Weekly Phoenix herald., 1884-12-18
THE SALT RIVER VALLEY.


 n the progress and outlook of one 0
 the most important sections of th' e Territory; namely, the Salt Rivel
 Valley:
 h the Salt River Valley an inn n mense canal IS being constructed 1 which will convey water enough, il e is claimed, to reclaim at least 100,-
 GOO acres, besides furnishing motive V powor for an immense amount of r machinery. With the 35,000 acres 1 already under cultivation, when thls
 canal is ready for use, which It is
 expected to be early in the spring of 1885, this valley will present as val> uable and productive an acreage of farming land as any area of equal extent in America.
 The possibilities for the immi> grant in this and the adjacent valley of the Gila are wonderful. Land
 can be had reasonably cheap; "that
 which has not been improved can
 be had at from $5 to $10 per acre
 improved land from $15 to $50 per
 acre, according to character of soil and location. This price includes water right sufficient for crop-rais-
 ng."-Hamilton' Resources ef Ariz.
 In connection with agricultural pursuits, hog fattening and pork packing bids fair to become ere long an exceedingly profitable busi ness But little work IS required in fattening; the hogs run on the alfalfa fields and keep in good order until the grain is harvested, and they are then turned upon the grain stubble- fields 10 complete the process of fattening. "Ths pork is solid, sweet and finely favored, and disease IS unknown. When the large canal l in Salt River Valley is completed, l ice can be cheaply manufactured by | water power and pork packing en> gagged in on large scale.
 In reference to the benefits of the canal to the Territory, the following quotations from the prospectus of the canal company for 1884 are in- structive:
 The water power is formed by vertical fall of 15 feet of the entire body of the canal, made ln sold rock, at a point about 8 miles northwest of Phoenix. The amount of power produced is 1900 horse power. This power will be of great value in this country, where fuel is scarce and ex- pensive. It will be utilized to its full capacity. Flour for all Arizona, Western New Mexico, Eastern Cali fornia and Sonora will be made here; ice for the use of the city, and to refrlgerate large rooms for dairy purposes, and pork and beef packing, and fraIt and beef canning. It will also be used for quartz mills for the reduction of ores and for other pur, poses.
 The water in Salt River, from which this canal take it's supply, is found by measurment in the dry season of tEe year to be sff1cient to fill the canal and supply such other canals as have been heretofore con- 
 It is the best supplied stream of water in the southwester part of the United States. The canal is taken out of the Salt River three>fourths of mile below it's juncture with the Verde River. These two streams receive the total drainage of the high mountain ranges, extending for 200 miles through the northeastern and central part of Arizona. These ( cover an area ,f 15,000 square miles. and some of the them ' are 12,00e feet high. They receive t heavy falls of snow in winter and rain in summer, and are covered l with heavy grow tn of pine timber. ' This canal reclaims fully 100000 C acres of land. This land is deep | 2 alIuvial soil of surpassing fertility. { The surface is remark ably even, be- Ing free from elevations and depres- sions, with an even grade of about T 10 feet to the mile from the feot- hills to the river, rendering it per- t fectly adapted for irrigation. It IS he one garden spot of Arizona.
 There ale now in cultivation 35, ,OOe leres under existing canals. The I most profitable cereals are wheat, ] barley, and oats. The yield this ear is estimated at 34,000,000 pounds. The wheat produced here s extra line quality, and makes a uperior flour. The market for hese productions comprises radius If 400 miles of surrounding country. The average yield of wheat per 'cre is fully 1,5Oo pounds, and 2,oOO s net unusual. The cost of raising v md marketing at Phoenix per cwt. 8 about 65 cents, and the average market price $1.60.
  The means of watering crops be- D ng in the hands of the farmer, and h With no frosts 10 interfere, the yield s very certain. There has not been failure of crops in thls valley since ts settlement, thirteen years ago. e It is notorious fact that in all Il ountIies lands that are supplied by yater for irrigation rate at more han double the value of those lands hat deI.end On rainfall, and this is wing 10 the larger crops produced r nd the great certainty ol crops on rig ated lands. In some countries, Spain, for instance, this disparity IS Ven greater, the value of irrigated ands being more than three times D laI of Ot her aoriculturaI lands tX