With the exception of the Tijeras, these localities are not even subject to freshets, owing to the limited drainage area above them.

The Tijeras, however, at times discharges large volumes of flood waters, and has one or more reservoir sites, but owing to the great amount of debris brought down in time of floods, storage is probably impracticable.

JAMEZ-DISTRICT No. 5.

Geographical location: Central northern portion of New Mexico, covering portions of Rio Arriba and Bernalillo counties. Acreage irrigated, 4,500.

South of Chama, and west of White Rock canon, lies the Jemez district. The catchment area of this district is embraced between the west slope of the Jemez mountains, which reach an altitude of 11,000 feet, and the eastern slopes of the Nacimiento, whose summits are Somewhat lower.

The precipitation on these slopes is generally heavy and is collected by the many small streams forming the Jemez. These streams flow through long narrow, but very fertile valleys in the upper reaches, and the water supply is excellent, but from about the pueblo ef Jemez, south to its junctions with the Rio Grande the river flows through a sandy, barren country; its bed is wide and most of the water is lost in seepage and evaporation, leaving but little if any to reach the Rio Grande, excepting in early spring and in time of flood;

There is an abundant supply of water above San Ysidro, but below this point there is great scarcity, so great in fact that the Indians of the pueblo of Santa Ana have been compelled to abandon their farming lands on the Jemez and take up land on the Rio Grande, some ten miles distant.

The acreage irrigated in this district is about 4,500 acres, and it may be said this cannot be increased, excepting by storage. It is but a small percentage of what could be brought under cultivation by improved methods, for during early spring and in time of floods in June, July and August, there is a large surplus of water which, as there are good reservoir sites available, might readily be conserved.

PUERCO-DISTRICT No. 6.

Geographical location: Central western portion of New Mexico, covering parts of Rio Arriba, Bernalillo and Valencia counties. Acreage irrigated, 13,980.

This district includes the entire drainage area of the Rio Puerco and its tributaries, extending from the Chama and Jemez districts on the north, to the divide between the Puerco and Salado on the south. Its eastern limit is the foot-hills bordering the Rio Grande valley, and the western, the Continental divide.

The character of the country is hilly and broken. Its altitude ranges in general from 4,000 to 7,000 feet, and the precipitation is very light, being about seven inches annually, and as a consequence there are but few perennial streams.

The major part of the precipitation occurs usually during the months of June, July and August, in the form of very heavy rains or cloud bursts, resulting in torrents which for volume and duration, are not exceeded in the territory, excepting on the lower Pecos.

At Rocky Ford, floods discharging a maximum of 32,000 second feet have been observed. Such floods, however, are unusual, this being the maximum, but freshets discharging from two to three thousand second feet are comparatively frequent during the rainy

season.

Much the greater portion of this district never furnishes water to the stream, the precipitation that reaches the arroyos being lost by seepage in their sandy beds.

The Rio Puerco runs from north to south through the eastern portion of this district, receiving its entire perennial supply through a number of small streams from the western slopes of the Nacimiento mountains, but a small amount, however, reaching the main stream, which is dry south of Casa Salazar from the time the spring flow ceases until about the latter part of November, with the exception of times of freshets.

From Casa Salazar to the mouth of the Puerco, there are no irrigated lands excepting at San Ignacio, where 500 acres are in culti

vation.

In years past most of the rich bottom lands for 40 miles south of Casa Salazar were under irrigation, but within the last 15 or 20 years the Puerco has been cutting out its bed until now it flows in

a tortuous channel with precipitous banks from 30 to 40 feet below the level of the valley, rendering it impossible with the crude methods of the Mexican settlers to raise the water sufficiently to bring it upon the lands and causing the abandonment of the entire country, with the exception of the small acreage, before mentioned at San Ignacio.

On the small streams, the San Jose, La Jara, Los Pinos creek, Rito, La Leche and Rito del Nacimiento, at the headwaters of the Puerco, irrigation is confined to small patches along the sides of the narrow valleys, and will aggregate 700 acres.

From the east boundary of the San Joaquin grant to Casa Salazar, between which limits irrigation extends, the irrigated areas are not continuous, but are located about the many small settlements, the acreage aggregating 2,980 acres.

Outside of the above acreage, the irrigated lands are scattered over the district wherever water may be found, the principal acreage being on the San Jose, which is the main tributary of the Puerco and its feeders. This stream rises on the Continental divide, and flowing southeast, joins the Puerco about four miles east of San Jose station.

The normal flow is exceedingly small, and is wholly consumed by the irrigation along the stream. During the rainy season, however, it discharges enormous quantities of flood water, and it is only by the conservation of their waters that the irrigable acreage can be increased.

On the upper portion of the stream, at the junction of the Cottonwood and Bluewater creeks, the Bluewater Land & Irrigation Company have constructed a dam 42 feet high, impounding water for the irrigation of their lands some 12 miles below. From this reservoir, 2,000 acres are irrigated. There are no other storage systems in the district.

The principal irrigated acreage on the river is between Acoma and Laguna, and about 3,900 acres are served by water taken from the San Jose. About El Rito and Masita, 800 acres are under irrigation, and these points mark the limit of the irrigated acreage down the river.

At Juan Tafoya about 200 acres are cultivated from springs in the canon on the upper Salado, no further increase being possible.

In the vicinity of San Mateo, about 600 acres are also served from springs, this acreage consuming the entire flow. In addition, 2,300 acres are in cultivation in detached areas throughout the district, this acreage consuming the entire water supply, with the exception of early spring flow and flood flow, occurring during the rainy season.

Only by storage can this acreage be increased. There are a number of reservoir sites available, but only a careful study of the water supply can determine the possibilities of the district.

BLACK RANGE-DISTRICT No. 7.

Geographical location: Eastern half of the southwestern quarter of New Mexico, embracing portions of Socorro, Sierra and Grant counties. Acreage irrigated, 9,270.

This district embraces all the drainage area from the western edge of the Rio Grande valley to the Continental divide, and from the Puerco to the Mexico line.

It is a rough and broken country, and the water supply exceedingly scant, the precipitation ranging from four to six inches during the summer, while the total per annum is probably in the neighborhood of ten inches.

Irrigation is generally confined to the valleys of the few small streams flowing eastward toward the Rio Grande, and to the valley of the Mimbres. None of these, however, discharge water to the Rio Grande excepting during seasons of excessive snowfall or during very heavy floods.

Although the water supply is scanty, it is constant and probably on this account a higher duty of water is reached in this district than in any other portion of the territory.

On the Rio Salado, 600 acres are irrigated, this consuming the entire water supply with the exception of the excessively heavy freshets occurring during the rainy season.

On the Rio Alamosa, 1,200 acres are irrigated in the vicinity of Canada de Alamosa, Monticello and above.

The Cuchillo Negro serves 1,500 acres at and above Cuchillo. There are irrigated from springs in the Rio Palomas, 540 acres; from springs in Las Animas, 500 acres; from springs in the Rio Perchas, 100 acres; from springs in Cienega Apache, 120 acres;

and from springs in Barenda creek, 160 acres. This acreage consumes all the water at several points with the exception of the flood flow.

The Mimbres valley is the seat of the largest irrigation areas in the district, the principal acreage being on the upper portion of the stream and its branches.

The total acreage under irrigation is about 5,000 acres, and in serving this body of land the flow of the stream is practically consumed.

Floods occur during the rainy season and of great volume; but this stream has no other outlet, in times of flood, discharging its waters on the Florida plains, where they are lost in the sands.

Here, particularly near Deming, is a region of country known to be 50 miles wide, and 100 miles long from north to south, where an inexhaustible supply of water can be reached by wells no more than 50 feet deep. As this phase of the question is beyond the scope of this report, further mention of the matter has been omitted.

Reservoir sites are found through this district and storage must be resorted to before further improvement may be had in this dis

trict.

COLORADO-DISTRICT No. 8.

Geographical location: Southwestern portion of New Mexico, covering the western portions of Bernalillo, Valencia, Socorro, Sierra and Grant counties. Acreage irrigated, 17,000.

The Colorado district embraces all the land west of the Continental divide and south of the San Juan.

The topography of the country is greatly broken, being occupied by the Black range, Mogollon, Tularosa mountains, in which rise the headwaters of the Gila, Salt and Little Colorado rivers of Arizona. The principal streams are the Gila, San Francisco and Zuni, which are perennial within the territory.

No data is available as to the flow of these streams, but at present the water supply is sufficient for the acreage irrigated, although there has been some shortage during very dry years.

The irrigated acreage is also uncertain, but is probably about 9.000 acres on the Gila, 6,000 on the San Francisco, 1,000 on the