The Phoenix herald., 1879-03-19
THE PHd1NIX HERALD.
sEMI-yyEEKLY EDITION.
AFIXOsll.

The following interesting notes on Arizona in general, and this valley in particular, are copied from the Sacra- mento Record Union:
 One great overland railway is push ing fl om your State through via Tue son to the Cult of Mexico at the rate of one and one half miles perld ay the Southern Utah is pushing 10 our north ern border: the Guaymas and Tucson road is expected to be extended from the California gulf this way 100 miles within the next twelve months Atch- ison, Topeka and Santa Fe is advanc- ing gsouthwestwartl, and without doubt will enter Arizona at some point; companies to construct interior lines are talked of under recent aid hy the Legislature new churches, schools and banking institutions are building and being opened; tons upon tons of young fruit trees and vines are now being received from abroad and plant ed domestic animals of all kinds and of the best bloods are increasing rapid ly and are fouri shing in our mild lclimate, and on our rich and abund- ant grasses.
 Like Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and other sections of our mountain ous and slightly timbered interior. Arizona would be better off if blessed with more surface water, yet there is much now running to waste in our valleys. Our system of irrigation is very imperfect-if it can be said that we have any system whatever; but as the mining population, stockgrowers, trades people, mechanics and profes- sionals increase and make a home demand for the products ot the soil, the water of our streams will be made to irrigate millions more acres ofland. It is one of the chief merits of Arizona that its agricultural capacity is equal to the wants of an immense non-pro- ducing population. The Gila River rises in New Mexico and runs through the Territory-a distance of nearly 400 miles, and on one or the other side, and at many places througout it's whole length on both sides, there is good agricultural land, and by an economical use of the water at least one crop can be produced every year and in many years two Salt River rises in timbered mountains in the eastern part of the Territory, and em- ergcs into a rich valley, in extent about 15 by 60 miles, before 1t unites with the Gila below Maricopa Wells. Salt river carries q large volume of water the year round, and especially is this true in the irrigating seasons. This valley is large and productive enough to sustain half a million people. And yet it contains but few thousands, including Indians. Here it. must be said that the unoosupied lands in this(SalDyalley have been with drawn from pre-emtion and sale by the President for the benifit of the Pima and Maricopa Indians; butitis believed that the order making this sweeping withdrawal will be so modi fled as to permit settlement in the greater part of tic valley, becausethe Indians have no use for but a small fraction of the land so withdrawn. Verde river rises north ot Prescott and swings east of the town, and flows south and unites with Salt river be- low Camp Mcdowell. At nearly all points along it there is agricultural land, small portion ofwhich is occu- pied. Water never fails in this stream,