Arizona weekly citizen., 1884-03-15
PIMA COUNTY.

From a curaOry glance at the whole territ lry We turn t0 Pima county. Lc- cated in southern Arizona, 1t ls the trs' portion settled oy Americans. Ougina iv if included the major part or the Gdds- den purchase. From 1t have been talk su other counties, but its present area i5 Iu.JDO square miles. The southern and eastern uarts of the county ls one of the finest grazing countries in the world.
 THE SANTA CRUZ VALLEY
 The Santa Cruz rIver runs through the center ot the county, and disappears in the alluvial soil just north of Tucson. The valley along the Santa Cruz Is very fertile. and the river, draining the Pata- .-ouis mountains. has an unlimited sup plv of water. It is also fed at certain distances by cieuegas or svamps. lhou- sands Of acres of government land. along it's banks. await the cImingo or those who want to build a home and live Tn Cl- mate that for eight months ls unnvailed, always healthy, and never f5rbIts out door work.
 If is known that the Santa Cruz val iav in fine vicinity of Tucson. has been cultivated, and that the river afforded irrigation as far north as the Nlne-mNe vater hole. This would make an area of about fifty square miles of land known ,o have been farmed. Of this not one fourth is to-day under cultivation, and majority of this Is unworthy the name.
 This thlrtt odd thousand acrcs IS the most fertile land the world ever saw egualled only by tho alluval deposits ot inc Nile. Wheat and barley are planted m December and harvested the follow
 
 Dlanted on the same ground. and har- vested m November. Of melons, pump kins and souashCs 1t raises an astonlsh- ing quan tity of the best cua1lty' broom corn thriyes luxuriantiy. Sugar caUe has been planted and raised sncce5sIuil!' The frosts of March and Aprl are loo severe for oranges and lemons. tucson Is 400 feet above sea-level. rom four to SIX crops of alfalfacan be ralseu per year. The land will average forty push els per acre in wheat, and other grams correspondingly. Allllers say that not one-fourth oi the available land ID me santa Cruz valley is being cultivated. ani that this one-fOurth is not cui- tivgted 10 two-thirds of its actual cap abilities. The past year there was raised by the farmers of the santa Cruz, IucludIng the faptiA,ues' "D''A' ''N' O0O pounds of wheat and an equal amount of barley. eto- .-
 This land can be had from Sl2) per acre. the government price, and outside of that it ranges from SD to s6O per acre. according to location. At present t4ee water is distributed according to the oid plan that ha, prevailed here Tor over one hundred and fifty years. Instead or hay ing flood gates. and diviirng the stream so that each one may have his share, and at the same hours allow his nelghOor to have his share alsos the entire ditch IS | closed up. and No. 1 1:ses all the water | for the time, aud then passes it to NO. z | This keeps No. 3 anI No. waiting ul | their fields are parched. The manner IT | Los Angeles is to give No. one-fo'lrti of the water, and No. ? No. 5 and No | 1 their fourths at the same tune; Whici gives all an equal chance. It Is done b! putting in gates. which divide the wate equally. This method will eventual, supplant the old "ravhide" system here
 A SUBMERGED DAM.
 There has been ml,h speculation Il rae-ard to the underiiow of the Sant Cruz river. There undoubtedly was