REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON PUBLICATION 97 



The American grapes are nearly all marketed in Climax baskets. 



Some attempt has been made to manufacture juice, but most of this 

 juice, while pronounced by some as of fair quality, has usually been of rather 

 low grade. In a neighboring state, a juice of high-grade has been manu- 

 factured of Worden grapes. There is no reason why some sections could 

 not produce grapes in large enough quantities to supply a juicf ctory. It 

 seems to us that it would be a good proposition for some of ,ur Eastern 

 juice manufacturers to establish a branch factory to take charge of the local 

 distribution of grapes. 



GRAPE GROWING IN NEW MEXICO. 



By PROF. FABIAN GARCIA, 

 Director Agricultural Experiment Station, State College, New Mexico. 



New Mexico has a history which is probably not surpassed in antiquity 

 and interest by that of any other State. Some of the more interesting 

 features of the early history are the peculiar Pueblo and Aztec civilizations, 

 remains of which are to be found in the ruins in many parts of the State; 

 the antiquity of the State under the old Spanish rule, for New Mexico was 

 the first of the states to be occupied and governed by a European people; 

 the overthrow of the Spanish rule and the Mexican form of government 

 from 1820 to 1848; the peculiar circumstances under which this section 

 became a part of the United States. Its salubrious climate; its large grazing 

 prairies; the picturesque mountain ranges traversing the central and western 

 parts of the State, and the fertile irrigated valleys dotted here and there 

 with orchards and vineyards add materially to the interest of the State. 



However, in searching for information relative to the early horticultural 

 development in the State, the investigator finds it no easy task to get reliable 

 data on the subject. In all of our histories we find the records of different 

 political events that have taken place since New Mexico was discovered by 

 the Spaniards, but for some reason or other the historians have failed to 

 record any agricultural or horticultural data. It is probably safe to say that 

 for one or two hundred years after the Spaniards discovered this land there 

 was little or no effort made in the growing of fruits of any kind. Prior to 

 1880 it is found that there was little progress made in the horticulture of 

 the State. From 1750 to 1800 it is recorded that the New Mexico industries 

 consisted largely of barter, stock raising, and a limited growing of farm 

 crops. About this period the Spaniards made a slight beginning in the grow- 

 ing of inferior varieties of fruits for home use. From about 1822 to 1845, 

 during the Mexican rule, New Mexico started to develop its agriculture 

 somewhat more rapidly than it had in the past. In 1823 the value of the 

 agricultural and horticultural exports, mostly to Chihuahua, amounted to 

 about $12,000, while in 1845 they had increased to about $450,000. While 

 these exports were mostly of agricultural crops and live stock, it is perhaps 

 safe to conjecture that as other branches of agriculture developed, fruit 

 growing must have started to develop also, though perhaps in a smaller pro- 



