Arizona weekly citizen., 1888-07-14
DESERT LANDS.
An Lnteresting z Comm unicatioR from Secre-
 tary Villas tO Governor ZuIIek

MRtQUITE NOT TIMRRR,-The presence of c growth of mesquite trees on land will not exclude 1t from desert entry, If l it appears that such land will not, with ] out irrigation, produce an agricultural crop.
 Secretary Villas to Commissioner Stocks lnger, May II, lsSS;
 On the 29th OG August, 1887, this De-
 pertinent referred to your office for re- , port a letter from the Governor of Ari- . zons, enclosing a petiuon signed by numerous citizens of that Territory,
 asking that there be some notifications in the regulations relating 10 the entry of land under the deser, land law of
 March ., 1867 (l9 Stat. 377)
 , It IS asserted in said petition that
 your office WIS holding every desert land
 entry ID that Territory for cancellation
 upon which there were more than four
 mesquite trees per acre. and ghat snch ruling was manifestly unjust. illIberal,
 and not iu harmony with the oblecS and purpose of the desert land law,
 Your office reported, under date of
 September 25, 1887. ths. 1t was, and hsd
 been, the practice to hold desert lsrd en-
 tries for csncellallen upon which there
 ia growth of mesquite trees, that your
 information is 10 the effect that "in Ari-
 zona mesquite trees grow to R height of
 thirty feet, Sud three feet in girtb," tha.
 'It is held that lands containing sufi-
 oient moisture to produce & natural
 growth Of trees are not to be chased as desert lands: and that in accordance
 with such TulIOg seven (nsming them) desert land entries in said Territory had
 been held for cancellation, from which orders of cancellation there al been no
 appeal ID any case" Your office further
 slated that no specific instructions had
 been given your special agents regard
 ing the character of lands covered with
 8 growth of trees, except in office circu-
 lar of June ?, 1887 0 l.. D.. l0SJ. Section two of the desert land act pro-
 vides:
 That all lands eIclusive of timber
 lands and mineral lands which will not, |
 without irrigation, produce some sgri- |
 cultural crop. shall be deemed desert |
 lands within the meaning of this act, |
 cot. Section three provides that The determination of what msy be |
 considered Geser. lands shall be subject |
 to the decision and regulations of the |
 Commissioner of the General Land
 Office.
 AA flAa haAs NGN aAtrASu oi tA4C flaw
 the circular of June 27, 1887, provides:
 Lands containing sufficient moisture to
 produce e natural growth of trees s'e
 not to be chased ss desert lands"
 It is alleged, in the petition referred
 to above, that:
 "MesQuite IS not timber in any just interpretation of the term; that It Is
 merely firewooi, aud useful and salGble
 only for that purpose, although 1t may
 be possible 10 make small ariicles out of the wood las curiOsillcs), hut nothing of pr8cIIcHl use or value, owing to its bTittleness CT lack Of fiUre and size: that mesquite will no. produce log of more than two or three feet ID iengih, for 6; that height the gnErled and stunted trunk spreads into dEsrted and sorsggy i branches, and is usually decayed in both trunk and branch; that mesquite trees grow upon land which will not, without , artificial irrigation, produce spear of grass, or any other vegetation, except I grease-bIush, ssge-brush. palo verde another scrub gee-Gnd cactus. and IS 8 clear proof of the desert character of the land, rather than Bn argument against such character; that mesquite trees grow , upon high andy knolis, which will not even produce greRse-brush or sage-brush { and which would be vaiueless even If ~ster vas carried thereon srliiicislly, that large bodies of land in this TerritO- ", bearing mesquite trees in much larger f hunters than four 70 the acre, are by the entire absence or q natural water supply, and tae absolute impossibility Of relsIug aud crop thereon without ar ( tficial lrrigatIcn, desert land; that to T withdraw land of this character from entry under the desert land act wlli ! cause great loss to bora tide settlers, and will seriously cheek immigration, | the forming of new holdings and the en- plUyment oi capital n clearing, ditch f. inR and reclamation of such lsnd-and without irrigation they are practically F worthless; that the current prics of mes quite wood will give little or no margin q of profit over the expense of cutting and hauling to market, consequently II offers &, DO temptation whatever to the mere sps- in wood, and is not dOne except ss the first necessary step toward the of the land; that already Two millions of dollars have been ex- pended ID constructing ditches, clear ing and retaining land in the Salt RI- tc Fer valley alone, and 1t wIll require as d much more capital to thoroughly reclaim ID he land Tn this and adjacent valleys, ol A AoA-A las AAN1NAs n kt 'f the land thus reclaimed does in its n natural state produce mesquite, snd ls that not one acre of it all wIll pro- sI luce an agricultural crop without irrl- ration; and that this matter is of vital fs importance to the present settlers with n' n this Territory, who are spending their ar money, employing their energy in the al of this land, and their in CT luence in inducing new corners to locate. VI
 ln the American Cycloped.ss;;Voi. il, to | 4Ni, IS an srticie on ihe menquite tree. dJ | Is tthsie said: fe
 The mesquite seldom grows more ca han thirty or forty feet high, and when ID Tell developed, has a rounded head; but fh wIng tO the Diuries caused by insects ge nd the parasitic mistletoe. the trunk sh nd baanches are freqLsntly irregular w6 nd distorted, Ia its foliage 1t greatly se' the honey locust. t... The III rec hRs wide range, being found as sti sr north as the Canadian River and ez- fal ending far south into MexIco; it makes s appearance a short distance from the me past in western Texas, and is the most ne' bundsnce tree as far westward ss the Tor olorado and the gulf of California; 1t be-
 exceedingly yarIsble. sometimes sp- VII caring as Q large shrub forming dense no tickets, which from the abundance of be pines are impossible. and at others ms mes growing sinRly with we'll develop ore heads. aud when viewed from a dis for nee appearing like sn apple orchard. urs uniform are the trees in size. Were res not for the mesquite, large tracts in die riZons and Northern Mexico wOuld to resent stIll greater difficulties to She aDC sveler than they do, ss this tree there the lords the sole supply otfuel and forage. per he wood is very hard, fne-grained, brown in the hesrt-wood, d is sometimes used by the Mexissns T furniture, but 1t is difficult to get eces large enough 10 be valuable for 'os mber; its durability IS probably not ferior to that of the locust As fuel acc e mesquite has DO superior, 1t makes 6 trs' rd sonorous coal. fire of which is al- the Dst es intense as one of anthracite; Jot svelers across the desert county wtere sea' abounds rely upon 1t for fuel, the roots "CC jug found almost everywhere; where and i0ucnf fras dssAFnv ina fraaz .ka .o,ss | bull