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LIBRftRY OF CONGRESS 
 
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 017 135 130 3 
 
 SAN JUAN COUNTY 
 
 OFFERS TO THE 
 
 HOMESEEKER: 
 
 A vast area of the public domain, subject 
 to entry under the land laws of the United 
 States. 
 
 An unfailing and unlimited supply of 
 water for irrigation. 
 
 The perfect climate of the Land of Sun- 
 shine. 
 
 A rich, inexhaustible soil, peculiarly 
 adapted to successful fruit growing, and 
 producing abundantly all the crops that 
 flourish in the temperate zone. 
 
 Long and reliable growing seasons. 
 
 Unequalled opportunties for the small 
 farmer, fruit grower and truck gardener. 
 
 Close railroad connection with large mar- 
 kets. 
 
 Prosperous, well governed towns and vil- 
 lages. 
 
 Well managed schools and ample educa- 
 tional adantages. 
 
 A reasonable tax rate. 
 
 And all the advantages of a new countr>- 
 where land, now cheap, may be transformed 
 by labor and capital into valuable property 
 yielding rich returns. 
 
 San Juan was the first count.v in New Mex- 
 ico to adopt prohibition. There is not a 
 saloon in the county. 
 
 For Information not contained in this boolc, 
 about San Juan County or any section of Ne\v 
 Mexico, address Ttie Bureau of Immigration. Albii- 
 querque. N. M.. H. B. Tlening. .Secretary. 
 
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 O V N T Y 
 
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 San Juan County 
 
 WITH THE single exception of tlie valleys of 
 San Juan County, land along all of the 
 larger water courses of New Mexico has 
 been cultivated for hundreds of years, first by the 
 Indians and later by the Spaniards. In San Juan 
 county, however, it was not until 
 INTRODUCTION about thirty years ag-o that the 
 first attempt was inade at farm- 
 ing. The development of the county dates from 
 about that time. Comparatively short as is its his- 
 tory, development, particularly in horticulture and 
 agriculture, has been so rapid, and its possibilities 
 are so great that the county is now firmly established 
 as one of the great farming districts not only of 
 New Mexico, but of the entire semi-arid region. San 
 Juan countj- fruit is known throughout the United 
 States for its perfection of form and flavor. The 
 county is favored with ah unlimited and dependable 
 water supply: its protected valleys and mesas have a 
 climate without equal in the world; its soil Is rich 
 and deep and highly charged with the chemical 
 properties peculiarly adapted to successful horti- 
 culture. It is a favored region, as yet but half ex- 
 plored, its possibilities barely guessed at. But 
 enough is known of its resources and sufficient ex- 
 perimental work has been done to establish beyond 
 a question the tact that the county is destined to be- 
 come a great agricultural region, capable of sup- 
 porting half a million people; that it will continue to 
 hold its place as one of the richest sections of the 
 Land of Sunshine. 
 
 The purpose of this book is to give accurate infor- 
 mation about San Juan county, conditions, resources, 
 development, to people who are seeking homes. The 
 statements made in the following pages have been 
 carefully verified and may be relied upon. Care has 
 been taken to avoid exaggeration; to give the infor- 
 mation likely to be of greatest value to the home- 
 seeker, so that the man, who having read this book, 
 turns to San Juan count.v for his future home, ma.v 
 know, at least in a general way the conditions as 
 he will find them. 
 
 
 ■AN JUAN COUNTY occupies 
 the northwest corner of 
 New Mexico. On the north 
 it is bounded by La Plata 
 county, Colorado, on the 
 west by Arizona, on the east 
 by Rio Arriba and Sandoval 
 counties, and on the south 
 by McKinley county, N. M. 
 The county is 90 miles east 
 and west along its northern 
 boundary and 70 miles 
 north and south. It con- 
 tains 5,742 square miles, 
 about 3,675.000 acres, of 
 which about one-third, or 1,9S0 miles lies within the 
 original Navajo Indian reservation. About one-sev- 
 enth of the area, or 820 square miles, was added to 
 the Navajo reservation by executive order of Presi- 
 dent Cleveland. An additional 160 square miles is 
 included within the Southern Ute In- 
 LOCATION dian reservation, but much of this land 
 .\\1> AREA has been allotted and is available to 
 white settlers. It is the announced in- 
 tention of the Government eventually to allot the 
 lands within the Navajo reservation. Approximately 
 300,000 acres have been taken up under the United 
 State land laws, so that there are now open to entry 
 approximately 1,250,000 acres. 
 
 Some idea of the area of San Juan county may be 
 gained from the fact that it is four and one-half 
 times as large as the state of Rhode Island, three 
 times as large as Delaware, and contains 900 square 
 
 miles more than the 
 
 TOPOGRAPHY. GEOLOGY. 
 SLOPE AND SOIL 
 
 irregular 
 
 State of Connecticut. 
 San Juan county pre- 
 sents the appearance 
 of an immense, irregular basin, through the 
 lowest part of which flows the San Juan 
 river. More than 125 miles of the course of this 
 stream lies within the county. The San Juan, Pine 
 and Animas rivers enter the county at an altitude of 
 about 6,000 feet. Largo and Chaco canyons have 
 about the same elevation, while the La Plata river 
 enters at an elevation of about 5,800 feet. The low- 
 est point in the county, 4,800 feet, is where the San 
 Juan river flows into Utah. The highest points are 
 in the Chusca. Tunicha and Cariso mountains, many 
 of the peaks in these ranges reaching an altitude of 
 more than 8.000 feet. High table lands or mesas are 
 encountered along the northern, eastern and southern 
 borders and in the northeastern portions of the 
 county. The central portion of the county is an im- 
 mense plain which will eventually become a great 
 agricultural region. Of the total area of the county, 
 experts assert, about two-thirds is subject to cul- 
 tivation under irrigation. 
 
 Of the geology of the mountains within the Nav- 
 ajo reservation lying along the western boundary of 
 the county, little is known. Outside the reservation 
 the country rocks are of sandstone, usually called 
 ■■white." These rocks are of a very recent geologi- 
 cal period, are universally soft, easil.v handled in 
 excavation and naturally, easily eroded. Some in- 
 trusive rock is found in the western portion of the 
 county. Interspersed in the sandstone in many 
 places are veins of coal and bodies of shale," marl, 
 and many kinds of clay, while the %vater flow has 
 carried down f|uantities of quarzite and other b(jtild- 
 t rs. iileng the- water courses. ^ " " 
 
 Erosion has been ex- 
 
 Page Two 
 
 r 
 
IMckiDg AppleN iu u SaD Juuii I'ounty Orchard. 
 
 tensive, leaving long stretches of comparatively level 
 mesas, which, as a rule, drop suddenly to lower 
 levels. The waterways have worn canyons with pre- 
 cipitous walls of from a few feet to a thousand feet, 
 many of which are wide enough to form attractive 
 valleys. 
 
 With its mesas and valleys carpeted with grasses 
 and sage-brush, the hills and slopes covered with 
 pinon and cedar, the whole cut by miniature "grand 
 canyons" and surrounded on every side by towering 
 mountains, the great plain of San Juan county forms 
 a magnificent panorama, unrolling to the eye pos- 
 sibilities of development that are almost staggering. 
 
 The slope is mostly to the north and east, the ideal 
 slope for fruit growing and agriculture, since the 
 rays of the almost continuous sunshine of the long 
 growing season of this southern clime strike less 
 directly. 
 
 The soil, generally carrying a reddish tint, is of a 
 rich, loamy character, abundantly supplied with pot- 
 ash, phosphorus, humus, nitrogen and the other 
 plant foods. In fact, a careful analysis of San Juan 
 county soils has shown that the.y are adapted to the 
 successful cultivation of practically every product 
 of the temperate zone, being particularly favorable 
 to all forms of horticulture. Very little alkali is 
 found and that only in low spots where proper drain- 
 age is lacking. When water is applied this soil be- 
 comes the most productive, as to quantity and va- 
 riety of products, of any section of the southwest. 
 Even the powdered sandstone, when irrigated, has 
 been found to produce abundant vegetation. 
 
 Page Three 
 
 Vernon L. Sullivan, Territorial Engineer, in speak- 
 ing of the Soils of San Juan County says, "I wish to 
 repeat that I was favorably impressed with the soil. 
 I took especial notice of the condition of same after 
 having been irrigated for years. Even when seeming 
 not to have been cared for very well yet it seems to 
 hold moisture well and does not bake or harden as 
 is the case with a great portion of soil when irrigation 
 is used." 
 
 Prof. J. D. Tinsley of the New Mexico Agricultural 
 College in his report on San Juan County says in 
 part. "The glades contain very much good land, the 
 fertility of the soil and the beauty of the surrounding 
 country making a very desirable place in which 
 to live." 
 
 Many varieties of native plants, shrubs and trees 
 of commercial value grow within the county. Per- 
 haps the most important of these is the gramma 
 grass which furnishes the bulk of the feed on the 
 open range. 
 
 There is still a vast extent of open range 
 RANGE in San Juan county, affording excellent 
 forage. Thousands of cattle, sheep and 
 horses range the year around. Very little winter 
 feeding is done and none is necessary except where 
 cattle are being fattened for the market. 
 
 The climate of San Juan county, like 
 CLIMATE that of all New Mexico, is ideal. Al- 
 though dry and warm the air is always 
 invigorating, owing to the high altitude. The winters 
 are short and mild, while in summer the nights are 
 invariably cool and the warmest days are tempered 
 
with a breeze. High winds are infrequent, occurring 
 only in the early spring. They are never sufficiently 
 violent to prove destructive. A cyclone or tornado 
 has never been known. The heaviest snow-fall on 
 record, outside of the high mountains, is only a few 
 inches and it is very rare that a fall of snow remains 
 on the ground for more than a day. Of the 365 days 
 the average during the past ten years shows more 
 than 200 absolutely cloudless days; for about 120 
 days clouds may be seen in the sky and from 30 to 
 40 days are cloudy. The average annual precipitation 
 is from 12 to 14 inches. The dr>' climate is pecu- 
 liarly adapted to the needs of sufferers from pulmon- 
 ary complaints, catarrhal affections and asthma. 
 Asthmatics find almost immediate relief, while man.v 
 remarkable cures of consumption are on record. 
 There is no malaria: the ground is dry and it is pos- 
 sible to live out of doors with safety and compara- 
 tive comfort the year around. As in almost all sec- 
 tions of New Mexico consumptives are finding health 
 and strength in outdoor life in San Juan county. In 
 the early stages of consumption a cure is almost 
 certain in this climate, provided the patient has 
 proper nourishment and care and follows right 
 methods of living. 
 
 Practically all the land in the 
 county which can be cultivated 
 is well adapted to fruit rais- 
 ing. Fruits thus far raised 
 with profit are the apple, peach, plum. pear, cherry, 
 apricot, quince, nectarine, prune, grapes and all 
 
 SAN JTJ,\N COUNTY'S 
 IXEXIL\USTIBIiE 
 WATER SUPPLY 
 
 WHAT THE LAND 
 WrLL PRODUCE 
 
 of the small fruits. Alfalfa is a staple and one of the 
 most profitable crops grown, while all the grains and 
 vegetables thrive. Truck gardening is possible on a 
 large scale and brings rich returns. All trees of the 
 temperate zone, nut-bearing and ornamental, do well. 
 San Juan county's greatest 
 asset is its abundant and 
 unfailing water supply. No 
 shortage of water has ever 
 been known since irriga- 
 tion was first employed and were it possible to divert 
 the entire annual flow of the San Juan river it would 
 be sufficient to inundate the entire county a foot and 
 a half deep. 
 
 The San Juan river which is the county's principal 
 stream, has its sources in the San Juan. Needle and 
 Oso mountains along the continental divide in Colo- 
 rado. Its waters empty into the Colorado river in 
 Utah and find their way to the Gulf of California 
 and the Pacific Ocean. The river drains more than 
 3,000 square miles of territory at and above an ele\'a- 
 tion of 8.000 feet, some of the peaks in its drainage 
 basin rising to a height of 14.000 feet. The reports 
 of the United States geological survey and "Weather 
 Bureau show that the San Juan delivers above the 
 mouth of the Animas, an average annual discharge 
 of about 2,000,000 acre feet of water annually, or 
 water sufficient to cover 2.000.000 acres of land a 
 foot deep with water each year. A very small por- 
 tion of this water is now being diverted for irrigation. 
 The San Juan is the combined flow of eighteen 
 perennial streams and is fed 
 during freshets by innumer- 
 able "dry arroyos." 
 
 The Animas river is the 
 combined flow of fourteen 
 perennial streams, drains an 
 area of more than 1,500 
 square nr'Ies at and above 
 an altitude of 8,000 feet and 
 its average annual deliver.v 
 of water at its junction with 
 the San Juan is about 1,400.- 
 OOn acre feet. 
 
 The La Plata river drains 
 the La Plata mountain re- 
 gion in southwestern Colo- 
 rado, the mountains rising 
 to an altitude of 13.000 feet. 
 Its drainage basin is approx- 
 jTiately 300 square miles and 
 its annual delivery of water 
 into the San Juan averages 
 200.000 acre feet. 
 
 Dring the rainy season the 
 drainage basin of the Pump. 
 Gobernador, Largo. Galle- 
 gos. and Chusca canyons and 
 arroyas furnish enormous 
 quantities of water. 
 
 The total delivery of water 
 of the San Juan river at the 
 point where it flows out of 
 San Juan county is about 
 5.500.000 acre feet annually, 
 or sufficient to inundate the 
 entire county a foot and a 
 half deep each year. 
 
 With such a water supply 
 it is easily seen that the 
 
 Page Four 
 
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 ■■-«••>' ■»_ ,, 
 
 Fruit Packers at Work. Orchard of Mrs. Agnes Currie, Near Farmington. 
 
 farming area of San Juan county are more favored 
 than perhaps any other irrigated district in the United 
 States. 
 
 By referring to the accompanying map it will be 
 easy to trace the courses of the several rivers and 
 canyons referred to. 
 
 It is a well established fact that the richest and 
 most productive lands in the world are those which 
 are artificially watered, or irrigated. This is being 
 proven true in the United 
 IRRIGATION AND States where an acre of irri- 
 IRRIGABIiE IjANDS gated land is being made to 
 produce, by intense cultiva- 
 tion, more toward the wealth and food supply of the 
 nation than ten acres farmed by the natural method. 
 The first cost is greater, but the reward is a certain 
 and abundant crop; an utter independence of weather 
 conditions, the source of so much worry to the 
 average farmer in the middle states, and an inex- 
 haustible soil, since the soil is being constantly 
 enriched by the deposits of silt suspended in the 
 water which is poured over the land. Irrigation, 
 however, means a small farm and intense cultivation. 
 While there are many 160-acre farms in San Juan 
 county and some even larger, the most successful 
 farmers and fruit growers are those who confine their 
 attention to the thorough cultivation of a smaller 
 tract. Forty acres of land, well cared for will yield 
 a net return of from $50 to $200 an acre each year. 
 A ten-acre tract of bearing orchard, well cared for, 
 
 will keep one man busy and yield him an independ- 
 ent income. If he chooses to make himself an ex- 
 pert fruit grower and tends to business he will be- 
 come moderately rich. 
 
 Irrigation in its larger phases, presents its prob- 
 lems in San Juan county as it has done and is doing 
 in every irrigated district in the world. These prob- 
 lems are now engaging the attention of experts. 
 Some of them have been solved and others will be 
 before many months have passed. Because of topo- 
 graphical conditions the waters of the San Juan 
 river cannot be easily or cheaply diverted upon ad- 
 jacent lands, above an elevation of 5,800 feet. On 
 the other hand the Pino, the La Plata and particu- 
 larly the Animas river can each be diverted in Colo- 
 rado above the 6,000 foot elevation, carrying suffici- 
 ent water to successfully irrigate the higher lands of 
 the county. It will be readily seen by reference to 
 the accompanying map or to the United States Topo- 
 graphical charts, that about half the area of the 
 county lies below the grade lines of the high line 
 canals, surveys of which have been made and which 
 have been pronounced practicable. Of this area, 
 fully a million acres are irrigable and subject to 
 cultivation, the remainder being waste lands. 
 
 Few experiments in dry farming have been made 
 as yet. San Juan county has been considered out- 
 side the dry farming belt, the average rainfall being 
 between 12 and 14 inches, while an average of 16 
 inches is considered essential to the success of that 
 
 Page Five 
 
method. Nevertheless the Navajo Indians raise con- 
 siderable crops of corn each year over the southern 
 half of the county. The Navajo method of dry 
 farming is delightfully simple. The Indian digs 
 a hole about three inches deep, usually in a draw or 
 depression where a little additional moisture may 
 have gathered. The hole is dug with a sharpened 
 stick and the seed corn dropped in. The Indian 
 kicks dirt over the seed corn with his foot and pays 
 no more attention to it until harvest time when he 
 gathers his crop. 
 
 Irrigation was first attempted in San Juan county 
 some twenty-five years ago. in the vicinity of the 
 trading posts. Naturally these first farmers held 
 close to the rivers, using the land in the first bottoms, 
 or immediately adjoining 
 the rivers. As the country 
 has settled up these first 
 ditch systems have been 
 extended until community 
 ditches have been constructed which irrigate much 
 of the tillable land in the first bottoms. Some of 
 the land on the second bottoms has now been brought 
 under irrigation by community ditches. While it 
 was natural that the early settlers should locate along 
 the river bottoms, experience has proven that the 
 mesa lands are better for all purposes, and especially 
 for fruit raising, the higher location of these lands 
 eliminating to a great degree the danger of both 
 early and late frosts. The higher land is also not 
 subject to sub-irrigation. 
 
 In the first construction of the community ditches 
 the farmers owning adjoining lands associated them- 
 selves together as a community ditch company to 
 construct a ditch carrying sufficient water to irrigate 
 
 IRRIGATIOX WORKS 
 IN USE AND 
 PROJECTED 
 
 their respective lands. The shares of water Were 
 then divided in proportion to the amount of land 
 each held for irrigation. Each farmer in this way 
 obtained his water right under this particular ditch. 
 The water right goes with the land and is perpetual, 
 as any other improvement. Water rights, of course, 
 can be divided, transferred or sold separately from 
 the land or attached to other lands by deed or 
 transfer. The only expense connected with a water 
 right in one of these community ditches is the amount 
 of work and expense necessary each year in keeping 
 the ditches in proper repair. The average cost of a 
 water right for 40 acres ranges from $10 to $35, 'and 
 averages from $15 to $2 0. 
 
 It was through this community system of con- 
 struction that irrigation was introduced in San Juan 
 county and the bottom and some of the first mesa 
 lands reclaimed. There are a number of these ditches 
 now in use. 
 
 San Juan county offers numerous feasible irriga- 
 tion projects and with the vast increase in the de- 
 mand for irrigated land which has made itself felt 
 all over the west during 1908 and 1909, capital has 
 become interested and more is constantly being at- 
 tracted to these projects. 
 
 The Citizens' Ditch and Irrigation Company is now 
 completing works which will add about 6,000 acres of 
 fine land for farming and fruit growing to that al- 
 ready in cultivation around Blanco and Bloomfield 
 on the San Juan river. The Standard Investment 
 Company is now constructing a canal on this same 
 river, heading some fifteen miles above Blanco that 
 will reclaim about two thousand acres of fine fruit 
 land. The Turley Ditch Company is making exten- 
 sive surveys on the south side of this river. This 
 
 fage Six 
 
project will reclaim several thousand acres of choice 
 land, and within a few years the San Juan river 
 from Farmington to the mouth of the Pine river will 
 be dotted with orchard homes. 
 
 The Eden Canal Land and Power Company has a 
 project on the Los Animas river that will reclaim 
 thousands of acres of choice land; extensive surveys 
 have been made, and construction work started. 
 Several other important projects are under way near 
 Farmington and Aztec. The Government is building 
 a canal for the Navajo Indians, diverting the water 
 near what is known as the "Hog Back" below Farm- 
 ington. A storage system on the La Plata river is 
 being constructed that will reclaim what is known 
 as the Prewitt pastures and other lands in this fa- 
 vored section; numerous irrigation projects are being 
 investigated throughout the county, and with the 
 assurance of increased railroad facilities it is appar- 
 ent that San Juan county is on the eve of a period of 
 great development and prosperity. 
 
 The high line canal projects referred to above 
 have all proved to be engineering problems and 
 have required time and money to work out, but are 
 proving feasible and a good investment for capftal. 
 George G. Anderson, C. E., says of the Eden, "This 
 enterprise appears to be a difficult one from an en- 
 gineering standpoint, and an expensive one. The 
 cost of construction, however. Is well warranted by 
 the additional values to accrue from the prosecution 
 of the enterprise, which under skillful and Intelligent 
 management, will not only yield ample remuneration 
 to those who have the capital and energy to carry It 
 to a successful completion, but will have greatly In- 
 creased the agricultural wealth and prosperity of a 
 promising region." 
 
 The county offers numerous other feasible Irriga- 
 tion projects which are likely to attract capital In the 
 near future. It may be said that San Juan county 
 was not discovered until about 
 DE\T;L0PMENT thirty years ago, when the first 
 settlement was made. Prior to 
 that time sheep and cattle had been ranged over 
 some portions of the county and Indian traders had 
 found their way across it and onto the Navajo reser- 
 vation, but there were no permanent settlements by 
 white men. 
 
 There Is as much water flowing annually through 
 
 this one county as flows in all the 
 in New Mexico combined. There 
 flowing annually through this coun 
 all of Arizona, with the exception 
 Colorado river, and more water 
 county annually than is carried 
 flow of the Platte, Arkansas and 
 irrigate the country tributary to 
 .'■'.prings and Pueblo. In the land 
 
 rest of the streams 
 
 is as much water 
 ty as flows through 
 
 of the flow of the 
 flows through the 
 
 by the combined 
 other streams that 
 
 Denver, Colorado 
 of irrigation water 
 
 Street Scene, Aztec. 
 
 Orchil r<1 in Blossom 
 
 is the vital power, and San Juan county has water 
 without limit. The development of the county has 
 just commenced. The largest town in the county has 
 a population of less than l.ono and the area under 
 actual cultivation is only 25.000 acres. Yet here is 
 the land and here is the water to provide homes for 
 a population of half a million. San Juan county is 
 the land of opportunity for the homeseeker and the 
 investor. 
 
 The farming districts of San Juan county are favor- 
 ably located for the marketing of everything the 
 land will produce. Immediately adjoining the county 
 on the north are some of the largest 
 >1ARKETS mining camps in the west, those consti- 
 tuting the Durango district. These 
 camps afford a ready market for fruit, poultry, but- 
 ter, eggs, vegetables and alfalfa. The Denver and 
 Rio Grande operates a broad gauge line from Du- 
 rango through Aztec and the principal farming dis- 
 tricts to Farmington, giving quick railway connection, 
 while the line to Denver and Pueblo offers a ready 
 outlet for all classes of fruits, garden truck and pro- 
 duce to the east. 
 
 The Arizona and Colorado railroad has completed 
 surveys for a line from Durango, through the county 
 to the mining camps of southern Arizona and this 
 when completed, will afford'another outlet with large 
 markets not only in Arizona but in Central New 
 Mexico and to the Pacific coast. 
 
 At Farmington are roller mills affording a local 
 market for wheat, a creamery, and a canning factory 
 which buys all grades of fruit and tomatoes suitable 
 for canning. A fruit growers' association looks out 
 for the profitable marketing of crops. Apple buyers 
 and buyers of other fruits come into the county each 
 fall and buy the fruit delivered on the cars at the 
 
 Page Seven 
 
-:^.,>.f..,v^,.:^^„-^..,^ 
 
 II 
 
 San Juan Countj" Exhibit at Colorado State Fair. Awarded Blue Bibl>on, Red Ribbon and Sweepstakes Prize. 
 
 nearest station. The supply of small fruits, eggs, 
 poultry and butter, has never been equal to the local 
 tlemand and prices have always been high. There is 
 a ready market for all classes of live stock at highest 
 market prices. Alfalfa sells at from $5 to $7 per ton 
 in the stack with an ever-ready market, while pota- 
 toes find a market in the adjacent mining camps al- 
 ways at high prices. There is. in fact, a steady and 
 dependable demand for everything grown in the 
 county and this demand is constantly increasing. 
 
 In San Juan county as elsewhere prices of land 
 vary according to location, improvements and the 
 usual conditions governing the value of real estate. 
 
 Bridge 0\er tlie I. a Plata Kiver. 
 
 Irrigated farms under ditch sell at from $35 to $200 
 an acre. Raw land not under ditch, where title can 
 be given, sells for $5 an acre or less. Claims of lo- 
 cators under the desert land 
 PRICES OF LAND act can sometimes be bought 
 for less. According to loca- 
 tion, the cost of bringing land under a dependable 
 irrigating ditch costs from $35 to $50 an acre. 
 Water rights go with the land and the cost of main- 
 tenance is nominal. To pay $200 an acre for land in 
 a new country may sound large to a farmer from the 
 east, but when the productivity of the soil and the 
 certainly of the crop is considered, as well as the 
 ample water rights which go with the land, the price 
 is cheap. A careful study of the income now being 
 derived from land of this kind by San Juan county 
 farmers, as set forth on another page, is the most 
 convincing proof that land in San Juan county is 
 worth the money. 
 
 A large portion of the land in San Juan county is 
 still open for entr\- under the Homestead and Desert 
 Land acts. Practically all 
 of the vast area lying south 
 of the San Juan river is gov- 
 ernment land, some of it 
 still unsurveyed, while north 
 of the Animas river are large tracts. Still more gov- 
 ernment land lies north of the San Juan and west 
 of the La Plata. 
 
 Page Eight 
 
 LAXDS SUBJECT TO 
 
 ENTRY UNDER 
 
 U. S. liAWS 
 
HORTICULTURE 
 
 ORTICULTURE is destined to 
 be the principal industry of 
 San Juan county. The com- 
 bination of warm days and 
 cool nights, perpetual sun- 
 shine, abundance of water 
 and the especial adaptability 
 of the soil makes tlie San 
 Juan county fruits, particu- 
 larly the apple and the peach, 
 the most beautifully colored 
 and most delightfully flavored 
 fruits grown in the United 
 States. These fruits continu- 
 ally bring highest prices in eastern retail markets, 
 while they have taken prize after prize at expositions 
 and fairs, great and small. The apples grown in San 
 Juan county are chiefly what are known as the 
 winter varieties, and keep until the following sum- 
 mer. The fruit is firm and the orchards are excep- 
 tionally free from injurious insect life. The southern 
 latitude brings an early spring and a late autumn, 
 insuring against the killing frosts that so often 
 injure or ruin the fruit crops of the country a 
 little further north. A twenty-acre fruit farm in 
 bearing orchard will yield the careful fruit grower 
 an income of $5,000 a year. On another page is 
 given a brief statement of some of the results ob- 
 tained by fruit growers. There is a read.v market 
 for every pound of fruit that can be grown in the 
 count.v. 
 
 TKITCK G.\RDENING The demand for garden 
 
 truck in the mining camps 
 
 adjacent to the county is large and the few farmers 
 
 who have engaged extensively in trucking have real- 
 ized substantial profits. As in the case of fruits, there 
 is a ready market for every pound of vegetables of 
 all kinds that can be grown, and the conditions of 
 climate and soil are ideal for this character of 
 farming. 
 
 Poultry farming is one of the most profitable indus- 
 tries and is especially so for those whose health will 
 
 not allow of their engaging in more 
 POUIiTRY arduous labor. The mild, dry climate is 
 
 well adapted to the raising of fowl of all 
 kinds and insures productivity. The mining camps to 
 the north give an ever-ready and easily accessible 
 
 A San Jaun County Peach Orchard. 
 
 Paae Nina 
 
 A Typical Yminj; Orchard. 
 
 market at good prices. Eggs sell at from 15 to 35 cents 
 a dozen, while frys bring from $3 to $6 per dozen. 
 Bee keeping is in its infancy 
 BEES AND HONEY in the county, but the experi- 
 ments thus far made have 
 proven highly successful and the occupation promises 
 to become both popular and profitable. The immense 
 area of alfalfa and fruit make for the 
 success of this industry. 
 
 There is perhaps no irrigated dist- 
 trict in the United States which offers 
 so wide and so varied a field to the 
 intelligent, energetic farmer as does 
 San Juan county. Alfalfa and all field 
 crops successfully grown in the tem- 
 perate zone thrive and produce rich re- 
 turns, while so certain are the seasons, 
 the crops and the markets that the 
 •San Juan county grower, whether he be 
 engaged in producing field crops, fruits 
 or garden truck, can figure his profits 
 very closely at the beginning of each 
 season. Careful attention is invited to 
 the few brief statements of results 
 from San Juan county orchards and 
 truck gardens. These results have been 
 carefully verified and may be easily 
 confirmed. They are not exceptional 
 results, but have been chosen at ran- 
 dom from among the fruit growers and 
 gardeners of the county, most of whom 
 keep careful record of their crops. 
 These results show the profits to be 
 made from San Juan county lands with 
 proper effort. 
 
CoLoeAoo 
 
 MiKiNuey Cova 
 
SURVEYS i OTHER AUTHENTIC SOURCES 
 
S A WHOLE, comparatively little 
 is known of the mineral re- 
 sources ot San Juan county. 
 Marvelous stories have been 
 told of rich finds ot precious 
 metals within the Navajo res- 
 ervation in the range of mountains 
 extending along the western boun- 
 dary of the county. While gold, 
 silver, copper and other minerals 
 undoubtedly exist in these moun- 
 tains sufficient prospecting has 
 not been done to establish values. 
 Indications are found of placer 
 gold through the San Juan river valley and its tribu- 
 taries, but not in sufficient quantities thus far to make 
 mining profitable. 
 
 San Juan county's greatest underground wealth is 
 in the enormous deposits of coal which underlie a 
 considerable portion of the county in veins varying 
 from one to fifteen feet in thickness. Thus far these 
 
 coal deposits have only 
 Mlf^'^atAL RESOURCES been mined for domestic 
 AND TIMBER SUPPLY use. The San Juan county 
 
 coal is chiefly bitumin- 
 ous, with some lignite. For the most part it is not 
 good coking coal, but, on the other hand, is the 
 finest coal known for domestic use. It is free burn- 
 
 ing and reduces to a fine, clean ash, almost like 
 wood, making it especially well adapted to grate and 
 stove. The supply is practically without limit. 
 
 There are strong surface indications of petroleum 
 and some prospecting has been done which has de- 
 veloped light flows of gas of high illuminating 
 power. Experts express the opinion that deep drill- 
 ing will develop oil in paying quantities. Immense 
 beds of fire clay are found in various parts of the 
 county. Brick is now being successfully manufac- 
 tured at several points and tile and pottery manu- 
 facture will undoubtedly be a development of the 
 future. Lime is found in considerable quantities and 
 is being manufactured, while a fair grade of red 
 and white sandstone is available for building pur- 
 poses. Gypsum is found in large deposits. 
 
 The chemistry of San Juan county soils show them 
 to be rich in those plant feeding elements so vital to 
 fertilization. 
 
 San Juan county's timber supply while considerable 
 is for the most part unsuitable for manufacture. It 
 affords, however, ample supply for telephone poles, 
 fence posts and fire wood. The best timber is found 
 in the northwest portion of the county. 
 
 Although still young, San Juan county's 
 
 SCHOOLS public school system is fully adequate 
 
 and efficiently managed. In addition to 
 
 the graded schools and high schools of the larger 
 
 towns, district school houses, solidly constructed of 
 
 FannlnBton Flour Mills. 
 
 Page Twelve 
 
brick and well kept, are maintained ev- 
 ery few iTiiles and every school district 
 has a term of from seven to nine 
 months. The highest standard is main- 
 tained and only fully competent teach- 
 ers are employed. It is possible for 
 every farmer to give his children a 
 thorough basic education without send- 
 ing them awa.v froin home. 
 
 The population of the 
 SOCIAL county ccmes chiefly 
 
 CONDITIONS from the farming com- 
 munities of the middle 
 west. More than 90 per cent of it is American born 
 and there is no foreign element in the entire county. 
 All of the great religious denominations are repre- 
 sented b.v churches in the larger towns, services also 
 being held regularly in the district school houses, 
 where there are no churches. All the leading fra- 
 ternal and secret organiations have chapters in the 
 larger towns, so that the newcomer from one of the 
 central states may continue his social and religious 
 life without interruption. 
 
 The people are prosperous, law-abiding and happy. 
 There is no poor house and none is needed. San 
 Juan was the first county in New Mexico to close 
 the saloons and at this time is the only county in the 
 
 TAXATION, 
 VALUATION 
 AND WEALTH 
 
 New rublic School, -\ztec. 
 
 territory without a saloon within its 
 border.s. 
 
 Land and other values have been ad- 
 vancing rapidly in recent years as im- 
 provements have been made and new 
 land reclaimed. The 
 assessed valuation of 
 the county for 1909 
 is $1,281,084.00; an 
 increase over the valu- 
 ation of 1908 of about $150,000.00. Tax- 
 ation in this as in other counties of New 
 Mexico, is upon the basis of about 33% 
 per cent of the actual value. Taxes in San Juan 
 county for 1908, upon this 33% per cent valuation 
 basis were about 2 y. per cent for county and terri- 
 torial purposes. The school tax, which is additional, 
 varies according to the district, making an average of 
 not to exceed 4% in the towns. 
 
 In addition to railway and tele- 
 CONVENIENCES graph connections with the north 
 and east, including train service 
 between the larger towns, the whole of San Juan 
 county is connected by telephone. Each subscriber 
 may talk to any point in the county without extra 
 charge from his farm or village home. Long dis- 
 tance connection may be had with all points in the 
 
 (1) ReKidence uf 1.. 0. Elilin, Aztec. (2) Residence of H. D. Abrams. Aztec. (3) Residence of B. C. >'aughii. Aztec. 
 (4) Residence uf T. A. Fierce, Aztec, (S) Methodist Church, Aztec. 
 
 Pn^e Thirteen 
 
west; connection having been made as far east as 
 St. Louis. 
 
 The presence of several thousand Navajo Indians 
 on their reservation along the western border of 
 the county should cause no misgivings in the mind of 
 any intending settler. The Navajo Indians are an in- 
 dustrious, temperate people, devoted to farming and 
 stock raising. They have never been a trouble- 
 some people even in the 
 THE X.\V.\JO INDIANS days when New Mexico 
 
 was the border land of 
 civilization and since coming into close contact with 
 the white man they are fast adapting themselves to 
 his manner of living. The Navajos find work on the 
 railroads and readily accept employment in the 
 fields where they are often needed, giving an ever 
 ready supply of cheap and satisfactory labor. Their 
 women are engaged in weaving the famous Navajo 
 blankets for which there is an ever-growing demand, 
 and the Indians as a whole are a peaceful, pros- 
 perous people, devoting themselves steadily to their 
 own affairs. 
 
 Evidence is abundant that at 
 some distant period what is 
 now San Juan county sus- 
 tained a population of mil- 
 lions of people. These people 
 were at least partially civilized for they have left 
 the ruins of their stone and adobe dwellings scattered 
 
 thick on the 
 plains and in 
 the cliffs. 
 Their pottery, 
 their carved 
 stone imple- 
 ments and 
 their graves 
 are frequently 
 en countered 
 in making ex- 
 eavrtions, o r 
 scattered over 
 the uplands. 
 Across the 
 
 ONCE THE HOME 
 
 OF A 
 
 GREAT PEOPLE 
 
 (1) J. M. Thomas Bldg., Aztec. (3) Pinkstaff Bldg., .\zt«c. 
 (3) Green Bldg., .iitec. 
 
 Business Street, .Xztec. 
 
 river from Aztec are the ruins of what must have 
 been a city of great size, while along the Chaco are 
 well preserved walls of stone pueblos, of an archi- 
 tecture which bears no resemblance to that of the 
 Indians found in New Mexico today. A single ruin 
 at Pueblo Bonito which has yielded some of the 
 rarest archaeological treasurers found in the south- 
 west, contains 1,400 rooms, while there are scores 
 of smaller ruins of communal houses in different 
 parts of the country. These ruins have never been 
 fully explored and offer a wide and interesting 
 lield to the scientist. 
 
 Aztec and Farm- 
 TOWNS AND SETTLEMENTS ington, the only 
 
 incorporated towns, 
 are also the most important in the county. Aztec 
 is the county seat and has a population of about 
 800. It is situated on the east side of the Animas 
 river in the very heart of one of the most productive 
 farming and fruit raising districts in the whole 
 southwest. It is the distributing point for the Den- 
 ver and Rio Grande railroad for the entire northern 
 and eastern section of the county and also enjoys a 
 large section of trade from the fertile farming dis- 
 tricts to the south. It has a fine school system, in- 
 cluding a high school, while a new school building 
 is now under construction; its population is ex- 
 clusively American and the town is growing rapidly, 
 Aztec has well supported churches, a public library, 
 and other conveniences of a well established com- 
 munity. The fraternal and secret societies are well 
 represented. Progressive merchants conduct all 
 lines of business and the citizens are eneregtlc and 
 enterprising. The favorable location of the town in- 
 sures it future growth and prosperity. It main- 
 tains two good weekly newspapers. A modern elec- 
 tric light and power plant is under construction, and 
 there is a roller mill operated by water power. The 
 altitude is 5,500 feet. 
 
 Familngton, the largest town in the county, has 
 a population of about 1,000. It has water works, an 
 electric light plant which furnishes light and power 
 to the town, roller mills and canning factory. It is 
 the southern terminus of the Denver and Rio Grande 
 railroad, and is the trade center of a large territory 
 devoted to fruit growing and agriculture. Far- 
 mington's public school system is thoroughly modern 
 and includes a high school and is in the hands of 
 capable teachers. There are well-supported 
 
 Page Fourteen 
 
Scene on a San Juan County Cattle Ranch. 
 
 chinches, a public library, two weekly newspapers, 
 strong fraternal and secret societies and all conven- 
 iences of a modern town. The people are wide- 
 awake and progressive, all lines of business are well 
 represented and the town is enjoying a rapid and 
 substantial growth. Farmington is located at the 
 confluence of the La Plata and San Juan rivers and 
 is destined to continue one of the most important 
 towns, not only of this county, but of northern 
 New Mexico. The altitude is 5,300 feet. It is quite 
 certain that Farmington will have railroad connec- 
 tion with the south and west in the near future. 
 
 Pine River: Along the Pine river in New Mexico 
 is a continuous settlement from the state line below 
 La Boca on the Denver and Rio Grande railroad, to 
 the confluence of the Pine with the San Juan river. 
 La Boca, three miles south of the station of that 
 name, and Rosa, just across the line in Rio Arriba 
 county, are the two post offices in Pine River pre- 
 cinct. Sheep raising and agriculture are the princi- 
 pal industries. The precinct has about 350 people. 
 
 Largo: From the mouth of Pine river down to 
 about 1 >/i miles east of the line between ranges 9 and 
 10 lies what is known as Largo precinct. In this 
 precinct are about 1,500 acres of land under cultiva- 
 tion, with a population of 550, Turley is the only 
 post office in the precinct. In this precinct are large 
 mesas which can be watered economically both from 
 Pine river and the San Juan. Agriculture and sheep 
 raising are the principal industries. 
 
 Blanco: Blanco precinct embraces the settlements 
 about Blanco post office and Largo post office and a 
 considerable strip of adjacent territory on both sides 
 
 of the San Juan river. The precinct contains about 
 1,200 acres of land under cultivation and has a pop- 
 ulation of 4 50. The town of Blanco has three general 
 stores, a school, church and hotel. 
 
 These precincts constitute the first of the three 
 county commissioners' districts. 
 
 Haiiiinond: Below Largo on the south of the 
 San Juan river is the Hammond settlement, with a 
 population of 100 and having some of the most fer- 
 tile lands in the county. 
 
 Blooinfield : One of the oldest settlements in the 
 county is Bloomfield, on the north side of the San 
 Juan river. The settlement has a population of 150. 
 North of Bloomfield lies a series of broad mesas 
 which will be watered from the Citizens' and New 
 Eden Ditch irrigation projects. 
 
 Cedar Hill: Cedar Hill is about five miles north 
 of Aztec. It is a thriving fruit growing section with 
 a neighborhood population of about 350. 
 
 Riverside: Riverside is &, new community, now 
 rapidly settling and developing. It lies just south of 
 the state line on the Animas river. 
 
 Flora Vista: The village of Flora Vista is one of 
 the prettiest and most prosperous in the entire 
 county. It is on the Animas river and the Denver 
 and Rio Grande railroad about six miles from Aztec. 
 The village population is now about 100. 
 
 Frultland: Fruitland is a thriving village of 100 
 people on the San Juan river twelve miles from 
 Farmington. Adjoining Fruitland are extensive coal 
 beds owned by citizens of the village which supply 
 superior domestic coal to the surrounding country 
 for $1.25 a ton. No section of the county has a 
 
 Page Kl.'ieen 
 
brighter future than Fruitland because of location, 
 the rich soil of the surrounding country and its 
 proximity to an inexhaustible fuel supply. 
 
 Liiberty: This is the name of a post office in the 
 fertile Jewett valley south of Fruitland. This valley 
 is one of the garden spots of the count.y. 
 
 Shiprook Indian Agency: One of the most import- 
 ant Indian agencies in the west is that at Shiprock 
 located on the edge of the Navajo reservation. The 
 agency derives its name from a mighty rock, shaped 
 like a ship, which rises far behind it. Under the 
 direction of W. T. Shel- 
 ton, the agent, the Ship- 
 rock agency has been 
 transformed into a 
 model village w i t h 
 broad streets, sidewalks, 
 lawns, model homes 
 and attractive public 
 buildings. The agency 
 gives to the Indian boys 
 and girls a thorough 
 education and to th<- 
 boys a complete course 
 in manual training and 
 the useful trades. 
 
 La Plata and Pendle- 
 ton: These are the 
 names of the post office-^ 
 in the famous La Plata 
 valley. This valley i^; 
 the great grain and ha> 
 raising section of th> 
 county. Forty bushe'- 
 of wheat to the acre i~ 
 not an unusual yield for 
 this section and a 1 1 
 other grains grow witli 
 equal luxuriance, while 
 alfalfa yields large pro- 
 tits. Dr.v farming ha-; 
 been tried successfull.\ 
 on some of the higher 
 surrounding mesas. A 
 projected system of res- 
 ervoirs to conserve flood 
 waters of the La Plata 
 river, will, when carried 
 out, reclaim man.v 
 thousands of acres of 
 the best land in the 
 
 count.y. E.xtensive coal beds are found in the upper 
 La Plata valley. 
 
 The Meadows: This is an extensive valley north 
 of Fruitland and west of the La Plata river, now 
 rapidly settling up. This valley is underlaid with a 
 strong flow of water at an average depth of 200 feet. 
 Projected storage reservoirs will bring all this sec- 
 tion under irrigation within the next few years. 
 
 The first question in the mind of the intending 
 settler is usually in connection with the government 
 lands open to entry. A portion of the lands in San 
 Juan county are open to entry 
 GEXERAL under the homestead or desert 
 
 INFORiLiTIOX land laws. In addition to his 
 homestead of 160 acres each set- 
 tler, head of a family, may enter 160 acres more un- 
 der the desert land act, such land to be reclaimed, or 
 watered within four years from date of entry, while 
 
 each adult member of his family may enter 320 acres 
 of land in the same way. 
 
 The ease and certainty with which land can be 
 reclaimed, or watered, are first considerations and 
 these conditions can only be determined by careful 
 personal investigation and study of the ground. 
 There are many small tracts of 160 acres or more 
 lying adjacent to improved lands which are available 
 for entry and there are many larger tracts on which 
 a colony of settlers, by combining their efforts and 
 resources, can make homes and reclaim the land at 
 
 First National Banli, Fannington. 
 
 a minimum of cost. Fuel is cheap and while lumber 
 is expensive houses can be built anywhere in the 
 county with the material at hand, either of adobe or 
 brick. The land has only to be watered to give 
 abundant returns. 
 
 There is a constant demand for labor in the set- 
 tled portions of the county. Farm hands receive 
 from $1.50 to $2.00 per day for day labor, and from 
 $40 to $50 a month, with board. Navajo laborers 
 ma.v usaully be employed for $1.50 per day. 
 
 The stores throughout the county carry large and 
 complete stocks and supply everything that is needed. 
 No settler need bring his household goods and effects 
 with him unless for special reasons. The cost of 
 furniture and supplies, farm implements, etc., varies 
 little from the cost of such articles in the central 
 and middle-western states. 
 
 Page Sixteen 
 
stock from other sections of the country thrives 
 here and may be safely brought. 
 
 Water is found at depths var^•ing from 50 to 200 
 feet. The cost of sinking a well is from $1.25 to 
 $1.75 per foot, including casing. 
 
 To the man who is familiar with its resources and 
 the conditions now existing, the future of San Juan 
 county is very plain. Nature has been generous in 
 her gifts to this favored section. 
 THE FUTURE Millions of acres of fertile land, a 
 water supply for irrigation abso- 
 lutely without limit, the most perfect climate on 
 earth for health and successful labor in the fields, 
 fuel and building materials in abundance and to be 
 had for the asking; these are a few of Nature's 
 gifts to San Juan county. New Mexico. 
 
 Land is cheap in San Juan county now. Much of 
 the best of it is to be had for the mere trouble of 
 filing on it with homestead or desert land entry. It 
 is a condition which of necessity cannot continue for 
 long, for a land of such opportunity cannot long re- 
 main undiscovered and the homeseekers have dis- 
 covered San Juan county. But while it does con- 
 tinue this county offers an unparalleled opportunity 
 to the homeseeker to secure an ideal home and by 
 industry and well directed energ.y to insure for him- 
 self and his posterity moderate fortune. The home- 
 seekers are coming in ever-increasing numliers. 
 Within three years the population of the county will 
 have increased six fold. Those who come first will 
 have the choice of the land and will grow in wealth 
 with the inevitable development of this richest sec- 
 tion of the great Southwest. 
 
 NEW MEXICO TKE Ii.\M> 
 OV OPPOKTUXITY 
 
 .S;i 11 .luau (.oiintj' is 
 but om> of twenty-five 
 counties in New Mex- 
 ico, now developing with marvelous rapidity. The 
 area of land under cultivation in New Mexico has 
 
 more than doubled 
 in the two years 
 prior to July 1. 
 1909. In that period 
 the population in- 
 creased one-fourth. 
 About thirt.v thou- 
 sand (30.000) ori- 
 ginal land entries 
 were made, cover- 
 ing nn area of 
 nearly 5,000.000 
 acres. The assess- 
 
 ed valuation of the territory increased nearly $10,- 
 000,000.00. All New Mexico, just as is San Juan 
 county, is the land of opportunity toward which the 
 homeseekers of the nation are now turning. 
 
 The Bureau of Immigration is an official organi- 
 zation of six members employing a secretary, paid by 
 
 the territory. The mem- 
 bers serve without pay 
 and are appointed every 
 two years by the Gov- 
 ernor and confirmed by 
 the upper house of the 
 legislature. Their du- 
 ties are to furnish in- 
 formation about New 
 Mexico to intending set- 
 tlers, to induce immi- 
 gration and to work for 
 the general development 
 and prosperity of the country. The members of the 
 Bureau, or the secretary are ready at all times to 
 give prompt attention to any request for information 
 about any section of New Mexico. The membershij) 
 of the Bureau as now constituted is: 
 
 President. Geo. L. Brooks. Albuquerque, Bernalillo 
 
 Treasurer. John A. Haley. Carrizozo, Lincoln 
 
 W. Goff Black .Aztec. San Juan County, 
 
 H. Betts. Silver City, Grant County; L. K. 
 
 Chaves County; M. M. Padgett. 
 
 A Bridge Over the Animas River 
 
 County; 
 
 County; 
 
 Howard 
 
 McGaffey, Roswell. 
 
 East Las Vegas, San Miguel County. 
 
 H. B. Hening, Secretary. Albuquerque, N. M., 
 give prompt attention to all letters of inquiry. 
 
 will 
 
 (I) 
 
 <3) 
 
 Page Seventeen 
 
 Residence of t». N. Norton, Near Fariiiington. 
 Residence of .Mrs. f'lirrie. KiirniinKton. 
 Residence of R. 1'. Hopkins, l-'urminglon. 
 
 Some Actual Results from San Juan County 
 Orchards, Farms and Truck Gardens 
 
 The following are a few examples of actual results 
 from San Juan count.x- orchards, farms and truck 
 gardens; 
 
 A. Sever and sons, of Flora \'ista have seven acres 
 of apple orchard. Two acres are planted to summer 
 varieties and are not included in this summary. From 
 the ramining five acres of winter varieties this orchard 
 in a season has produced 2. 924 boxes of apples, sold 
 at $1.50 per box or $4, .386. 00. an average of better 
 than $800.00 per acre. Of the 2,924 boxes sold, 2,246 
 were from Pen Davis trees. A single Ben Davis tree 
 in this orchard produced 40 boxes of apples. 
 * * * 
 
 H. A. Goodberlet. near Aztec, from 100 trees, sold 
 1,425 boxes of apples at $1.50 per box, or $2,137.50. 
 The peaches and vegetables sold from this ranch 
 brought its revenue for 1907 up to $2,700. 
 
 * * * 
 
 F. T. Hickman, of Flora Vista, sold 1,000 boxes 
 of apples from three acres of orchard, at $1.50 per 
 box, an average of $500 an acre. 
 
 * * * 
 
 C. H. Wood, of Cedar Hill, from two acres of 
 orchard, sold 900 boxes of apples at $1.65 per box, 
 or $1,485. 
 
 * * * 
 
 G. W. McCoy, of Aztec, from about four acres, 
 produced 4,424 boxes of apples sold at $1.50 per 
 box, or $3,636, an average of about $900 an acre. 
 
San Juan County Court House, Aztec. 
 
 J. E. McCarty, of Farminirton. from six acres of 
 orchard sold 2,200 boxes of apples at an average of 
 J2 per box, or $4,400, an average of $700 an acre. 
 
 «: * * 
 
 A. F. Miller who owns an orchard adjoining the 
 town of Farmington marketed 38 boxes of applxs 
 from a single tree last fall which brought him $2 per 
 box, or $76 from the one tree. The apples from this 
 orchard took the first prize at the New Mexico Ter- 
 ritorial Fair in 1905. 
 
 =,-- * • 
 
 On a 100-foot lot in Aztec, which he bought for 
 $300, H. D. Abrams has a few Geniton trees. 
 From these trees he sold $175 worth of apples. 
 
 From 14 young Elberta peach trees. George 
 A. Tinker, of Cedar Hill, sold $312 worth of 
 fruit, an average of better than $22 a tree. 
 
 * * * 
 
 George Fansher, south of Aztec, sold 600 
 bushels of potatoes from one acre of ground. 
 In pounds this acre produced 36.000, which 
 sold at $1.25 per hundred, or $450 for the crop. 
 
 * * * 
 
 C. B. Hume, north of Aztec, from an acre of 
 ground, produced 21,700 pounds of potatoes 
 which sold at $271.25 for the acre. 
 
 * * * 
 
 D. P. Rickets, of Aztec, planted half an 
 acre to tomatoes. This half acre produced 526 
 
 twenty-pound boxes of tomatoes for which he re- 
 ceived net $140. 
 
 George Brett, of Flora Vista, from half an acre of 
 onions sold 10,000 pounds, which returned him $125. 
 
 * * * 
 
 Numerous examples may be cited of corn in San 
 Juan county's crop which produced from 50 to 
 55 bushels to the acre, and of oats which brought 
 from 60 to 75 bushels. 
 
 .\ Fair of .San Juan Cuunty Beauties, Kancb of B. E. Cooper. 
 
 Page Elehteen 
 
TWO LETTERS FROM MEN LOCATED NEAR FARMINGTON 
 
 F:irmiiiston, X. M., Nov. 13, 190S. 
 
 Dear Sir; — In answer to yours of November 8th, 
 will say: 
 
 That in all lines of farming and gardening and 
 fruit growing where I have used the study and care 
 necessary, so far have made a success financially, 
 that I do not believe could be surpassed cnly in this 
 lich irrigation district of the Rocky Mountains, and 
 by some one of experience, as I cannot claim but a 
 siiort experience along these lines. I give you a few 
 items which I could add to had I the time; 
 
 Per acre 
 
 On early potatoes, net $ 400.00 
 
 On spinach, net 350.00 
 
 On pickling and set onions 1000.00 
 
 On beets, turnips, carrots 50.00 
 
 On peas 40.00 
 
 On corn and wheat 35.00 
 
 On alfalfa 20.011 
 
 On cantaloups 250.00 
 
 On strawberries 400.00 
 
 On peaches, 3 years from planting .SOO.OO 
 
 On 2 V4 acres peaches and grapes 2300.00 
 
 On apples, 10-year-okl Koman Beauty. 
 
 (13 trees) 175.00 
 
 No doubt many citizens of this famous section 
 
 who have had long experience, can do much better 
 and with better transportation I hope to improve 
 on these results, but in large acreage I could not 
 expect to get as favorable results. 
 
 Yours sincerely, 
 
 (Signed) GEO. E. ALLEN. 
 
 * * * 
 
 Farmington, N. M., Nov. 17, 1908. 
 
 My experience in ranching in New Mexico has 
 been almost exclusively confined to fruit growing. 
 
 In the nineteen years in which I have been in 
 the business we have had three failures. Although 
 1 grow nearly all kinds of fruit which is generally 
 grown in this latitude, 1 have made specialties of 
 apples and peaches. Have sold as high as $1,300 
 worth of apples from one acre. Some trees yield- 
 ing upwards of $50.00. In peaches we have sold 
 about half of that value. These figures are extreme, 
 of course, but they show what can be done, and no- 
 doubt they will be duplicated hereafter. We have 
 made niany mistakes in experimenting as to varieties 
 which neither we nor others need repeat. Unim- 
 proved land witli water in this vicinity Is worth 
 from $100 to $150 per acre. Improved land from 
 $100 to $500. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 (Signed) R. H. WOODS. 
 
 (I) Kitnell of N. Smith. Hood Tost Oll'irf. San •Jlliiii Connl.v 
 Ci) .\ Typical Vuuiik Orchard in .san Jnaii Count.v. 
 (:i) Hnherdicks' — I,n I'lnta. (4) Store at l"endleton. 
 
 I'aee Nlnetocii 
 
\ 
 
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