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THIRD ANNUAL SESSIONS 



localities there is 400 miles of latitude about 5^/^ degrees, so that we havo 

 a great variety of conditions and our rain fall, the hest in the territory, 

 is extremely low. 



Precipitation. 



"It will rain on the crown of your hat and never wet the brim. So 

 that we cannot talk about rainfall in New Mexico. We can scarcely talk 

 about the rainfall of a certain county. The elevations are slight in that 

 stretch of land there which forms the state plains, and makes quite a 

 break there. This year our rains came from Texas and they lapped over 

 on us and gave us a splendid season in southeastern New Mexico. That 

 moisture came up to these breaks and from there north it is extremely 

 dry. So we have a great variety of conditions, and we are trying to learn 

 hov/ to adapt ourselves to those local conditions. 



Effect of Altitude. 



"The territory can be roughly divided into those parts lower than 

 6,000 feet and those above. Below 6,000 feet we have all of that eastern 

 country adjacent to the pan handle of Texas and running on south, in 

 which we are growing corn, and milo, and kaffir corn, and sorghum, and 

 some people are succeeding with potatoes, and we are experimenting with 

 wheat. Now, I personally am convinced that the small grain proposition 

 for that portion of New Mexico below 6,000 feet is a matter of less im- 

 portance. The crop is less important. 



Time of Seeding. 



"We have some reasons to think from experiments that ft is going 

 to be possible to sow small grain there from the 15th of May to the 15th 

 of June, and harvest it about the 1st of October. If we can do that we 

 can get the rain and moisture on that grain at stoolrng and filling, and 

 stand a show of making a crop We have not practiced summer tillage 

 and it will be a long time before we can bring or pull our farmers around 

 to it; they would never do it until they got hungry. 



Effect of Altitude. 



"The high elevation is much better adapted to small grain growing, 

 especially oats and barley, and considerable experimenting is being done 

 up there, but we are very liable to drouth at stooling or filling, time, or 

 both, so I do not think that small grain will ever be important to Ne.w 

 Mexico, that is, as important as it is farther north. As a matter of fact, 

 I see no one crop that is going to predominate in that country, and I am 

 exceedingly glad of it. 

 Live Stock Feeding. 



"Now, I agree perfectly with the gentleman who spoke this morning, 

 that the dry fariming proposition is going to come to a live stocky propo- 

 sition. I believe that is where the money lies. Even if we grow wheat, 

 I doubt if we will ever get as much for it sold at the elevator as we can 

 by shipping it as fatstock. In New Mexico we have a live stock proposi- 

 tion, but the question is, how are we going to get to it? It is going to 



