THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



425 



BLUEWATER \&LLEY 



:::: NEW MEXICO :::: 



Worker Gives His Opinion of Land in this Valley Is a 

 Homeseeker, Not a Speculator Says "Climate Is Fine, 

 Great Field for Fruit Culture, Poultry Products Bring 

 Fancy Figures, Settlers Speak Highly of Land Com- 

 pany." 



The following letter, written by Mr. J. H. Fowls of 

 Mendota, 111., to a friend regarding the Bluewater Valley, 

 New Mexico, containing his impressions after a thorough 

 investigation, is interesting as giving the unbiased views 

 of a careful, intelligent man who is looking for a home for 

 himself and family. Mr. Fowls is an engineer on one of 

 the western railroads running out of Chicago. He is 'evi- 

 dently a homeseeker and not a speculator and looks at 

 the proposition with an eye single to the future and what 

 it contains for himself and family. 



There are thousands of men the workers in our rail- 

 roads and other industrial institutions, drawing good sal- 

 aries who are situated exactly as is Mr. Fowls. They ex- 

 pect some day to quit their present jobs and get a home 

 of their own on the earth and are looking for the best 

 place. To all such this letter will be of particular interest. 



Mendota, Illinois, June 30, 1909. 

 Mr. Richard A. Haste: 



As I told you, I will give you a report of what I 

 found in the Bluewater Valley. I made a thorough inves- 

 tigation and the following is from my notes made on the 

 ground: 



First: The climate is fine. It gets quite warm in the 

 sun but is cool in the shade. At night it is very cool. 

 A person needs covers to be comfortable. The coldest it 

 gets here is about 10 above zero and the warmest about 

 94; the nights are from 50 to 55. 



You ask, Does the climate undermine a man's ambi- 

 tion? 



No, no, no! 



The soil is a reddish sandy loam, in some places vol- 

 canic ash with here and there spots of adobe. 



The products are what you will find in similar climates. 

 Alfalfa will go about 1J4 tons to the acre per cutting 

 can raise three crops, but sure of two. The hay brings 

 $15.00 per ton, and that is a conservative estimate. Al- 

 falfa seed costs from 15c to 18c per pound and it re- 

 quires about 15 Ibs. to the acre. Potatoes dp well. There 

 are no potato bugs here. Potatoes will yield 150 sacks 

 per acre. The price ranges from 2 to 2j4c per lb. They 

 are easy to raise; so are turnips and carrots. Cabbage 

 sells from 1 to 2c per lb. It is planted 2J4 feet by 18 

 inches apart. It takes 7,000 plants for an acre. One man 

 can plant an acre in three days. They are raising 15,000 

 Ibs. of onions on an acre and get about 3c per lb. Celery 

 retails at Albuquerque at 40c to 75c per bunch. I should 

 judge celery to be the best crop here for profit. They are 

 trying asparagus and it seems to be doing well. Tomatoes 

 yield about 20,000 Ibs. per acre. Thev sell for 5c per lb. 

 Corn is not a favorite crop, but some kinds grow fairly 

 well. They get $1.50 per hundred Ibs. Wheat does well 

 and yields from 40 to 50 bushels per acre. Oats will yield 

 from 60 to 100 bushels. It can be cut green for hay and 

 in that way two cuttings can be had and will run about \ l /2 

 tons to an acre at each cutting. They sow from 50 to 

 60 Ibs. to an acre. 



I have seen a great many men from different parts of 

 the country and talked with them about fruits here. They 

 all agree that this will be a fine valley for fruits. They 

 know the valley and seem to know what they are talking 

 about, as they come from the apple countries of Wash- 

 ington, Montana and Colorado. I am told that in the San 

 Mateo Valley, 25 miles to the northeast of here, the finest 

 kinds of fruits are raised. 



Poultry is the best thing in the valley. Eggs sell as 

 high as 60c per dozen at Albuquerque. At present, June 

 iiOth, 1909, they are selling for 35c per dozen. A pullet 

 weighing 2 Ibs. will sell for $1.00. They are easily raised, 

 the climate seems to suit them. To make a long story 

 short, it is the best place to raise poultry that I have seen 

 in the United States, and I know somehing about chicken- 

 raising. 



The Mexican and Indian ponies that are good enough 

 for light work can be had for from $40 to $60; unbroken 

 for from $15 to $20. 



Sheep, goats, hogs and cattle all do well. There is 

 still an abundance of free range for the cattle. 



The spring work opens about the 1st of April. 



One important thing is the labor, which can be ob- 

 tained for about $1.00 per lay. This is Indian labor, which 

 is very faithful and abundant. You can get it when you 

 want it by simply notifying one of the chiefs. This is im- 

 portant in a fruit country or where sugar beets are raised, 

 and this will eventually be a good sugar beet country. 



The settlers are honest, industrious Americans of good 

 class. 



At present only five months of school has been held, 

 but the settlers are asking for nine months and no doubt 

 they will get it. 



The cost of living is about the same as in Illinois. 

 Price of ham, 14c per lb., lard loc. Range beef can be 

 had in the fall for 6c per lb. It is delivered to your house, 

 wrapped in cloth and can be hung up in the air, remain- 

 ing fresh all winter. 



Building material is cheap. There are lumber mills 

 within 10 miles of Bluewater station and lime kilns 1% 

 miles away. Lime sells from 40c to 60c per bbl. An abun- 

 dance of building rock can be had for the hauling. 



As for fire wood, all that you have to do is to drive 

 a few miles to the foothills and cut it. 



Threshing machines, mowers and binders are owned 

 by the irrigation company, and I am told by the settlers 

 that they will cut and thresh at reasonable rates. 



The land must be fenced against cattle. You can get 

 cedar fence posts at 5c each. Rough lumber sells from 

 $16 to $20 per M; matched flooring, $25 per M. 



Water for domestic use can be had at a depth of 

 about 130 feet by drilling. The water is very fine and 

 reminds me of Rockford water. The most important 

 thing about the Bluewater Irrigation proposition is the 

 reservoir. The dam is a massive construction, the lake 

 behind-it is a beautiful sheet 9f water, into which the coun- 

 try drains for miles and miles up into the Zuni moun- 

 tains. 



In conclusion, will say that after looking the Blue- 

 water Valley over thoroughly and talking with the set- 

 tlers, I came to the conclusion that this is the best place 

 I know for the man of small means and I have traveled 

 over a large portion of the United States, but more espe- 

 cially, the northwest, west and south. 



In talking with the settlers, I notice that they all 

 spoke highly of the land company and its method of doing 

 business. 



The reason, as I have told you for investigating this 

 valley so closely, is that I want a home for myself and 

 family (wife and five children). (Mr. Fowls is a locomo- 

 tive engineer employed on one of the western lines run- 

 ning out of Chicago.) 



I have a good job, but I am getting older every day 

 and after a while the railroad company may not want me; 

 then if I have a home in a place like the Bluewater 

 Valley. I will be all right. 



I bought 40 acres within three-quarters of a mile of 

 the station. I expect to stay on the road for some time 

 yet, but my intentions now are to move my family to 

 New Mexico this fall or next spring 1 . If any of your 

 friends wish any further information, if they will come to 

 see me, I will be glad to talk with them, or answer any 

 letters which they may write. 



Respectfully yours. 

 South Seventh Avenue. J. H. FOWLS, 



To afford readers of the Age more comprehensive in- 

 formation about the Gunnison Reclamation project, and 

 the lands to be watered by this work, arrangements have 

 been made to secure special reports of the opening of this 

 tunnel in September. A staff representative will visit the 

 section and will contribute a special article for the October 

 issue of the journal. 



