Arizona weekly citizen., 1891-09-05
The Extensive Variety of it's
Products.
SOIL EQUAL TO THE NILE.
The Early Maturity ard Superior
Quality of its Fruits.
q Place Where Health, Wealth and
Happiness May be Secured
Cher Notes.

In estimating the future OF any
country the paramount consideration is
its resources. Without available re-
sources the desert must remain
desert. With the soil, climate, and
water required for the growth Of large
variety of products of a superior quality.
and in the greatest abundance, maturing
SO early as to secure the best markets
of the world, and being provided With
adequate, speedy transportation facilities,
and additional lines in projection, what
impediments stand in the way Of Yuma
county becoming the banner county OF
the territory, and OF Yuma city march
ing toward the front rank OF the great
commercial centres? Two things only
are necessary. They are the introduc-
ton of capital and the application OF
labor. Theee ara speedily Forthcoming.
Experimental tests in this county have
demonstrated the feasibility Of not only
producing an excellent quality OF the
most profitable fruits, but also to rsise
them for market from three to six weeks
earlier than any section u California,
O. F. Townsend has been making
practical experiments with large va
rlety of fruits with most gratifying sue
cess, using a variety Of pumping plants,
including horse power. steam, and the
windmill for raising water. Mr.. Towns
end shipped to San Francisco the FIRST
box Of figs that reached that market
THE year Mr. Tasgart is another
gentleman who has made valuable
scientific experiments in fruit culture,
having in his garden here { great varsity
% tropical aud senitropical plants and
fruit trees, Being among the earliest to
devote any attention TO the matter he
has very large fine trees from which be
has shipped fruit yearly. From q con-
versation with him l CLEANED numerous
important facts, among them the date OF
the ripening Of the principal varieties
Of fruit grown IN Yuma county ss fol-
lows:
trawberries, January 18th;
Aprlcote, April LIST to Dist;
HulberrIes,. April 14th to Goth;
Figs, .....-......A April IOthi
GRAPES, June 1st to 7tb;
Peaches, ...-.........J June loth;
PomegraEates, ............. August lst;
4 har 1Eth 20 D0t y.
Lemons, September 18th to 25tb;
Dates, Septemb Der lst;
Oranges, Nov. 18th 10 Dec. 1st.
The zig Gnd pomegranate manifest a
character that would almost stamp them
as indigenous products OF the soil and
climate of this region. Doctor Taggart
informed no that on account OF the
superior quality OF the former and the
earliness OF maturity, be had frequently
realized from SO cents to sl00 per pound
for shipments 10 San Francisco.
In The gardens Of John Gandolpho
may be seen fig trees from two to three
years old from cutting beginning TO bear.
At from four to five years trees prop
erly cared for may be depended upon
for from two to three crops annually.
All kinds OF grapes mature from three
10 four weeks before they do IN Califor-
Ma. They grow large, are firm and pos
sess exquisite flavor. The lime, lemon
and orange are also congenisl product,
vie ding III abundance large, clean
skinned and luscious fruit. They con-
tain the requisite acidity and sweetness
and are very juicy. The olive makes a
iuxuriant growth and bears we'll, es may
be seen IN Yuma gardens. The null
berry and the plum are each pronounced
4 success. This banana and the date
are also successfully grove here, is well
az the apricot and the peach, which can
find no more cOngenia- home anywhere.
saw cotton growing in several gar
dens. II watered regularly it is said to
grow into large bush, and, il properly
pruned, tree, being in flower, boil and
cotton the year round. These bushes
or trees have borne steadily and sue
for fifteen years.
Wild hemp grows iDdigenouely to
great height, often averaging from hfteen
10 seventeen feet Il has a long strong
FIBRE and is frequently worked into nets |
and fishing lines by the Tndians- II has
already been demonstrated to be of |
value, and will surely be put to practical |
use eventually.
The production Of ramie has been ex-
perimented upon, and the conclusion |
reached that when irrigation shall 10
come fully established on the Colorado |
river, this plant will figure among the !
important products OF the county. Sugar |
cane az the first quality can be produced. |
and, ike the Iamie, only awaits proper !
and adequate irrigation facilities TO
place the sugar industry 10 the front |
rank of productive wealth in Yuma |
county.
Sugar beets promise erea better re-
suits for the future than many OF the
products already mentioned. Expert
nents provo that two crops year. with |
proper cultivation, can be raised o. a
grade as high as from twenty TO twenty
i've per cent.
Tive crops OF wheat OF the finest quail
ty can be raised year. 4 test made
IN the ella river, zine miles above
Yuma in which 4S3 pounds. seeded TO
wenty acres yielded 52,750 pounds,
which was sold in San Francisco, bring
ng fifty cente per GENITAL over every
iiEd then in the market.
Barley also produces two crepe, the
iIst yielding from thirty-fye TO forty
bushels per acre, and the second large
mount Of hay.
Corn Of different varieties yields euor-
nously. The quality n.cSt commonly
aiced is the "C0copah," which brings a
igEer price than any other, being noted
OF It's sweetness, plumpness, and earli-
ess, as well as firm Crane.
Alfalfa yields from five TO seven cut
ings, and is known to average over ten
ons per acre, and sells from $40 to SIS
er ton.
Sorghum frequently grows fifteen Feet