Arizona weekly citizen., 1894-10-13
GILA VALLEY One of the Garden Spots on
 Arizona.
 PROSPERITY Smiles on its Fruitful FildS and Thrifty Farm Houses.
PROSPERITY

The Gils valley, productive in its
 entire length and breadth is entitled to
 he credit of being the garden spot of
 Arizona in the region from Solomon
 vile to Thomas. and even below
 Thomas. The trip into the valley on the new railroad is one of sudden surprises. Out of Bowie and down to Solomonville is the hell of heat, dust
 and sand and everything that grows
 hss thorns on it. Then comes the heaven of green felds-waving corn eight or ten feet high, fields of hay, of
 grain of every description, of canals,
 trees and grateful cool shade. Brick cottages and good buildings, evidence of plodding prosperity and one is in this garden of Arizona.
 The Gila valley is good valley. It IS doubtless fully equal to the much-vaunted valley of the Salt. Here
 water IS abundant as compared with other sections though I am not saying that they always have water enough to grow rice or cranberries in it. Yet it IS a iact that there is always water enough Tor the first crops, of barley and small grains and alfalfa. Then comes the corn crop, to follow the same years crops, with generally water enough for the same. Certainly now, with the corn almost ready to cut, the growth, as said, eight or ten feet high, two ears to stalk, the stalks everywhere full height and quality, in many cases grown without being touched after planting, thus valley of the Gila does not look like locality suffering for water. l cannot help comparing it with it once was Here the greedy corporations, those affairs with their grip on the throat of the farmer, have DO cinch on the farmer. Farmer and corporation are one here. On one side of the river are eight canals, on the other five. Every one of these are taken put and kept up by the farmers them selves, each man having prorsta in the canal. The consequence here is where there is no favoritism. Water gets to each farm once a week, and the new man Is not given a nice lot of water to start with and then dried out with the older unfortunates when some other new man comes along.
 The farmers are to a large extent Mormons, thrifty hard working people, whose only fault IS often too great con- servatlsm- They have a general com plant to make of scarcity of ready money. Yet they are comfortably housed, nay luxuriantly often. They all have enough to live on, and their animals are sleek and fat. They have the remedy at their door now for the obtaining of money, and though they may be slow to make the best of it, they are going to so do.
 This ready money source I refer to is the new railroad, the Glla Valley, Globe & Northern Hitherto the resources of the valley have been freighting and the military posts, the market for their barley and hay. The freigbting has been the chief item, from Globe to Will COX with copper, and from Wilcox to Globe with coke. This has all has been paid in trade, the hauling at the mini mim price, the goods at the maximum figure. Furthermore the grain and hay sold has largely been sold 10 the valley merchants, and paid for to a great extent, In merchandise. Thus it has been that money, the ready article, has been scarce in the Gila valley.
 And now the freighting has stoppedl
 The railroad, the bugaboo railroad, has stopped itl
 It is the best thing, that oft-decried railroad, that ever came to the valley.
 To be sure the old conservatives will have to lay aside their box car freight wagons and turn their long strings of horses out to grass, but in the end 1t will be the best thing. The railroad IS going to make a market for farm products. l was through a new Touring mill erected by Judge Bake at Stafford. The mill IS beauty. The miller Mir. Nc Mullen IS man of the utmost con- petence. There IS no reason why the farmers of the valley should not go to raising good whea and that a flour. the best Superfine X X X X, should not be shipped to Tucson, Tombstone. Bisbee. NOgales and aOZer other towns of southern hrizoua. The four can bs just as good, and u should be put up just as cheap as the Colorado or Cslifor- His article. Then the safe ot wheat to the miller should bring forth the ready cash, and get some ready money into this valley. The wheat DOW raised. known as the Sonora wheat, will not make white enough four to sell well, so the farmers will have the experiment ing before them of getting out a yood white wheat that will ps-, +o rs;se Then instead of growir q haris, for the contract or they p- ctow wbsat and get the cash fs- 'h gro" ""e"''
 As wa IT. f 1t. mon. dcsonites know, good deal Ir Lay, alfalfa and barley is shipped
 -. then is raised at home. The Glla valley should prove lively rival to the
 Salt valley in furnishing hay for Tue
 son. Here hay may be had, baled, at
 s6 ton. Now I do not know what
 rates the new railroad is making on hay. II L l.