer, editorial page, August 18, 1900. " TRINIDAD, COLO., July 15, 1901. " We want your peaches again this year. We can use up to forty boxes a day. THE GERARDI MERCANTILE COMPANY." Melons of all descriptions reach perfection in an arid climate. Cantaloupe were shipped commercially from the valley for the first time in 1900. Some six hundred acres were planted the next year, chiefly at Barstow and Roswell. Shipments also were made from Florence, where the acreage, though small, yielded most satisfactory results. The quality of Pecos Valley melons is quite equal to the Rocky Ford product, while the carrying capacity is several days better and the season both earlier and later. Mr. H. Woods, 127 South Water street, Chicago, Illinois, the well- known cantaloupe commission man, handled the product and will gladly answer any inquiries. Mutual associations have been formed in the different valley towns in order to market these melons in the great Northern and Eastern cities, and all melons shipped out of the valley are conspicuously labeled as a Pecos Valley product. Judge J. S. Emery, formerly national lecturer of the National Irrigation Congress, spoke as follows in an address to the people of Carlsbad : " Scholars, physicians and sociologists agree that the altitude of about three thousand feet is the most health- ful. I have often made the assertion that the climate of three hun- dred miles east and west from the foothills of the Rocky Moun- tains and one thousand miles south from the British possessions is the most healthful in the United States. You are in that terri- tory. In Kansas, when we have persons at all feeble, we put them in a wagon and send them to the plains. They live outdoors, just as you can live outdoors most of the time, and they gain weight and become strong. The climate of the Pecos Valley is attracting public attention. With an American population and with your climate and your water, you will become a Kansas City or a Missouri Valley feeder, a pretty good place to feed, because they are large customers. I am in the Kansas market every week, and I tell you that I never saw finer apples there An Interview with an Enthusiast. than I have seen growing in this valley. I visited the Spring Brook celery farm. A man could not have made me believe that you could raise such celery in the Pecos Valley, because I have always been taught that celery is to be raised on sandy land alone, and that you could raise good celery only in Kalamazoo, Michi- gan. I had that idea completely knocked out of me. I saw acres of celery that commands the highest price and is regarded the best in the Western market. I saw cornfields between here and Roswell to-day that are as good as any cornfields on the Kaw bottoms. It is well known that Pecos Valley beets lead the world. I visited fields south of Carlsbad, and they were as fine as any beet-growing district can boast, while in richness of sugar content and purity they excel:" Mr. R. W. Tansill, of Carlsbad, is one of the best authorities on conditions in the valley. Mr. Tansill's health failed in the North some years ago, after an energetic career as a cigar manu- facturer and dealer. He sought the Pecos Valley for the benefit The Roswell Club, 1895 and 1899. (A Study in Irrigation.) 51 Information about Vegetable=Raising. of his health and has made his home at Carlsbad for the past twelve years. In a recent interview he spoke in part as follows: " Carlsbad is in a county which, on its free grass alone, sustains vast herds of cattle and sheep. With the alfalfa and other forage crops the fattening of stock is an industry which is rapidly developing. Our lands will produce four crops of alfalfa and from eight to fifteen tons of sugar beets to the acre. The valley is admir- ably adapted to dairying, so that should the settler decide to invest in cows, he can do so with excellent prospects of success. For the pleasant occupation of keeping bees this valley of the West is admirably adapted, as the alfalfa bloom makes honey of the finest quality. Gardening is carried on very profitably, including celery, which is superior to the famous Kalamazoo celery. In fact, Pecos Valley vegetables command top prices wherever they come in competition with the products of other sections. Owing to the abundance of mineral salts in the soil, asparagus attains its highest perfection in the Pecos Valley, and is a weed frequently difficult to keep down along the irrigation ditches. A fortune On Lake McMillan. 52 An Experience with Fruit. Mr. Bryan says: awaits the man who will make a specialty of raising and canning asparagus for Eastern markets, for it can be produced cheaper here than elsewhere. The superior quality of the fruit of the Pecos country is acknowledged. The same may be said of cauliflower. As is known, our exhibit took the first premium at the Dallas State Fair and the gold medal at the Omaha Exposition. From a climate and health standpoint, it is well known that no country on earth offers the inducements to healthseekers that are found here. There are many healthy citizens on our streets who came a few years ago as invalids, who will testify that the Pecos Valley is truly a world's sanitarium." The Dallas News recently printed an interview with Col. Rich- ard J. Hinton, well known in the United States as the author of the first Government report on irrigation, and an authority on all irrigation regions. He had just returned from a visit to the Pecos Valley, where he had been investigating fruit conditions. He related one experience as follows : " Mr. Sharp, formerly of Michigan and Nebraska, came to Carlsbad in 1891 before the railroad was a dozen miles north of Pecos, Texas. In the section of Carlsbad known as La Huerta, he obtained fifteen acres. He then went home and sold his share of the family place, bringing back enough money to make his improvements here, with a total investment of $1,000. That is all he put in directly. ' Myself and wife/ Mr. Sharp said, 'are the owners to-day of thirty-seven acres, twenty-five of which are in orchards. The land is all paid for, all in bearing, and the market even in the valley is sufficient to consume, at the grower's own prices, all that is produced. There are twenty acres in peach trees, early and late, and about five in apples, pears, prunes, plums, nectarines, cherries, quinces and mulberries. To-day the place is wholly out of debt, in excel- lent condition. I have only had one partial peach failure since the trees began bearing. In less than ten years my wife and I have made a fine home that is worth as a permanency about $30,000. That is, it will pay a fair interest by its earnings, on that much money, invested in ordinary commercial ventures/ " Hon. William Jennings Bryan, after a visit to the Pecos Valley, in an official interview, stated: "In my judgment the 53 The Dallas Commercial Club Excursion. strength of a nation lies largely in its agricultural population, and irrigation gives an opportunity for the development of the very highest class of agriculturists. The crop is certain where irriga- tion is practiced, and a small area of land is far more productive than when depending upon a capricious rainfall. This invites small holdings, and farmers live near together, so that their chil- dren can have the advantage of a social life, and at the same time enjoy superior school advantages, which are impossible where farmers live a long distance apart. I have been pleased to note the high standard of intelligence among your people, and I expect to see that standard raised as the valley becomes more thickly populated. Carlsbad and Roswell are fully up to their surround- ings. Your climate is one of your greatest advantages, and while I do not care to make any comparison with other health resorts, I have no doubt in my mind that before long this valley, with its bracing air and mild winters, will become a sanitarium for those afflicted with the various lung complaints. Your latitude pro- tects you against the rigor of winter, while your altitude guards you from excessive summer heat. Taking my visit as a whole, considering the land and products I have seen, the magnitude of the water supply and all other features here, I have no hesitation in stating that the Pecos Valley should attract thousands of thrifty farmers from the thickly settled North and East." In May, 1902, a large excursion party, comprising members of the Dallas (Tex.) Commercial Club, visited the Pecos Valley. They were entertained by the citizens of Carlsbad and Roswell. They made a careful inspection of the irrigation systems and saw the principal ranches and orchards. They were delighted and went away convinced that the half had not been told. The Dal- las News printed a long account of the outing. Below may be found brief extracts from same : " The Pecos Valley has really been made to ' blossom as the rose/ Thousands of acres of alfalfa now bloom profusely there, and in the springtime the perfume of apple blossoms is wafted on the breeze. Those who have wrought the transformation from an arid waste are entitled to a high place among the world's benefactors." 54 What They Saw at Carlsbad " The visitors said the country was a revelation to them, and they meant it. Along the irrigation ditches, constructed pri- marily for the purpose of making the lands arable, miles and miles of cottonwood trees have been planted. Their generous shade and the rushing of the limpid water through the country and along the streets cools and purifies the atmosphere. The force of the wind is broken up and the dust nuisance practically eliminated. In the towns where water is plenty the streets are sprinkled regularly, and in consequence the drives along the smooth streets and roads passing through archways of trees are delightful. The homes are surrounded by beautiful groves, flower gardens and velvety lawns, and in every respect seem as comfortable, pleasant and inviting as though they were in the States." "After driving around Carlsbad, with its tree-shaded, hard- packed, gravel streets, the party was taken out to Lake Avalon, a distance of six miles, most of the way over a turnpike similar Main Street, Ro swell. 55 The^Party Among the Famous Ranches. to the roadways in the city. Lake Avalon is the name given to one of the reservoirs of the Pecos Valley Irrigation Company. A great dam across the river backs the water up into the reser- voir, affording a reserve supply against unusual conditions. The regular flow of the river, however, is nearly always sufficient to supply the irrigation ditches. Besides the dam at Lake Avalon, there is another dam twelve miles further up the river, and one just opposite the city. These works are capable of furnishing water to the entire valley for the length covered. " The entertainment of the visitors was under the direction of R. W. Tansill, who has been a leading spirit in the develop- ment of that part of the Pecos Valley. Mr. Tansill is the man who invited the Dallas business men to come to New Mexico and see for themselves that the wonderful stories concerning the Pecos Valley were not fiction. After looking over Carlsbad and surrounding country, Mayor Cabell declared that the half had not been told, while President Steinmann, of the Dallas Commer- A Street Scene, Ro swell. 56 Points of Interest on the Trip. cial Club, said that the country was beyond his expectations, which had been high, and he expressed the hope that this new Carlsbad would rival the famous Carlsbad of Austria." "The party was driven through splendid avenues of cotton- woods to the old Chisum ranch house, a few miles south of Roswell, then past the palatial residence of Mr. Hagerman, the new Chouses erected for offices and the homes of the superin- tendents of the various departments. As in the Carlsbad coun- try, great fields of alfalfa were seen. The Hagerman farm com- prises eight thousand acres. It is irrigated partly from the river and partly from light artesian wells. There are many flowing artesian wells in the district. In Roswell, every house is sup- plied from them and the town has its own system of waterworks, based on hydraulic rams. On the Hagerman place there are one thousand acres of alfalfa, which produces three to four crops a year. Large quantities of it are purchased by the cattlemen and heavy shipments are made. There are 621 acres of apple orchard on the Hagerman farm. Some of the trees are twenty years old and prolific. Most of them have just begun to bear. Sixty car- loads were shipped last year and it is expected that 250 carloads will be sent to market this year." " Resuming the drive, the visitors passed a bee farm, where $5,000 worth of the busy insects are at work gathering sweets. In the distance they saw the big hog ranch owned by Cliff Chis- holm, on which there are 939 brood sows thoroughbreds and grades and seven thousand pigs. These hogs subsist on alfalfa, which is said to be excellent feed for swine. The party also went Over the Treetops, Carlsbad. 57 Opportunities for Various Industries. by the Otis Ranch, an improved farm of 320 acres, which was recently sold for $56,000. Another interesting place was the L. F. D. Ranch, owned by the Littlefield syndicate. Further along, the Slaughter Ranch was reached. On this place, which is one of the finest in the valley, great fields of alfalfa were seen, also the splendid herd of thoroughbred Herefords." "As at Carlsbad, water runs through the streets of Roswell, and there are avenues of trees. The driveways are splendid. It is a smart, up-to-date business town, and a place of fine resi- dences. Every house in town has an artesian well or the right to use water from a neighbor's well, and all are equipped with these private water-works. There are windmills and hydraulic rams all over the city." Farmers, ranchmen and gardeners are not the only ones who can find profitable investment in the Pecos Valley. There are excellent opportunities for the establishment of various indus- tries to take advantage of the productive quality of the valley Fifth Street, Roswell. 58 Mineral Wealth ; Forests; Hunting Grounds. lands. A cannery for fruit and vegetables would be welcomed in more than one of the valley towns, and while affording a market at all times for the garden products, would be a certain source of revenue to its owner. Dairies, too, are needed in the valley, and while stimulating the breeding of milk cows, would find large market for their product of butter and cheese. It would be difficult to find any region in which the general conditions of access, markets, climate, society and financial promise unite in more favorable proportions than here in the Pecos Valley. Served as it is by an important line of the great Santa Fe System, which gives it direct communication with the more important markets north, east and south, shipments are made with the utmost ease. Copper has been discovered in the Guadalupe Mountains, southwest of Carlsbad, and oil is being prospected for at several points along Pecos river, but neither industry has been developed to a point where the future products may safely be predicted. In the immediate vicinity of Carlsbad, lying six hundred feet beneath the surface, is an enormous bed of pure rock salt. This bed has been tapped at points over three miles apart, and in one instance it was penetrated three hundred feet without passing through it. Above it is ample water with which to dissolve and bring this salt to the surface. There are also vast beds of gypsum and sulphur which will bring profit whenever capital exploits them. The mineral surroundings of the Pecos Valley, therefore, are of the highest interest. The Pecos Valley is not merely a place of profit and prosper- ity, but a region where life is interesting and health assured. Within easy reach of the valley towns are picturesque mountain ranges, not all barren and rocky, but often gently rolling, with grassy slopes and timbered like a park. They are approached through bold canyons, and at times the scenery becomes strik- ingly magnificent. The mountains are well stocked with black- tailed deer, while the rocky canyons are the home of the Rocky Mountain sheep and bear. By changing location and altitude, within a single day the dweller in the Pecos Valley can obtain almost any temperature he desires, even in the hottest weather. 59 A Review of Progress in the District. Opportunities for sport for the invalid who does not care to work are manifold. An act of the Legislature forbids the killing of antelope, deer and mountain sheep for five years. But rab- bits, quail and duck are here by the myriads, snipe are on the increase, and plover and curlew are very numerous in the fall. Fishing, too, is excellent. The Pecos has been stocked with black bass, and they, with trout, perch and catfish, furnish the angler with ample opportunity to test his skill. The people of the valley are hospitable to strangers, and friendships are formed rapidly. There is a freshness and frankness in life in this open Western country that is sure to be delightful. Twelve years ago the Pecos Valley was an undeveloped plain, without a railway, without irrigation and, indeed, without settle- ment, except around the ranch houses. There were a few sheep in the country and no cattle except the Texas long horns, now long since vanished. Now windmills can be counted by the hundreds all over the ranges, and drilling machines are constantly at work Packing Apple s, Ro swell. 60 Terms on which Land may be Obtained. finding new water and developing new grass. Live-stock inter- ests have increased until 30,000 cattle and 2,000,000 pounds of wool are shipped from the valley annually. Eddy county increased in its assessed value last year by a greater amount than any other county in the territory, while Chaves county conies second in increase. In assessed value per capita, Chaves county stands first in the list, with $544, and Eddy county third, with $513. This is a fine showing for counties hardly twelve years old. The bonded indebtedness is small and the tax rates low. All signs point to Statehood within the next session of Congress. The best estimates obtainable for the irrigated lands of the valley under cultivation show an annual average value per acre, for the last year, of $18.16. Several tracts of land under cultivation could be paid for by the crop raised upon them in a single year. Lands in the valley, except those under irrigation, and those occupied by actual settlers, belong to the United States, and are subject to entry under the Homestead and Desert Land laws. On the Chisum Ranch. 61 Some Statements by Governor Prince. Irrigated lands can be bought at from $10 to $75 per acre, according to locality and improvements. The companies having land and water rights for sale desire primarily to place the land under cultivation and to settle the valley. Their disposition is to be moderate in price and very reasonable in terms of payment to all settlers looking for a location. The opportunity for acquir- ing homes in the Pecos Valley is, therefore, all that can be desired by men of energy and ability, even with only moderate means. The Pecos Valley alone, in all the vast region from Abilene to El Paso, from Denver to San Antonio, affords the certainty of unlimited forage crops as an insurance against drought and loss. Here one acre of Kaffir corn fodder, left standing in the field after the grain is harvested, will winter a cow in good condition. This being true, it is small wonder that many farmers are turn- ing toward the land where winter does not blight everything and demand the whole year's work to keep the stock alive. In regard to the quality of the land titles in the Pecos Valley, the Hon. L. Bradford Prince, former governor of New Mexico, writes as follows : " From recent personal observation, as well as from full information, both official and otherwise, I am able to speak in a most favorable manner of the Pecos Valley as a field of immigration. The valley itself presents exceptional advantages in this regard, on account of the fertility of the soil, the peculiar excellence of the climate and its never-failing supply of water, augmented by living springs, which make it impossible to injure the country below by using all the water above. The companies which control the property and its development are composed of gentlemen of high standing, large resources and extraordinary energy, who are anxious in every way to make the settlement of the valley a success and add to the prosperity and happiness of the individuals who locate there. The titles are all direct from the United States, as no Spanish or Mexican grants exist in that part of New Mexico, and are, therefore, perfect and undisputed." From Higgins, in the northeast, to Portales, in the south- west, the Pecos Valley line of the Santa Fe System for nearly two hundred and fifty miles runs diagonally across what is known as the Panhandle country, a great plateau area entirely devoted, 62 Relating to the Panhandle Country. until recently, to stock-raising and grazing, but of late coming into agricultural development. It is not a barren, waterless region, as many suppose. Here rise the principal Southwest rivers. Here are found nutritious grasses and here the small ranchman, cultivating the grasses and grains that best thrive under semi-arid conditions, is making a home and achieving a competence for himself. Flourishing towns like Amarillo, Can- yon City, Hereford, Bovina and Portales attest the general pros- perity of what was once a sparsely populated land, given over to herds of cattle and cowboys. Persons interested in the Panhandle should consult a leaflet on that subject soon to be issued by the Santa Fe. Artesian Well, Ro swell. Ad, 68. 1-29-03, 5M. X