The Arizona sentinel., 1895-06-22
FRUIT CULTURE.

FRUIT CULTURE.
 Fruit production throughout Arizona is a sub
 ject of great interest at present. and will no
 doubt, be the principal industry in Yuma County.
 The remarkable results that have sprung from very superficial and inn erfect culture has de- mOnstrated that the soil and climate of Yuma County peculiarly adapted for this branch of agricultural enterp-is-. The development of these resources is of the utmost importance and is at tracting careful attention. Experiments have been made, with care, and facts inregard to the culture of different kinds of fruits have been collected whietcannot fail to convince, tbe most skept- ical, of the wonderful superiority of Yuma County over Southern California in fruit growing, and which must lead to a large and varied production, of the most remuneratve character
 The Commissioner of Immigration in his report, published in sSs, writes as follows of the rich valleys of the Gila, Colorado and Salt rivers.
 The soil of these valleys is among the richest on the continent. It is formed of the detritus which the streams for ages have brought down from their mountain homes in their journey to the sea- By eonstai overiows and change of channel, the deposit of this rich vegetable matter has form ed soil of ,xtreme fertility Near the streams it is dark slluvial mold, we'll adapted to small grains and grasses. Farther back there is ri-h sandy loam, mellow and porous, and especially favorable for fruit culture. It has been already demonstrated that the productive capacity of these valleys is not surpassed by Ian of equal in any part of the United States So rapid and prolific is the growth of the fruits, cereals and vegetables that the labor of the cutivator is reduced to the minimum. In nearly all of them two crops year can be growth, and vegetation is one month ahead of California. The farmers plants a cottonwood sapng before his door, and within the year he has a shade tree twenty-five feet high, Alfalfa can be cut six times during the season. and is an actual fact the grape-cuttings have produced within eigh teen mo- ths. What State or Territory can make such showing? The climate, it must be remem- bered, is nearly perpetual summer. Snow never falls in these southern valleys. The farmer begins to plant in November, and by the middle of Nay his harvest is ready. Roses in bloom, fruit trees are bios oming, and the graiI fields sea of green, when the fields of the Eastern farmers are covered with snow and ice.
 Every variety of grains. grasses, fruits and vege- tables grown in the temperate and semi i-tropic zones can be produced in the valleys of Arizona. Wheat, corn barley, oats and Ill the small grains give yield of from twenty-five to fifty bushels to the acre. Alfalfa, clover, timothy, Bermuda and all the cultivated grasses grow luxuriantly, the former giving from eight to ten tons to the acre each year, Every variety of vegetable raised in the United States can be grown in Arizona, and nowhere are they found of better quality.
 Besides the products mentioned these semi tropical valleys produce cotton, sugar-eane, to- xHr..l 'ugarcane but little attention is paid to the cult Vation of other staples; but it has been demonstra ed that the soil and climate are specially adapted to their successful growth. Cotten.growing is no Arizona, for it is on record that | when the Europeans first penetrated this region, | they found the Pima Indians wearing fabrics | made of cotton grown in the Gila valley.
 ''But it is their adaptabilty for fruit culture | hat assures to these valley lands dense popula- ion and aprOsperous future. Almost every var ety known can be raised in their fruitful sols The pple, pear, plum, peach, apricot, quin and nee arine, are of delicious flavor, and give a gen. 'rous yield. The grape of all varieties at home n these sunny wales. No place in the grape-grow- ng belt of the Pacific Coast show so prolific a field. The quality is all that could be desired: md the wine, although its manufacture IS vet ex- is of fine flavor, delicious bououet. md unsurpassed by any native product as table leverage. Experiments with the raisin- grape laVe shown that this climate and soil possess very advantage for the production and curing of his staple article of commerce
 "Besides the fruits already mentioned. tho or pge, lemon, lime, olive, fig. pomegranate. and thers of the citrus family, can be grown success ully in the valleys or Southern Arizona. Orange rees are now in bearing in the Salt River valley nd at Yuma; while the bananas is also being cuI ivated at the latter place. The Arizona orange in uality and flavor will compare favorably with the est California
 ''ln the valleys of the Colorado the Salt and the lila rivers, there is room for thousands It is not co much to say that nowhere within the limits of his broad Union can be found more desirable egion for the making of a home No laborious fearing of the land is required; it lies almost eady for the blow. Trees and shrubbery have SO apid a growth that within eighteen months the immigrant can surround his abode with attractions hch would require years to mature in less favored llmates Fruits ripen and are ready for market
 full mouth b fore the California product The ( right sunshine makes life luxury. and the pure, " atmosphere brings health to all who inhale it. or the establishment of colonies such as we have ade of Southern California a arden, Arizona I resents unrivaled opportunities Thousands of