Arizona weekly enterprise., 1888-09-15
ARIZONA AGRICULTURE. All Artificial but the Future Garden of
 America.
John Newell in Boston Transcript.l

ceS Whicn build up prosperous and | powerful States. Since the birth | of time, agriculture, mining and stock raising have been the chief occupa- tions of man. They have been the corner stones of prosperity in every age. Arizona possesses all the sources of wealth; she has fertile farming lands, and extensive cattle ranges, the 1 richest mines in gold, silver, copper and iron. Also, coal is now found in vast abundance in Pinal county Six ty-five square miles have been explor- ed by the government in the White Mountain Indian reserve of Arizona, of the richest bituminous quality. These coal outcrops cover district over twelve miles long by five miles wide. The expert mining engineer who has examined this field thorough ly reports the veins as varying from sixteen to twenty-three feet in thick ness, and that the total thickness of the veins thus far discovered is one hundred and five feet of good clear coal. Also, he finds in this field all the indications of true coal measure, such carboniferous fossils, ferns, true coal plants, carbonaceous sand-rock, conglomerates, lime rock and shales- all tending to prove the existence of large amount of good coal. This field is surrounded by g belt of fine hema- tite iron ore which has a brown, vel Jewish color on powdering it, which is the best iron ore in the world Rich copper ore is found in large quantities near Globe and various other places throughout the Territory
 Arizona is an old land with mod ern history. The origin and history of the people who held sway in this region in the past is lost in the mists of antiquity and the twilight of time gives but a dim conjecture as to who they were, whence they came, or the cause of their extinction There is ! every reason that the most interesting part of Arizona's history lies buried in her mysterious mounds. The relics dug from them suggests eloquently the time when every valley smiled with l plenty, when mountain and hill were covered with bleating fiocks and low | ing herds, and towns and cities made the vast plains beautiful, and of a hap py people who enjoyed the beauteous gifts of nature in Arizona. Generous nature has done everything for this sunny Italian climate of the United States; but thus far man has done comparatively nothing. Like the first Yankee settlers in California, the pioneers of Arizona came to dig and and delve for treasures in the noun tains, make pile" and hie away elsewhere for a home. Within few years the fertility, productivenegs magnificent climate of thevast valleys have been appreciated. These valley. have the natural gift of the most fay or ed climate, under the hand of irriga
 ton cultivation, are fast becomins gardens of beauty and frnitfulness
 Irrigation is the oldest system of agTi
 culture knowr. It was understood in the infant days of the race, on the
 plains of Persia, Babylon and Assyria,
 where it is in practice now. Adam
 probably after being driven out of Eder
 and compelled to earn his bread by
 the sweat of his brow, must have
 learned to raise crops by irrigation or
 the plains of Mesopotamai. The rich
 est and most productive regions or
 the earth have been cultivated in this
 manner for thousands of years. The
 valley of tle Nile, the greater portion
 of Ir&ia, the great plains of Lombardy
 the beautiful fields of Castle, have al
 ways depended on irrigation for crops
 Though subject to such system fol
 thousands of years, they are to-day the
 most productive spots on the earth
 and support dense population-ir
 India 200 to 600 souls to the square
 mile, in Piedmont. Italy, 270, anC
 300 persons for Lombardy. Irrigated
 portions of Spain have population
 from 200 10 400 souls to the squar
 mile. Egypt, "the grara-y of tl'
 world" has populati) )n of ASA to tn
 square mile. In the United States
 irrigation is practiced in southern Cal
 ifornia, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona
 Colorado and Utah. One cubic foo
 per second will flood three hundret
 acres of loamy soil, but by carefu
 economy, distribution of pipes, 120I
 and 1900 acres are cultivated by on
 cubic foot per second. Seventeel
 thousand acres of land in Los Angele County are irrigated by this means ], This judicious application ofwater ha : made Los Angeles the garden of Cali fornia. The immense valleys of tn } Gila, Salt River, San Pedro, Sulphu 3 Spring and San Simon of Arizon { have an abundant supply of water fo irrigation. These valleys drain vas . extent of country, and the water s which flow through them have thei 8 souce in the lofty mountains thousand 3 of feet above, and contain inexhaust ble quantities of water.
 Congress could never put a sma | portion of the surplus public money @ better use than to furnish flowing WI | ter for these dry plains and valley @ The benefits to stock-raising and farm 5 ing industries would be incalculablt as the area of agricultural and grazin . land would be increased 8 thousand v fold. Congress or capitalists have or S ly to observe what has been done d California with limited water SUI e ply, and these valleys in Arizon are superior to any in the Golde State.
 e Railroads are being projected an built through all parts of the Territor l. and population is following in Il e wake of the iron steed, and capital T T beginning to appreciate the many ol oO portunities which this part of tf t country offers for investment TT 4 warwhoop of the savage is heard I
 more as the firm. strong hand of u r. Government has broken forever Ii