SURVEY OF COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO. 149 



steep point, and even at this, by a little trouble and moderate outlay, 

 a good road could be made with a very moderate grade. Along the 

 eastern base of the mountains from Cheyenne to Santa Fe there is not 

 a difficult point to pass, the road over the Divide and Eaton Moun- 

 tains being no more difficult than ordinary hills in the Eastern States. 

 The road from Santa Fe to the San Luis Valley or Park is very rough 

 and difficult for wagons, and the same is true of the north side of the Pon- 

 cho Pass, but with these two exceptions the roads to and from, as well 

 as through the San Luis and South Parks, are very good and easily 

 traveled with wagons. And for the benefit of those who desire to travel 

 over any of these routes and camp I may remark that water is to be 

 found at suitable points throughout the entire length of the Territory. 

 At a few points, where the road recedes from the mountains, difficulty 

 maybe experienced in obtaining wood, but such places arc few, and proi^er 

 precaution during the day's travel to secure a supply will prevent all 

 difficulty. 



lEEiaATION. 



With a very few exceptions irrigation is necessary throughout Colorado 

 and New Mexico. There are some points on the slopes of the Divide 

 and in the mountain districts where the moisture afforded by rains is 

 sufficient to supply the crops; and, as I have heretofore remarked, for 

 the past two years, at some other points irrigation has been unnecessary, 

 but, as a rule, it is necessary throughout Colorado, and in making up 

 estimates of the expense of farming in this Territory this item should 

 always be counted. 



This necessity is generally classed among the drawbacks to the 

 agriculture of these territories, but there is some doubt as to the 

 correctness of this conclusion, for, when we take into consideration the 

 fact that where rain is depended upon there are frequently great losses 

 incurred because of dry seasons, the question arises, " Is the loss by 

 drought greater or less than the cost of irrigation ?" The decision of 

 this question must decide the point as to whether irrigation is really a 

 drawback or not. That it is inconvenient and imposes a hardshii) upon 

 the farmer of limited means, at the opening or settling of his farm, is 

 true. But when his primary ditch is completed, if properly made, he 

 may feel himself forever secure from loss through drought. 



As heretofore stated, the streams of eastern Colorado, north of the 

 South Platte, which run from the mountains into the latter stream, have 

 a rapid fall, varying from ten to fifty feet to the mile. Consequently it 

 is easy to turn the water into acequias or ditches, and requires but a 

 short run to carry it to any moderate height. 



And as the terraces of this section which flank the creek bottoms 

 seldom rise higher than fifty feet above the creek level, generally twenty- 

 five to thirty, they can be i-rrigated by acequias of moderate length; in 

 fact, I am satisfied that there is but a small quantity of land between 

 Cache a la Poudre and South Platte which caunot be irrigated. And 

 when these terraces have been irrigated and cultivated for a few years 

 I feel confident that the soil on them will prove as productive as that of 

 the bottoms. 



I understand that the rule for the fall in these irrigating ditches is 

 one-fourth of an inch to the rod, and that this carries the water over 

 the soil with sufficient rapidity to prevent its being absorbed. 



After crossing the Platte southward to the Divide and along the 

 Platte valley, ditching is much more expensive than in the northern 

 section, as the streams have much less fall, and the soil absorbs the 

 water more rapidly. 



