Arizona miner., 1868-02-01
Farming in Yavapai County.


 son, outside of the Territory, who may con template coming hither 10 liye as well as to the citizens of Yavapai county.
 Four years have passed away since white men first made location in this portion of Arizona. Many, attracted hithcr by rich surface diggirgs, which were soon exhausted, ] remained. satisfied of the richness of the many | mineral deposits in quartz veins, and few, ! observing the fertility of the soil and the | salubrity of the climate, turned their atten- ! ton to farming. During the Inst two. years . several men. with families, have settled here as farmers, determined to make their home, here. A careful comparison of their state mcnts, and such other items as have been collected from different sources, satisfies me that they have done well, and inc hope of encouraging others to do likewise induces ne to write these lines. This county contains more than ,j,O0O square miles of county much of it mountainous-some Of it covered ] with lava. and worthless, except for grazing ! purposes. But large area is good tillable l land, which the experience Of the past two
 years has demonstrated will produce excel ! lent crops of corn and other grain, without ] irrigation. Thousands of acres of such land
 lie unclaimed within days ride of Prescott,
 and here. in n few years more, will be seen a
 large and prosperous farming population, un
 less all indications are unreliable Slowly,
 but surely, as a community, we are progress
 ing. The great obstacle to our more rapid
 advancement, our Indian troubles. is being
 overcome and other interests suffer from that
 cause as well as farming.
 IL is generally conceded that mining will
 be the leading business of this section. and
 no country has better facilities for its prose-
 cution than this, but miners are consumers.
 and one great requisite for our success as a
 mining community is, cheap food. Flour,
 pork, beef and vegetables for men, and grain
 and roots, for horses and cattle. at lower
 prices than now prevail are absolutely essen
 tial for the profitable working of many ol OUT
 mines. Al this time, nearly all our supplies
 are brought from San Francisco. a distance of
 q thousand miles, at a cost of twelve cents
 per pound. The amount consumed by the
 military. in Arizona, is enormous. and will. P probably, not be less for the next four years than it has been for four past. Every pound of wheat, corn and barley, should and can be
 raised in tho Territory. A long stride in our
 advancement toward prosperity will be taken [ when the money now sent to California for the single article of four, can be retained
 here, and when the wheat is raised, mills will
 be erected to grind it.. Our peculiar geo. graphical situation is full ofencouagement to e the farmer; surrounded as we are on all ? sides, by extensive deserts, it will not be possible to bring agricultural products here 7 from other and older States where labor is . cheaper and property and life safer, in such
 quantities as to glut the market and make
 the business unprohtable. Four months ago,
 the remark was often made in our streets c that so large crops of corn had been harvest c ed, there would be no market for it. To-day, | every one knows that ten times the amount of corn now available would be insufficient to i supply the wants of the country till next !, harvest.
 :. The demand for garden produce is more - limited, but, as yet, has been far in excess oi O the supply. To-day, there is no market in n town to supply the people with potatoes, etc. . nor is there much fear that vegetables will be
 produced here in such large quantities as to O be unsaieabe. Fifteen cents per pound i- n the price asked and paid for vegetables, and we are glad to get them at those figures Y Our winters are not long or severe, but though o cattle cau subsist on the grass they can find | in the valleys and on the plains through our 0 winters, cattle that work must be fed in - the elder States farmers raise carrots, turnips y beets and pumpkins on purpose to sell fol
 winter feed to horses and cattle and it should | te profitable to do SO in Arizona; at any rate. O a surplus left after mankind were supplied 7 could be so disposed of
 $ It is safe to assume as q fact, that soon r work will be commenced on a railroad acros, IT Arizona near the Both parallel, perhaps no
 this year or next, hut soon Then an enor 5 nous demand for all kinds of agricultura d products will rise, thousands of consumers {,
 be fed from some source will be within oul
 borders, and if we are not in circumstances V to supply their wants, others will, and vii pocket the proceeds. To me it seems evident U that he who puts his hand to the plough il 'r Yayapai county and continues diligent in h T. business, though he may meet with difficul l ties, ard losses such as are incident 10 a new 't coun try, among hostile Indians will eyentu