THE CALL OF THE WEST 



431 



ten years, without interest on deferred 

 payments. An annual maintenance fee 

 is charged in addition. The first pay- 

 ment of $3.60 per acre must be paid at 

 the time of filing on the land; the farm 

 unit is 80 acres. 



The climate in this valley is healthful 

 and mild, the elevation above sealevet 

 is about 4,000 feet, and the temperature 

 ranges from 12 0 below to 112 0 above 

 zero. It is so dry, however, that the ex- 

 tremes, which seldom occur, are not 

 severe. The average rainfall on the ir- 

 rigable area is 4 inches per annum. The 

 soil is sandy loam, clay loam, and vol- 

 canic ash, requiring 3 acre-feet of water 

 per annum for each acre. The valley 

 will produce every variety of crop grown 

 in the north temperate zone; alfalfa, 

 wheat, barley, and oats grow luxuriantly, 

 and corn is also a profitable crop. Ap- 

 ples, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries, 

 potatoes, and garden vegetables do well 

 and. find a ready market in the near-by 

 mining towns. The Southern Pacific and 

 Nevada and California railroads traverse 

 fane tract and furnish transportation to 

 the markets of the country. 



RIO GRANDE PROJECT, NEW MEXICO-TEXAS 



This project contemplates the reclama- 

 tion of 180,000 acres of land, 110,000 

 of which are in New Mexico, 45,000 in 

 Texas, and 25,000 in Mexico. 



The Leasburg dam, for the first unit 

 of the Rio Grande project, is completed, 

 diverting water for 20,000 acres in Me- 

 silla Valley. It is of concrete, 600-feet 

 long, with sluice and head gates. From 

 the diversion dam 6 miles of canal were 

 constructed to connect with the old Las 

 Cruces Canal. 



The Engle dam, which is planned to 

 be constructed across the Rio Grande op- 

 posite Engle, will be of rubble concrete, 

 gravity type, 255 feet high, 1,150 feet 

 long on top, and will create a reservoir 

 200 feet deep at its lower end and 45 

 miles long, with a storage capacity of 

 2,000,000 acre-feet. Work has com- 

 menced at the clam site and will be prose- 

 cuted as rapidly as the state of the rec- 



lamation fund will permit. The valley 

 has good railroad facilities, and con- 

 tains many thriving towns, of which El 

 Paso, Texas, is the metropolis. 



The general elevation is 3,850 feet 

 above sea level, and the temperature 

 ranges from zero to no° above. The 

 average annual rainfall on the irrigable 

 area is 9.5 inches. The soil is a fertile 

 alluvium, requiring 2 x / 2 acre-feet of 

 water per acre per annum. It produces 

 abundant crops when sufficient water is 

 applied, the principal products being al- 

 falfa, corn, fruit, vegetables, and melons. 



.CARE SB AD PROJECT, NEW MEXICO 



The principal works under the Carls- 

 bad project include the reconstruction of 

 canals and storage reservoirs on Pecos 

 River, in Eddy County, which were built 

 to irrigate about 20,000 acres of land. 

 These lands are all in private ownership, 

 but several thousand acres are included 

 in excess holdings and may be pur- 

 chased. The price of these lands varies 

 from $20 to $60 per acre. The cost of 

 water right is $31 per acre, payable in 

 ten annual installments, and the annual 

 maintenance and operation fee is 75 

 cents per acre. 



The general elevation is 3,100 feet 

 above sea level, and the temperature 

 ranges from zero to no° above. The 

 soil is a light, sandy alluvium and very 

 fertile. The principal crops in the val- 

 ley are peaches, pears, apples, cherries, 

 small fruits, alfalfa, cotton, sweet po- 

 tatoes, celery, and garden truck. Fod- 

 der, corn, cane, and milo maize produce 

 good crops. Stock-raising is very profit- 

 able, owing to the extensive range lands 

 on the east and west. The Santa Fe 

 Railway furnishes transportation facili- 

 ties to near-by markets and to Denver 

 and Chicago. 



The watershed area is 22,000 square 

 miles, the average annual rainfall on 

 watershed area is 15 inches, and the esti- 

 mated annual run-ofY, 150,000 acre-feet. 

 The average annual rainfall on the ir- 

 rigable area is 14 inches. The system is 

 practically completed. 



