H.

CIMARRON SECO,

Colfax County, New Mexico, July 15, 1871. DEAR SIR: I came into New Mexico during the summer of last year, (1870,) bringing with me from Connecticut fifty full-blood Cotswold bucks, bred from sheep imported from the flock of Robert Games, a well-known and very popular herder of Cotswold sheep in England.

Desiring to test the capacity of the sheep of this country for improvement by crossing with one of the most popular breeds of long or combing-wool sheep, I procured nearly three thousand Mexican ewes, and selected a location here, quite in the northern part of the Territory. I find the climate, soil, and natural grazing admirably adapted to the growth of sheep and wool. My sheep lived and kept in good condition throughout last winter on the natural grazing, with no other supply of food whatever. At the lambing, which commenced about the 1st of May, I found my ewes in fully as good flesh as is desirable at that time.

My lambs (from the Cotswold bucks) are far better both in size and quality than I expected. Many of them weighed from 12 to 14 pounds each when dropped, and at seven or eight days old weighed from 23 to 25 pounds. I think, for improving the native Mexican sheep, that the grade Cotswold buck is preferable to the full blood, for this reason the excessive size of the lamb from the latter and the common-size Mexican ewe is such as to jeopardize the life of both ewe and lamb. Had I not secured the most vigilant watchfulness and skillful assistance for the ewes this spring, I feel quite sure I should have lost half the flock from that cause.

Of the improvement in quantity and quality of fleece by this cross I, of course, can tell you nothing till these are sheared next spring. This year my Mexican ewes averaged a little more than 1 pounds per fleece and my Cotswolds about 11 pounds. I think I may reasonably expect from my half-bloods next spring an average of 5 pounds of a quality of wool that will be worth at least 25 per cent. more in the eastern market than the common Mexican wool.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Hon. T. RUSH SPENCER,

Surveyor General of New Mexico, Santa Fé, New Mexico.

P. R. SKINNER.

H.-Report of the surveyor general of Colorado Territory.

SURVEYOR GENERAL'S OFFICE, Denver, Colorado Territory, October 10, 1871.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the official operations of this office for the year ending June 30, 1871:

Statement A, showing the surveys made under the regular appropriation for the year ending June 30, 1871.

Statement B, showing the surveys made under the act of Congress approved July 15, 1870, on the Union Pacific Railroad grant.

Statement C, showing the surveys made under the act of Congress approved July 1, 1870, on the Nolan grant.

Statement D, containing the names and number of mining claims, together with the area and amount deposited to pay for the same. Surveyed under the act of Congress approved July 26, 1866.

Statement E, containing the number of townships surveyed during the year ending June 30, 1871, and the area of public land contained in the same.

Statement F, containing the amount of salaries paid the surveyor general and clerks in his office for the year ending June 30, 1871, and incidental expenses of the office for the same period.

This Territory is rapidly filling up with settlers, and the demand for surveys comes from all parts. In view of the rapid settlement of the southern portion of the Territory the private Mexican land grants contained therein should be set off and their outboundaries defined, also that of the Ute Indians in the western portion of this Territory, to enable the settlers and miners to know which is public land.

The agricultural interests of the Territory have been successful during the past year, and although the present year has been one of extreme heat and dryness, the crops will be very large. The mines have yielded largely and new discoveries add to the almost boundless wealth of this Territory.

During the present year the Denver and Rio Grande Railway will be completed to Colorado City, seventy miles south of Denver. This railway is the first one of any length built in the United States on the narrow-gauge system, being thirty-sixinch gauge. That it will prove a success there can be no doubt, on account of its cheapness of construction and operation.

What I have said in my former reports could be again repeated in this, but I deem it unnecessary to do so as. Colorado fertility and mineral resources are so well known that I need not repeat them.

Hoping this may meet with your approval, I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Hon. WILLIS DRUMMOND,

Commissioner General Land Office, Washington, D. C.

W. H. LESSIG, Surveyor General of Colorado.

A.-Statement of account of surveys made under regular appropriation for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1871.

B.-Statement of account of surveys made under act of July 15, 1870, within the limits of land grant of Union Pacific Railroad.

C.-Statement of account of surveys made under act of July 1, 1870, on Nolan Grant.