Arizona citizen., 1873-10-04

Cheap Farms in Salt River Valley
 --CauSes not New or WeIl-fJunded
 and some Reasons Why--Commu-
 nicatlOn Between Maricopa W Tells
 and Phenix--GraEt's Line and Ac-
 commodatiOns at Wickenburg---
 Mining and Farming 4 bout ETick--
 enburg, &c.
 PRESCOTT, ARIZONA, Septem Der 23. When at Phenix, l hastily wrote short letter for print. Having little time to look about there and needing rest, 1 omitted to aliude to several sa bjects of interest in that valley, the most prominent of which Is the low price at which farms Call be purchased. heard of several with comforta ble dwellings and other buildings and ample water privileges, which had been and were then for sale at few hundred dollars-say from $500 to $I, ,000, and even in some instances part or full payment could be made with horses, cattle or other good moveable property. To people abroad, this may sound bad for Salt River Valley, but the same condition of af- fairs exists in other parts of Arizona, and have in nearly all new settlements west of the Rocky Mountains as well as farther east. In l66l-2, l was shown tTst-Class fstrm5 in Iowa, with valuable Improvements on them, for sale at less than half the cost of the improvements. Inc same was true in parts of Illinois in 1S57-S. and the very same causes were assigned as are now in Salt River Valley Wheat was dull sale St 5 to 40 cents per bushel, and corn was selling at s to 10 cents per bushel and thousands of families were burning 1t for fuel. I vividly remember the gloomy condi- tion of the farmers, how anxiouslv they looked for and even sought out other fields of operation, and 1 as distinctly recollect how 8 few years brought remarkable prosperity to the farmers of Illinois and Iowa; and there nearly every acre Is easily titled a Il d distinguished for production, whereas here agricultural land is com parauveiy limited and insufficient water to lrrigate much of what there is. Will the farm owners in the Gila and Salt River valleys think of these facts? The talk of the exhaustion of the soil by 6 few years of tillage must go for nothing with thoughtful people, and even if there were any basis for 1t, which is extremely doubt ful, there Is a remedy for 1t. Cotton lands in the southern states are now being recuperated with fertilizers specially prepared to meet the case; but the best remedy in Salt River Valley as well as elsewhere, is better cultivation. There Is really no cred itable farming Tn Arizona and but little west of the Rocky Mountains But this subject is mo adapted to a volume than single issue of Q small newspaper.
 To make my stay little. longer ill Salt River Valley, l continued iu the Yuma stage to Maricopa Wells and thence to Phenix by special convey ance furnished by Mir. J. A. Moore, who runs very easy riding two seated conveyance from the Wells to Phenix every Tuesday and back on Wednesday. and Is ready to carry pas sengers on other days at very moder- ate cost. got aboard James Grants spring buck board at Phenix on the afternoon of the 18th; was at Wick enburg early next morning and in Prescott before daylight Monday. MT. Grant has the Lest prsssenger ac- commodations st Wickenburg of any i'll Arizona. Good beds and excel lently cooked food in abundance and variety are at the passengers service. Dr. J. H Pierson, superintendent and general manager of Mir. Grants stage business, is in charge and is untiriug in his efforts 10 make 1t comfortable for passengers and other travellers who stop there.
 Compared to three years ago, Wick enburg Is a dull place. Tlsn the VuIture mine aa1 mil were Cpe ated by hundreds oitwc kmen and neE are untouohed-aItgtr1nsb the old ak of soon starting again Is frosh If not generally creoited. 5sir. Sextcn is still iu charge and 1T .rp1Af 70 shot Cusenbary wss dailylf ipe 'ted to ar rive and renew work apd that he (S. bo,,od +o eoop r,aI-,.E Ei ir-D aaSt. p