Arizona republican., 1895-01-26
What an Indianian Saw
in Phoenix.
His Opinion Of the Salt
River Valley.
He Calls 1t the Most Delightful
Spot on the Continent.
A Regret That He Is Too Old to Par
ticipate In the Pleasures of an
Earthly Paradise.

The Evansville Ind.) Courier of
week ago has the following concerning
recent visit of Mr.. Frank P. Byrnes
to Phoenix. Mr.. Byrnes' views will be
interesting to Phnnicians and to many
of them they will even be instructive,
for there are people living in Phoenix
who have not taken the pains taken by
him to study the resources of the val
ley. Says The Courier:
Mr.. Frank P. Byrnes has returned
from short vacation spent in the far
west. A little more than fortnight
ago Mr.. Byrnes, accompanied by his
son, F. P. Byrnes, Jr., left direct for
Phoenix, Arizona, where the intention
was to leave young Mr.. Byrnes if he
should find the place agreeable for .
temporary residence of few months.
or, perhaps, if he could see business
opening of promise, for permanent
location. The journey out was rather
tiresome, but Mr.. Byrnes says he was
more than repaid before he had spent
half day in Phoenix. 1t is city Of
$4,000 inhabitants, handsomely built
and with all the conveniences OF mod
ern civilized life. Social life in Phoenix
is as cultured as may be found in many
| larger and more pretentious centeIs OF
population in the east. The hospitality
of its people is whole-hearted and OF
the heart. 1t is bestowed for the pleas
rvix oil nd fn hn
we'll as the visitor.
He visited some OF the largest ranches
(farmsi in the neigh borhood where all
kinds of fruits we're grown. There was
one orange grove OF two or three hun
dred acres, yellow with the luscious
| fruit. There were banana trees and
date bearing palms. There were pine
apples, olives, lemons, pomegranates,
wine and table grapes, prunes, nectar
ines, apples and straw berries, all of the
gifts of the gods found around and
about the tropics Nor are fruits the
only products of the soil. Alfalfa,
wild, coarse grass, on which
cattle fatten as if corn fed, wheat. corn
barley, broom cane, sorghum, melons
and vegetables make the list OF natures
bounties complete. The land has to be
irrigated and water is brought tram the
mountains by grand canal which ID
| tapped for farms throughout the valley
the cost or toll paid 10 the canal COM
pany being about 81 Is per acge per
year. There are but SIX and half
inches of rainfall a year, so tilat irrlgn-
supply is abundant snd it is noticeable
that as the country 'settlcs up" the
average rainfall seneibIy increases.
Grapes bear in two wears from
cuttings ard one year nom
rooted vines. Peaches and apYi-
cots bear in the third and oranges IN
the fourth year. But the farmer need
not walt for his vines and trees to fur
nish him revenues. By planting bar
ries and vegetables between the rowe,
or by reservlng q part of the land far
grain or alfalfa, he can make living
from the first. And thed there are the
chickens and eggs ard butter to hefy
out. The price of land unimproved
with water, per acre, is $50 to SIS pei
acre, except ID the immediate vicinity
of towns and cities. This, of course,
seems high to Us, but as it produces in
ordinary crops, including chickens and
eggs, hogs, turkeys, from $50 to $45 per
acre each year-for there are no CROP
failures on irrigated Iands-the frs,
cost is not thing to appall even the
weak hearted. From ten to twenty
acres will support an average family
comfortably anywhere in the Salt River
valley.
Phoenix is the capital OF Arizona and
Mr.. Byrnes says it bears all the marks
of the highest civilization. There bat
two policemen, one for day and
one for night. There are good schools
every kind of church, even the
Mormons having a show in al
other part OF Maricopa county
There are seven miles of street railway
four miles of which are operated By
electricity, water works, electric aht
| gas light. telephone exchange. steam
fire department, good sewerage system
etc., etc. The whole town is flower
garden. Indeed, Mr.. Byrnes was so i'm
pressed with Phoenix and it's environ
2 ment that he says he would become 8
Phenician, if that is what the citizens
of Phoenix call themselves, if he were
ten years younger. As it is, he hopes
that his son will decide to locate there
so that he may feel he Is at least linkse
by ties OF blood to the most delightful
spot to be found on the continent.