43 
The Waters oe trie Rio Grande 
AGRICULTURAL FEATURES OF THE QUESTION 
The strictly agricultural features of this problem are interesting 
and also involve a large territory. The facts in the case are simple 
but most conclusive in their character. The Hooper-Mosca section 
was, in 1893 to 1896, probably the greatest wheat producing section of 
the State. In 1916 this section was very largely non-productive, be¬ 
tween 300,000 and 500,000 acres of land having long since been al¬ 
lowed to go back into greasewood and chico. The flouring mill at 
Mosca was torn down some years ago and the one at Hooper has been 
dismantled recently as a flouring mill after running many years on an 
inadequate supply of grain. This mill, I am told, may be continued as 
a feed mill. These are a few of the bald facts. 
I do nor Know that anyone has ever formulated a statement of 
causes to account for this condition. It has generally been assumed 
that it is due to a high water-table. On this basis, drainage has been 
advocated strongly and with much confidence by a number of persons. 
In fact, much capital has already been invested in drainage projects 
and a number of proposed projects have not been carried out because 
of the difficulties encountered in financing them. 
SUBIRRIGATION HAS CAUSED WATER-LOGGING 
The system of irrigation practiced almost exclusively in the val¬ 
ley, i. e., subirrigation, has hastened the water-logging of the lower 
lands; of this there can be no question. In this system it is the prac¬ 
tice to keep the water-table within a few inches of the surface during 
the whole, or most, of the season. I have not personally investigated 
the height of the water-table usually maintained, so I cannot make 
definite assertions in regard to this point, but inquiry has elicited the 
information that .this depth varies from 12 to 24 inches. The latter 
is the greatest depth assigned to it. I recently made inquiry of a 
prosperous ranchman in regard to this point. ITe stated that he kept 
the water within 12 inches of the surface. The crops grown with this 
high water-plane were alfalfa, peas, oats, potatoes and wheat. This 
man asserted that his teams would mire on his land most of the time. 
I made inquiry in regard to this man's standing in the community 
and the results obtained on his lands. I learned that he was a man 
of influence and that he had probably told me the truth about his 
crops, both in regard to growing conditions and yields. I inquired 
further in regard to the depth to which this water-table fell during 
the winter when irrigation was not being practiced. The answer was 
prompt, that it varied, but that in none of the land did it fall to more 
than 3f^ or 4 feet. I have bored, or dug with a spade, holes in other 
wholly unproductive sections of the valley during the irrigating sea¬ 
son, and found no such high water-plane assigned to the lowest plane 
