The Waters of the Rio Grande 
57 
alfa fa tor instance, which when once established 
ditions. 
may tolerate the con- 
APPLICATION OF GYPSUM WOULD BE HELPFUL 
Th? important question is, Can the ranchmen ameliorate these 
conditions ? They are proving that they can by diking and washing, 
which, to the present time, has proven the most effective means of 
reclamation. A still more effective measure would be the application 
of land plaster, ground gypsum, which occurs very abundantly within 
the State. The amount of sodic carbonate in most of the surface 
soil, is not so abundant that the cost of the land plaster neces¬ 
sary to correct the alkalinity would be prohibitive; in fact, 
the cost ought to be very moderate. The most serious item would 
probably be haulage or freight owing to the location of the vallev be¬ 
tween high mountains. If, however, the use of this material should 
prove to be sufficiently beneficial, as I firmly believe it will, proper or¬ 
ganization of the users can undoubtedly bring about the production 
and transportation of this material to the valley at a very reasonable 
cost. It would be greatly to the advantage of the railroad, the Denver 
& Rio Grande for instance, to encourage this development. I believe 
that the production of the land plaster oug'ht to be a community under¬ 
taking, and also all transportation arrangements, if the most extended 
and beneficial results are to be obtained, for private production will 
look principally to private profit, whereas the amelioration of condi¬ 
tions in this section, to such an extent as to restore from 300,000 to 
500,000 acres of land to a condition of productiveness which it for¬ 
merly possessed, but which it has almost entirely lost, is a considera¬ 
tion worthy of the united effort of all the parties concerned. 
The facts given at the beginning of this discussion, to-wit, that 
one large flouring mill has been torn down, that a second one has re¬ 
cently been dismantled, that an elevator still standing, has not been used 
for its legitimate purpose for years, that the towns have dwindled in¬ 
stead of grown, that homes have been deserted, to which remnants of 
fallen houses still bear witness, and the lands have been permitted to 
go back to the native vegetation, chico and greasewood, ought to con¬ 
stitute a sufficient appeal for the united and beneficial effort of the 
whole community. Further, the State or the Government, for the lat¬ 
ter is still largely interested, ought to devise some effective measures 
for the protection of the interests of both the individual and the pub- 
; lie against those of selfish private enterprise. Such effort and pro¬ 
tective regulations ought to be capable of accomplishment, but it is, 
perhaps, useless to hope for such a consummation. 
