Arizona weekly citizen., 1886-12-18
WEEKLY CITIZEN.
IRRIGATION.

IRRIGATION.
 ria ;nportance of this subiec: to s..,bs-n Arizona renders an apology for -. ,-s5ucnt reference to it, ent' elv un-
 ,,sssry. It IS the life and | leo Of n, .ctyrs State of Arizona aud It's mis
 ;,, b,-e Is even greater than i's noble
 .t i, southern California. We learn ,. ,ls ayperience of others and by il- ...,s-irr the value of irrigation where .., -,nrrtur ities were less encouraging -.s,fer:sks were far greater than with re can hope to prof. by the lesson .-3 make available the greatest gift aD nr..sproyidence has placed st our dIs- -,.,I fl, nlaze the desert bloom.
 -,csu. copy Of ths Dixon, Cal, r-,buns. ID speaking of the rec nt pur- 'bos. o, & large tract of land in Fresno .-,o.v ID that state, for colonization .-.o,ss,. by a syndicate of Les Angeles ,.-;,s,.st.. gives the following brief .,',sr4r. Of tbe progress and value
 ,--,,,tion ID Fres3O county T. s,vs that "ten years sGo the -....-v,zited that country for the first .,ro Tom Hughes had just formed the s... ,-,any ID the country. few miles ,-,-, Fresno. The colony was divided ,,,o otuspt, acre iotr. and neat little cot- ,a,s. were sprlugiDg up on all sides. Prices were very low, ard men ot small ,,szrs vsrs selecting houses. although rery few expected to make living tor .ba,osalyes and families. The country rssa desert. and the httle ditch that snpplei the colony prssented a feeble s,Daaranee. especially on a hot day. The la15 WAS moi irrigated. and might have ras, nur,bssel for a mere Song. In ,s., Tom Hughes was the only man ID ,b. couDtrv who had any faith Fres- nos fu,1re. The colOnists whom he in- 5ucei 10 purchase his little blocks were iIsgusted before the season was over, and ne Of them even talked of mob- hing hln tJr bringing them to a country Ehere hey could not mYke interest ID tbeir money. But, after the second year, they changed thelr miBds, and to-day the lsni thst wss not valued at more thsa g per acre, cannot be bought for SIllJan a,re And irrigation has worked this wonderful change. The men who thought they could not live on little tEeuty-scre tracts, ten years ago, have u0i only made good living for their families. but they can now boast Of a big bank account and business that clears them several thousand dollars a year The country which once looked like a barren desert that money could not re- deem. IS Snow covered with neat cottages ard beautiful groves"
 ID Los Angeles county, and in fact throughout all of southern California the records show the same results From Los Angsle-, through the present towns of Pasadena, Santa Anita, Duarte AEu,a. Pomona, along the Sierra Mairt range to San BernsrdIno, there was 6 long stretch of chapparsl and brushy desert, ss dry ss any portion Of Arizona Enterprising men, after using the avail G0ie water, tunneled the mountains and plped the precious fluid down to theii lands, and great, hourishing towns and clries have grown up like magic. and five railroad trains daily are found nee essary to accommodate :he local traffic with the city Of Los Angeles. These lands that eight years ago were not worth 2 dollar an acre are now Tn strong demand at prices ranging from $500 co sl.g1 per acre, although far better lands, more easily ~stered and better adapted to fruit culture can be found here in Arizona sus czpu0le of entry under the desert land law; that could be placed n 6 condition within three years time. tc bring a price equal to the best portions Of Southern California. This is prsc tics5le, but 1t wants energy and Q little capital to accomplish it. It issl-e to b5 accomplished before many years in any event, but those who first inauEu ate the movement 10 reclaim this land, Slll moi only r4.D tbs benefits tha soonest, but they E.ll have the choice among tue fin est opportunities th2t are preseoted.
 It our people themselves lay aside personal di-trusts and petty malice, and .l.u hands ID forming D trial company Gp0I a scale that will demonstrate tbe 7a.ls rl these dormant resources ID a pG5Le sense ss well as profitable ln- r5s-ment.