ico. The grade of stock on this range has been steadily improved until the character of the cattle seen in the immense herds of the company is fully equal to any in the West.

A considerable trade is carried on at Picacho on the Rio Hondo, on the Ruidoso near Dowlin's mills, at Angus on the Bonito, and at Bonito, in which localities mercantile houses have been established and are all doing a thriving business.

NOGAL.

Nogal is situated at the mouth of Nogal Canyon, 3 miles from Walnut station, on the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad, in the vicinity of some very rich mines already developed to a considerable extent, and surrounded by a wide field for the prospector, where new and promising claims are continually being located and developed. The town is in a charming location at the base of high mountains and in view of the most picturesque and grandly beautiful scenery. The town enjoys a good and growing trade.

Richardson is on the north side of the Capitan Mountains, in the midst of a wide, well-watered stock range. It is the headquarters of El Capitan Land and Cattle Company, one of the largest sheep and cattle raisers in this region, which controls most of the water sources and consequently the range for many miles from Richardson, where are located the offices, trading establishment, and post-office which accommodate the residents of that part of Lincoln County.

OTHER SETTLEMENTS.

Arabella and Hondo are pretty and prosperous agricultural settlements and Parsons and Oscuro, on El Paso and Northeastern Railway, and Jicarilla are mining camps. Fort Stanton is the sanitarium of the United States Marine Hospital Service for consumptives, and has a post-office. Jakes, Coyote, elevation, 5,793 feet; Ancho, 6,001 feet; Tecolote, 6,531 feet; Gallinas, 6,656 feet; Alta, 6,654 feet, and Torrance, 6,427 feet, are railway stations, the latter at the junction point of the El Paso and Rock Island Railway and the Santa Fe Central Railway. Here a new town, Torrance by name, is being founded and is to be a trading and industrial center.

AN INVITING FIELD.

Lincoln County being one of the richest sections of New Mexico in natural wealth, possessing besides a perfect climate, and yet but sparsely settled and inadequately developed, is indeed a promising field for investment by the capitalist, the manufacturer, the miner, and the stockman. The cheapness of fuel and timber, the abundance of raw material, such as iron, copper, and other ores, of gypsum and salt, of hides and wool, should result in the rearing of many industrial establishments. The rich mineral wealth of the mountains has been prospected in but a few spots. There is plenty of room for the building of small and large irrigation systems, the drilling of wells, and the development of agriculture and horticulture. For the health seeker, not looking for luxuries, Lincoln County offers an ideal home, its pine and fir clad hills and dry and aseptic air assuring a certain cure to those not too far advanced with disease.

LUNA COUNTY.

Luna County, which was created by the Thirty-fourth legislative assembly, and organized April 1, 1901, is in the extreme southern part of the Territory, bordering upon Mexico, and having between it and the Arizona line on the west a narrow extension of Grant County, which also touches the line of Mexico. The county extends 56 miles north and south and 54 miles east and west, and contains 1,935,360 acres, being two and one-half times the size of Rhode Island.

The Mimbres River traverses it from north to south. There is running water in its upper course, but lower down it sinks. It is primarily a cattle and mining country, although it has a fine, rich soil, which can be made to produce abundant crops of all sorts, as well as fruits of the finest quality, through the medium of irrigation. The returns of the assessor's office give the amount of agricultural land under irrigation and cultivated or used for stock-feeding purposes as 9,253 acres, although as the county develops there will no doubt be hundreds of thousands of acres added to it.

As the last census was taken while Luna County was still a part of Grant, it is impossible to determine the population definitely, but it is from 2,500 to 3,000, over one-half of which is in Deming, the county

seat.

The census of 1900 gives Deming a population of 1,341; Lower Mimbres precinct, 486; and Cooks precinct, 504. There are besides about 100 inhabitants in the part taken from Dona Ana County and now included in Luna County, thus giving Luna County in 1900 a population of 2,431.

RAILROADS.

The assessed valuation of the county is $1,292,878. Two railroad lines, the Southern Pacific and the Santa Fe, pass directly through it, with a junction at Deming. Large numbers of men are working on the grade of the Bisbee road from Bisbee to Deming.

This work is nearly completed, and much of its material has been received. This line runs from Deming to Carizilillo Springs, in the southern part of the county; from that place to a point near Lords. burg, and thence to Bisbee.

The railroad mileage in Luna County is as follows: Southern Pacific, 65 miles; Santa Fe, 110 miles; Bisbee, 65 miles, or 240 miles in all. Thus, it will be seen that the railroad facilities are excellent, enabling shippers to send out products cheaply and conveniently. It is understood that the Bisbee road has behind it the owners of the great Arizona copper mines at Clifton, Morenci, and Bisbee, which will make them heavy carriers.

CLIMATE.

The mean altitude of Luna County is nearly 5,000 feet. Probably no county in New Mexico has a milder climate. The winters are warm, and snow is rare, seldom lying on the ground longer than an hour or two after falling. The summers are pleasant, and the nights almost always cool, so that one rests well. There is no malaria lurking in its pure atmosphere. It is free from ague, chills, and fever.

The summer temperature is so modified by the light airs from the mountains as not to be in the least degree oppressive. The average

minimum temperature is 28°, taken for a period of ten years. There are in the whole year three hundred days of sunshine, twenty days actually cloudy, and forty-five days partially cloudy. The forty-five days recorded as partially cloudy, however, are frequently more pleasant than a totally cloudless day. There are, in reality, very few days in the year which one can not enjoy out of doors.

All the villages and little settlements have schools, post-offices, and stores. School terms are from six to nine months in length, and the very best teachers are employed, at good salaries.

STOCK.

As a cattle country Luna County offers remarkable facilities. Stockmen are never obliged to feed, their herds pasturing the year round in the valleys and mountains. In years past, during a dry time, stock frequently suffered for lack of water. This has been obviated by the digging of wells, the whole country being dotted with windmills, than which there is no cheaper power for raising water. There are many hundreds of these in the county, and as there is always an abundance of grass, it is in this sense everything that could be desired. Owing to the mild and equable climate, and abundant water and grass, stockmen have found the country an ideal one for breeding. It has been claimed that the actual cost of raising an animal which will sell for $15 will not exceed $2. (This presupposes the possession of original stock and the owning of a fair-sized herd of cattle.)

There are about 50,000 head of cattle in the county, nearly all stock that will average up well.

Poultry thrives if a little attention is given it. A very ready market for chickens, turkeys, and eggs exists all over the Southwest. A number of chicken ranches established in the county should yield their owners handsome returns. For years quantities of poultry and eggs have been shipped into New Mexico on almost every train from the East. These products, with a little enterprise, could be raised at home, where they would be not only a considerable source of revenue, but prevent the constant sending of money out of the Territory for something it can produce as well at home.

MINING DISTRICTS.

The county contains five mining districts. The first and most important of these is Cooks, 20 miles north of Deming, where are located vast deposits of lead. The ore is almost entirely lead carbonates, carrying about 40 per cent in lead and 10 ounces in silver, and is especially sought after by the smelters on account of its desirability for fluxing. The deepest working is about 250 feet. As depth is attained there are good copper indications, and it is the opinion of the well informed that with development Cooks will yet have a reputation as a copper-producing camp.

The Graphic Mining Company has taken from its properties something like $500,000 in lead and silver. The El Paso Smelting Company's group of mines have yielded $2,000,000 in the past fifteen years. The Teel & Poe Mining Company have shipped between 700 and 800 cars of ore, averaging $500 a car in value, or between $300,000 and

$400,000. Aside from the above-mentioned properties, about $200,000 has been taken from the various mines in the district. Among these may be mentioned the Flower Queen, Chance, Leadville, and Inez.

The Victoria mining district lies in the western part of the county, near the line of the Southern Pacific Railroad. It has produced in the past over $1,500,000 in gold, silver, and lead. The two principal mines here are the Chance and the St. Louis, and it is from these that most of this amount has been realized. From the Chance mine Mr. Michael Burke, of Deming, on a lease, took out in less than a year mineral to the amount of $90,000. Wolframite also occurs in this district. This very scarce and valuable product is found in only a few places in the Southwest. J. Corneilson's mine yields wolframite of a very high grade.

Twenty-five miles south of Deming lies the Tres Hermanos mining district. There are many properties here which have produced well, although they are all practically undeveloped. It is safe to state that from the Cincinnati alone $100,000 has been taken.

The Yellow Jacket, owned by Judge Seaman Field; the Hancock, owned by J. B. Hodgdon and James Martin; the Contention, the Johnstown, the A. J. Clark group, and the claims of A. Beals & Co. are all good properties. From several of these considerable sums have been taken. The Hancock is a true fissure lode with seven shafts upon it, from 60 to 145 feet deep, within a length of 445 feet.

Most of the mines were originally worked by men with limited capital, who were obliged to follow small bunches of ore in order to pay expenses. Silver and lead are the main products of the camp, although gold also occurs. Much of the ore is of high grade.

The district as a whole will probably run from 33 to 62 per cent lead and from 18 to 51 ounces per ton in silver, with from one-fourth of an ounce to 1 ounce in gold.

The line of the Bisbee road passes very near this camp, which will have a very strong tendency to increase development of property in the district.

The Florida district is in the Florida Mountains, 12 miles southeast of Deming. But one good mine has been developed in this district, the Silver Cave, from which over $60,000 has been taken. J. G. Clarke and Hodgdon & Allison have done a great deal of work at the upper end of the range, as has also Mr. Frank Priser in the southern portion.

The Carizilillo district is in the southwestern part of the county. It is directly on the line of the Bisbee railroad and produces silver and copper. The Golden Cross and Eagle Mining Company have done considerable work here, as have also Merrill & Byron. It lies near the line of Mexico and has abundant wood and water. The Byron and Merrill properties are in very promising formation.

Luna County certainly has a bright future as regards mining. But a small fraction of its territory has been prospected. The mines which have been discovered have not always been worked on the most economical basis. The increase of railroad facilities will have a tendency to promote renewed interest in this, the most attractive and, under favorable circumstances, most remunerative of all enterprises. Indications of coal oil have recently been discovered at the base of Cooks peak, about 10 miles north of Deming, and developing and

prospecting for oil is going on in that vicinity. Several hundred locations have been made and it is believed that a permanent oil field will be the result as soon as thorough tests are made.

IRRIGATION AND AGRICULTURE.

In the northwestern part of Luna County, along the valley of the Mimbres, are fine farms which are irrigated from the river. These produce immense crops of alfalfa, wheat, corn, and fruits. In fact, the agricultural products are of almost every variety. Vegetables are produced in great abundance and of the best quality, including potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, peas, beets, celery, onions, pumpkins. squashes, watermelons, and canteloupes. Drew Gorman, who raises large crops of the finest watermelons in the land, which he markets at Silver City, Santa Rita, and Hanover, says that no crop he can raise is so valuable as a good melon crop. Last year he sold melons by the wagonload at the ranch at the rate of $30 a hundred. Here are also grown peaches, pears, plums, apricots, cherries, and fine apples. The soil in the valley is a deep, rich alluvium and needs only to be irrigated to produce heavily.

A large company is now exploiting an undertaking by which they propose to build dams across the Mimbres Valley and thereby raise the water to the surface. They have acquired a large body of land and made preliminary surveys. Their idea is to put many thousands of acres under ditch and divide it into small holdings.

The vast plain which surrounds Deming consists of thousands of acres of excellent land. Water is the only thing needed to make it productive. Possibly artesian wells may be developed in the future. One mile east of Deming the Wah Brothers have 20 acres of land under cultivation, planted to fruit trees and vegetables. They have a steam pump which raises from 200 to 300 gallons of water a minute, which is more than sufficient for their needs. They raise excellent vegetables in large quantities, and have proved conclusively that the soil is capable of producing all sorts of farm and garden products.

DEMING.

Deming, the county seat of Luna, is situated geographically in the center of the county, at an altitude of 4,300 feet. It has a population of 1,500 and is the railroad center of southern New Mexico. Here is the junction of the Southern Pacific, the Santa Fe, and the Bisbee railroads. The town is advancing rapidly in material prosperity, and its future as a desirable residence and business community is assured. The people are progressive, but also conservative. It has 2 newspapers, the Headlight and the Herald; 4 churches with Sunday schools and religious societies; all the bodies of the Masonic fraternity, Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, and other orders. It has a fine publicschool building, in which a corps of 6 teachers are employed. The course of study for these schools is very thorough and complete, and they rank high in the Territory. The Bank of Deming is a solid institution which is prepared to do any amount of business. There are about 25 business houses in the town, many carrying heavy stocks, which supply a large extent of the country, mining camps, and surrounding ranchers. Here are the plants of the Deming Mining and Milling Company, the Deming Sampling Works, the Santa Fe round