Arizona weekly citizen., 1883-11-17
CITIZEN.
THERE ARE No DESERTS IN ARIZONA

THERE ARE No DESERTS IN ARIZONA.
 IL has been sp long the custdm in Arizona to speak of deserts, that certain
 regions are called deserts, not bsdluse
 t5sy ars deserts. but because the alme
 as desert is gwen to the plaia5 in
 ..,1t~a distinction to mountain and table
 lands. But Arizona is now settlink up
 u.th population that Is coming to
 stay. and if is about time that t.ings
 sf3uli be called by their right utmes.
 We have some barren lands In ], una,
 st1have and Yavapai count.es, but!even rre-e nothing can be fund that iii the ls.st resembles 8 desert. There arb no slsaE plains here Gs in Colorado,
 Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah and
 Nevada. W.ta She exception of l0me
 o, tue lands ab We referred 10 grass
 --5vs IuxarIlutly everywhere throngh- ont Ar.5uz i, and even there. the be,rreu ..als 75ss=ss growth of palo verde, ,-slr5eI aul mesquite trees, where -s a-l-5s upon thousands Of cort5 of wood nay be cut. Such lands according to he common acceptation ot the term,
 cannot be called "de5ert7 by any far application ot the word. Webster tells as tla. desert is ''for>aken; uniu- h ab.-eI. as desert isle. Hence, wild, r-llleI. waste, uuculuvated, as a d.se-t land or country. Void. empty, uncccu- 1isL Particularly a vast sandy plain, ., the deserts ot Arabia aud Africa This e.u- the meaning of deseri. it IS u.li1 that vs have no deserts in Arizona. ] Webster also says, "that desert may be applied 50 an n inhibited country with timber" BGt. as everyone knows, the application os desert to a wooded c0un- .-r. a fore. .,is obsolete and that no such application of tne word is DOW made to such lands ID any portion the world. |. They have the black fore-ts in Germany, tls Rlz-aa stsppe, which corresponds ! .5t1sPr,irie llals oi the Uaited s ltes, ! .n E1--fa and in this country we have ! tls7a-t pine regions ot the northwest, ! brt no one has ever heard them called I 5--srt-
 The plains not desertsl of Arizona, . -uu= i..-ely adjacent to the San Pedro, !! Verde. Gaa. Salt aui Colorado rivers, ! have -unui- E streams of water passing . through th-m, and there are many I springs and small mountain streams ! that Hlwa short distance ont on the l plains and sink, owing to the absence of any hard pan, or su5st-ate that vii | hold water. With a very few exceptions water has been found wherever wells have been dug.
 When the writer first entered Phoenix, some six years ago, the settlers had just fa.rlv begun to "lead tha water ou. on- to the desert" as they called it. A little ov-r a year ago we had occasion to yi-It that country a-aiii. and f1aud that they had s--li further occupied tbe desert by trs i--5-a..n- canals. the largest ono ot !. vllc5 tas- called "the grand canal, is several miles out on the 80 called desert t19asauIs oi acres of which D ve by ir- i -i-a.al been arought into cultivation. Srsl lands are certainly not "desar. lands There is DO good reason for l designating land as "desert," that will . p. scc- from 20 To 4) bushels Of wheat l o- barley so the acre, nd which will l p-rluss su1ar cane cltton, corn, alfalfa, l a1lar kinds of fruiss. berries and vines, ! es1aI ta Inc best produced in California and -la east.
 Tl. same use Of this word is made to . tie rich bottom and table lands along | ths Gila riv,r-lsnd which will pro- | duca two cops a year, and grow 1 eyerytL- that can be grown 1. ID a temperate climate, and many things ! -such as oraag s, pire ipp'e, figs, 1. pomagraua. .es an 1 Irmes, WI ca ar usu- . al eoma1n only Co tropcal climates. When We get beyond tha be lands . immediately adj piuilE tJe n @ and small streams, We invariably ind 8 good growth ot grasses setting In, which usu- , ally Iuc- ease with the altitude as noun . tsias and foothills are approached. Good . wat-- can be found almost anywhere in 1 tls iotdiIs at depth ranging from 20 ! Co 5l saat, and on the plains at a depth Of from SD Co l5J feet. There is no use ! o' misralIing the rich bottom, mesa lands aud plains.of Arzona deserts any l1a-ar Land that will produce as fine { c-aas a- can be produced in any other section ot the world, or that produces grasses ag1al to or superior to the plains of Colorado, Wyoming or Texas, is not das vert land. and the CITIZEN pr tests against the further continuation Of this s.a0de- upon Arzpna.