Show THE SAINTS IN MEXICO W D 1 johnson jr who presides over ever colonia diaz wardan mexico in the capacity of bishop and who has bag been in this city attending be annual conference starts for his bis home tomorrow in conversation today he gave the following follow ing items re carding ang the settlements of the lattery ard day t saints in I 1 n chihuahua during 1891 and 1892 the drouth in that part of the country was terribly terrible and almost dried the people out thousands of cattle bied from labit of water and scarcity of food caused by the fidure of the grass grasa such a drouth haa ban never been known before in mexico its operations associated with tile the failure or of J W young to pay f fr jr work done on the railway caused considerable hardship and nd almost financially ruined some of the people last ladt winter however the rains again began and a marked change has boo come over the whole scene toe grain and grass are growing nicely the first crop of lucern is now ready t to out and the fruit crop is iu in splendid plen did condition from condit oj conditions ious which caused feelings of discouragement coura gement there has ban been a transition to brighter prospects than were over ever known before there are uve Mormon settlements in chihuahua diaz aud and juarez with wilh a population of over bacu baca dubau with to inhabitant and pai pa and cave val toy with an aggregate population of about diaz is located in the ascension valley which is id about 60 50 miles toog long by SO to 26 25 mil mils s wide anti and dublan in the jusis grafues granites Gra valley about the k kame ame size and through both runs the casas grandes river though so much further farther south than great salt lake valley the cil climate M ate of D az valley la its so warmer in the summer time tuis tais to if owing to the fact that its altitude is in feel above that vf of sal lake in she winter however ithe weather lm IN mot nearly cearly so 00 cold last winter the heaviest storm ue deposited posited about four inches of snow I 1 ty on the ground a whole day usually snow celcis as quickly as it fal e I 1 all kinds of temperate fruits except apples do well in the diaz valley apples are grown but they are noi DOL up to the b standard of firel class claes utah fruit but grapes pea peaches cheb apri apricots coto and other small ismall and stone fruits do the valley is not warm I 1 2 enough for oranges though these do well on the west slope of the sierra larra madre about miles west of diaz in sonora where the altitude of the valleys to Is much less As an at all doming deming new mexico a noticeable feat feature ire on entering the diaz valley to Is the number of windmills to be seen on every hand these are used to obtain water for gardens and orchards there in ia an abundance of water within four to sixteen feet of the surface and it is brought up from wells by being pumped by the windmills but for corn beans and other field crops the rains have been largely relied on and the failure of these caused the drouth to he be feliso felt so severely A lair fair supply of water to is now obtain obtainable ble from it a canal twenty five miles IOU ions which comes out from the pala taua spring and la in which the mormons cormons have purchased from the mexicans a one ene third interest they are aso also working on it a reservoir system by the completion of they anticipate averting all further danger from drouth the waters of the river are to be stored in winter in a vast reservoir already partly prepared lor for this purpose by nature two crops are raised annually in fact this isa is a necessity in the case of potatoes if planted early its as the first crop would not keep beep ever fir fr seed so a double crop is raised in the case of corn beans etc they are raised as aa a second crop after wheat at first tile the peo le ie thought they could not raise wheat as the seasons were so much changed in some respects from utah und and they depended entirely on the mexico mexicans is for their supply but the pressure of hard times caused by the drouth c compelled to engage in ia wheat cultivation and the result is that tole year there will be a magnificent barvest in ia the latter part of may and first of june the crop will be all iu ia before the summer rains which begin if in july and cont continue lime till we the early part of september mr johnson is taking in a toru and header which will be put in operation next month juarez to is located in through which flows a brunch branch of the casas caggs braudes river which does not fail as the mainstream main stream did lower down itis it is a splendid place for fruits A canning factory there did well last year and it is anticipated will do still better this season there is a good market among the mexicans at chihuahua and other places A woolen mill is shortly to tobee ba stab dished at juarez as there is amole water power there in fact it to is the purpose to make it a kanuf ic turing center for the surrounding country for which it possesses all the necessary ad vantages advantages there is now running there a operative cooperative co store a shoo shoe factory and a tannery in the cana airrie agrie or sour ca e which cout contains ains 80 per cent tannin and grows wild in almost inexhaustible haus tible quantities they have an article fr tanning leather which cannot be excelled large quantities of it are chinned shinned to europe for tanneries canneries tann eries there as well as to dif different terent parts of the united states and mexico A doming deming company has now commenced the manufacture of a cana agrie extract and exports it in that form at this establishment 20 per ton Is paid for the root which the people are now beginning to cultivate because of its marketable value the juarez academy is ie under the direction of dennis E harris as principal and has a large attendance are a number of mexican mem bers ot the church and services are held weekly in spanish under the r presidency of elder henry eyring pacheco and cave valley are 1 seated in the sierra madre range of mun f bains and are conveniently located for raising fruit and vegetables for the care of stock and for access to extensive timber tracts for lumber they now dow have two sawmills and a p mill diaz and dublan are in the valley in a good locality for grain and fruits r at diaz there la is an orchard owned by one person that contains peach pt ach trees the diaz academy has an attendance of over obil iren some rome of them john M mills mill to is y principal the academy is in excellent condition every other Weltie sUY tile the theological exercises exercise i are conducted in the spanish language the Thebes beat fot of feelings aist between the saint aai utta and we the Mex mexicans icam the latter welcome the former to the country elbit years yeara ago when the mormons cormons first went there there was not in the town of la Ascenc ascencion lon a wooden door or a glass window but in that period there has hs been a great 1 change and wooden floors and doors and gliss windows are very common the mexicans have copied after their more advanced neighbors to whom they will now grant any reas mable privilege r As aa yet there Is in no nearer rail way connections to the mormon settle t ments mento in chihuahua than doming now new mexico 80 60 miles from dublan though the railway la in graded for 76 75 miles and tracking will probably gin next mouth month there must be 18 miles laid in mexican territory before june to hold the grant and as the english syndicate paid two months ago for it they will not dot be likely to permit it to be forfeited through further delay mr johnson has helped to make three new settlements at johnson and danab kanab in kane county utah and this latest one in mexico he says there have been no greater hardships in forming the mexican settlements than there were in starting those in utah some of the mexican colonists came from the northern valleys and had bad not been used to the frontier hardships of southern the work of a now new settlement therefore seemed to be a little more severe on them than on the others the mormon settlements settle menta in mexico are nicely laid out after the general design of those in utah tae streets meeting the points of the compass the width of the streets to Is six rods rode while the blocks are fourteen rods square and each containing four city lots all on corners corner there to is an abundance of shade trees in the BI streets reefs the people get along well in their relations with each other and their mexican neighbors and under the direction of elder george teesdale Tea adale the progress and condition of the saints it 1 very satisfactory mr johnson invites utah people to baythe pay the chihuahua colonists a visit and a d promises that they will be met at 1 doming miff if desired and be made welcome he adviser edview however that visits in that section be avoided during the rainy season of july and august and the early part of september as the heavy downpour makes the tae roads heavy for traveling |