CHARACTERISTICS OE THE ROUTE. 
Section 1. SOIL. 
The character of the soil traversed by the line of survey is two-fold, depending upon the 
location. That of the river bottom is alluvial and exceedingly fertile, yielding, by irrigation, 
enormous crops of grain, vegetables, and fruits ; while that of the mesa, or upland, is loose and 
light, and is also rich, but, owing to the scarcity of water and failure of rains at the proper season, 
it is not available as a grain-growing district, but at the same time much of it is well adapted 
to grazing and stock raising. 
In the valley of the Eio Grande, between Frontera and Dona Ana, there are about forty lineal 
miles of bottom land, but of this area only a small part is now under cultivation. Corn, wheat, 
beans, and melons succeed admirably ; also the grape ; the soil, climate, and location, seeming 
particularly favorable to its culture. On the upper Mimbres, in the vicinity of the Copper 
Mines, there are several localites where the valley widens, affording attractive sites for the 
farmer, who would have at the same time fine grazing for his stock on the adjacent hills. On 
the establishment of Fort Webster, at the Copper Mines, corn was successfully raised in the 
valleys in the vicinity, but the project was abandoned on the removal of the troops to 
the Eio Grande. A great portion of the bottom land of the lower San Pedro can be cultivated, 
its own waters, as well as those of its tributaries, being available for irrigation, and I doubt not 
but that in several localities irrigation will be unnecessary. Near the Gila the bottom widens, 
and forms at its junction a large triangular area of rich soil, a small portion of which has already 
been used by the Apaches for raising corn. Thence down the Gila but few patches in the gorge 
district are available. Below this, however, is found the broad bottom, which extends below 
the Pimas and Maricopa villages. 
The richness of the soil of this plain is fully attested by the crops raised by these Indians, but 
it is very doubtful whether much of the bottom land can be made productive, other than that 
now cultivated in this immediate vicinity, owing to the limited supply of water for irrigation, 
the bed of the river being entirely dry at times below the villages. About twenty-two miles below 
the Pimas villages the Gila receives a tributary from the north—the Salinas—whose bottom is 
broad and extensive, and presents a large area fit for cultivation. The stream is rapid and 
clear, and, according to Mr. Bartlett, its volume is double that of the Gila. 
The piles of ruins and evidences of irrigating canals are sufficient proofs that this valley 
once supported a large population, and there is no reason why it cannot do so again. 
The soil of the plateau or uplands is made up of alternate patches of sandy and clayey 
districts, owing to the out-cropping rocks on the adjacent elevations, whose debris passes through 
several gradations down to a finely comminuted material, forming the surface of the playas. 
The growth of grass depends not only on the composition of the soil, but also on the configura¬ 
tion of the surface, the richest being found in the feldspathic districts and near the lines of 
drainage. 
