The Arizona sentinel., 1895-05-18

Until late years but little atten-
 tion has been paid to either agricult-
 ure or horticulture, in and about
 Yuma. Before the incoming of the
 railroad our people had hardly any
 home feeling connected with this
 couRtry. but in the main, were pos.
 sessed of feverlsh desire to accumu-
 late a competence and return to Gods
 country, as they termed the eastern
 states. A large number, used to
 frontier ways and satisfied with the
 then prevailing high wages, carelessly
 went through life without 8 care for
 the future, and with no thought of the undeveloped resources of soil and climate. They cared nothing for corn except in it's relation to whisky, and flowers were but faint memory of childhood days. Indifferent to everything save present needs and pleasures, they drifted through the years without ambition, and with no excitement except the fictitious kind found in typical frontier dissipations and brawls. And yet they were a brave and generous people, always philosophical, and sometimes of noble nature. The advent of the railroad, In doing away with trans portation by teams, left the greater number of this class of inhabitants without employment, and they grad ually drifted away into remoter re- gions where, for a time at least, they could live embarrassed by the threads. of "the black horse cavalry of con- mercs." Shortly afterwards the Southern Califo rnia ''bCom" startled the country, and the sudden and i'm mense rise in the price of citrus fruit lands awoke the residents of Yuma to the fact that our soil and climate are adapted to the growth of all cit rus as we'll as deciduous fruits. The Southern Pacific Company placed a: main along Madison avenue, for the. purpose of supplying water to their round house, and from this main a few residents were allowed to take water for the irrigation Of their gar, dens.
 Orange, lemon, lime, date and other fruit trees were at once planted. Plants were set out, and from this be- ginning, made only several years ago, has resulted the splendid display of fruits and flowers now to be seen in the gardens of Yuma. Further, as soon as the capabilities of soil and climate were demonstrated in these I gardens, capital anu industry became and large irrigation en- terprises were successfully inaugural ed Tn various parts of the Gila and Colorado valleys flor the redemption of vast tracts of land.
 Some three years ago, through the energy of, H. w. Blaisdeil, the Yuma Water and Light Company was in and by means of it's large l pumping plant, at the foot of Main l street, the town is abundantly sup piled with water at reasonable rates | and there have grown into existence new and large gardens and orchards. l
 Owing to climatic conditions or anges, lemons, lines, figs, grapes, and nearly all other citrus and deciduous fruits matare from two to six weeks earlier in this section than in any part of the Pacific or Atlantic slopes, which assures to growers the cream of the market in prices, and an even show at the skim-milk.
 All the products above mentioned can be shipped to San Francisco, and sold in the markets of that city at fancy prices. Our early grapes are gathered and consumed before the