THE CENTRAI. RIO GRANDE \^\EEEY 



21 



flows through western Bernahllo and through Valencia county, carries 

 sufficient water to irrigate all the land along its course, a very large 

 area. Thus far only a few small ditches have been taken out of this 

 river, which will require capital to develop on account of the depth of 

 the stream bed. Just now, however, an extensive colonization project 

 is proposed on the Antonio Sedillo land grant, of 81,000 acres, which 

 contemplates the building of a reservoir and an extensive canal system 

 and which will transform this entire grant, lying along the river, into a 

 fine farming district. The land, when watered will produce equally as 

 fine crops as'can be produced in the Rio Grande X^alley. 



At Bluewater, in northwest Valencia county, a great irrigation reservoir 

 and canal system has been constructed by the Bluewater Development Com- 



Scenes on the Bluewater Irrigation I'roject 



pany with offices in Albuquerque, which will irrigate 30,000 acres in the 

 Bluewater and San Mateo valleys. This land is also very fertile and 

 will produce all the crops that can be grown in the Rio Grande Valley. 

 This project is now complete and the near future will see the growth 

 of a flourishing farming community there, since the lands are to be sold 

 in small tracts to bona fide farmers, at very reasonable prices and on 

 easy terms. This project transforms what was until recently only sheep 

 range, into the best of farming lands. 



In addition to these prgjects there are numercms small streams in the 

 mountain districts where farming by irrigation is now being carried on 

 and where there are splendid opportunities for development, with com- 

 paratively small outlay of capital. The Jamez river is a fair example. 

 The storage of flood water, which at certain seasons pours down the 

 mountain canvons and arroyas to go to waste, offers another opportunity 

 for successful development of small tracts. On of the most attractive 

 ranches in Bernalillo county is at the base of Sandia Mountains where an 



