Arizona citizen., 1875-06-05
LETTER FROM COL. HODGE,


 Rodgers, temporary commandant of that post, and in the company of Dr. Truman and wife, pleasant, intelligent and agreed ?, 5e travelling companions, and arrived at | Camp Grant the same day, distant from { Camp Bowie fifty miles. We made the l distance in less than ten hours including
 q stop fer lunch. found the location and surroundings Of Camp Grant very i pleasant and agreeable, the officers gen ! tlemanly and Obliging As the guest of i MT. and Mrs. Buck 1 enjoyed my short
 stay there to the fullest extent and as
 return there soon will then, after a full
 study of the camp and scenery around, : write more full,- to THE CITIZEN. Being | anxious to examine the ranches of MeSSrs | H. c. Hooker & Co. and the Hon. Geo. Fl. l Stevens & Go. have devoted most of the
 week to those two ranches, That of | MeSSrS Hooker & Co.,, known as the Sierra
 Bonita ranch, is on the opposite side ot
 the Sulphur Springs vallay from Camp 1 Grant, and distant nine miles. IL being ! the time of branding and rounding up the cattle on the ranch, I had 8 fine Oppor- 1 tunity Of examining the ranch and stock, and am highly pleased with what i saw, 1 After having visited hundreds of splendid l cattle ranches all over the United States and Territories, am free to say that none can be found which will excel this in n atural advantages. Plenty of water from spring streams, cienegas and wells is found here in abundance at all seasons of the year, and rich and abundant grass es sufficient to keep and fattcn many thousands of head of cattle and horses. The grasses are the natural red clover, the different gramma grasses, the six week grass, SacatOn, etc., etc. For two days 1 rode on horseback all over the fine cattle range for ten or more miles each way, every hour discovering new beauties in the landscape, and new wonders in the rich and prolific soil of this favored graz ing region. There are now on the ranch about 5000 head of cattle, many of which are well graded, and largely infused with choice American stock.
 About 100 horses and mules are kept on the place and two blooded horses whose east. One of these horses is thorough bred from Kentucky, name, "GOld Dust" a bright bay, weight about 1900 pounds, a fine stopper, and would make a fast one if well trained. His colts are splendid. The other is $4 Messenger stock and 1( fine Canada blood. He is white and fine roadster with excellent staying qualities and getter of fine stock.
 About 800 acres on the ranch are under fence, with good permanent water and the ground well sodded over giving one an impression of the rich meadow land on the Mohawk river bottoms of New York. | Mir. Rockers partner is Major James | M Barney Of Yuma, well known all over the Territory as one of the most energetic | and successful business men of the cOun- try. With much confidence pronounce this the best cattle ranch in Arizona and | 10, coo head of cattle can be kept here | easily the year round. When riding over the ranch noting the abundance and good | quality of the water, the rich and luXuri | ant growth of grass, could but reflect on | luO lS SuOldHSO dHu lclly VI OhOoC NHO udfC reported in California and elsewhere that l Arizona was desert waste. The ranch l is under the charge of Mr. Wm. Whelan, mayordomo, who with his pleasant wife made our stay an agreeable and interest ' ing one.
 The Eureka Springs Ranch, is owned hv the Hon. Geo. H. Stevens and w R. Hugus, and is devoted almost entirely to sheep, for which it is peculiarly fitted. This ranch is twelve miles northwest of Camp Grant, at the north end of the Sulphur Springs valley, and on the head waters of the Arivaipa creek. The valley is narrowed down here to about one mile ill width, with outlying foot hills each way towards the mountains of five or six miles These foot hills present pretty appearance, looking at d distance like the rolling pillows of the ocean, broken up into all manner of fantastic forms and between these hills is an abundance of the finest grasses and d choice place for sheep to feed and in time of storms a good shelter from the winds from all , directions. Owing to mismanagement, ignorance and want of intelligent care, { many flocks of sheep in Arizona have not ;