The Arizona sentinel., 1895-10-12

calcareous character. The mesa lands are warm and generous. They seem especially adapted for the grape olive and citrus fruits generally. Their soil contains more magnesia, lime or chalk than the bottom lands. It never cracks and retains moisture admirably in summer It is of that character which will produce wine that will keep good for fifty or a hundred years, and improve annually, not being liable to sour, on exposure to the air. after one year old to become turbid and change color in the bottle or glass.
 We can safely say that the soil of Yuma County can nowhere be surpassed containing as it does all the essential elements of richness and fertility.
 FRUIT CULTURE.
 Fruit production throughout Arizona is a sub ject great interest at present, and will no doubt, be the principal industry in Yuma County The remark kable results that have sprung from very superficial and imperfect culture has de- monstrated that the soil and climate of Yuma County are peculiarly adapted for this branch of agricultural enterprise The development of these resources is of the utmost importance and is st- tracting careful attention. Experiments have been made, with care and facts in regard to the culture of different kinds of fruits have been collected which cannot fail to convince, even 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 remunerative character.
 The Commissioner of Immigration in his report, published in 1886, 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 detTitus which the streams for ages have brought down from their mountain homes in their journey to the sea. By constant overfows and change of channel, the deposit of this rich vegetable matter has form ed a soil of extreme fertility, Near the streams it is dark alluvial mold, we'll adapted to small grains and grasses. Farther back there is a rich 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 lands of equal area 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 cultvator 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 saplng before his door, and within the year he has a shade tree twenty-five feet hgh Alfalfa can be cut six times during the season. and it is actual fact the grape-cuttings have produced within eigh teen months! 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 May his harvest is ready. Roses are in bloom, fruit orJ& &1,a fall goa 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-tropic zones can be produced in the valleys of Arizona. Wheat, corn barley, oats and all 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 be grown in Arizona, and nowhere are they found of better quality.
 "Besides the products mentioned, these semi tropical valleys produce cotton, sugar-cane, to- bacco, hemp and rice. With the exception of the sugar-cane, but little attention is paid to the cult vaton of other staples; but it has been demonstrat ed that the soil and climate specially adapted to their successful growth. Cotton growing is no experiment. in 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 adaptabi1lty 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 soils. The pple, pear, plum, peach, apricot, quince and nec- arine, are of delicious flavor, and give gen. rous yield. The grape of all varieties is at home n these sunny wales. No place in the grape-grow ng belt of the Pacific Coast can show so prolific a field, The quality is all that could be desired; nd the wine, althoughits manufacture is yet ex- is of fine flavor, delicious bouquet, 1 nd unsurpassed by any native product as table l 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, the or nge, lemon, lime, olive, fig, pomegranate, and | thers of the citrus family, be grown success ully ill the valleys of Southern Arizona. Orange | rees are now in bearing in the Salt River valley nd at Yuma; while the bananas is also being cul- ivated at the latter place. The Arizona orange in uality and flavor will compare favorably with the est California.
 ''In the valleys of the Colorado, the Salt and the lila livers there is room for thousands. It is not co much to say that nowhere within the limits of his broad Union be found more desirable egion for the making of home No laborious fearing of the land is required it lies almost eady for the blow. Trees and shrubbery have so apid growth that within eighteen months the immigrant surround his abode with attractions rhich would require years to mature in less favored Inmates. Fruits ripen and are ready for market
 full month before 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 lade of Southern California arden, Arizona resents unrivaed opportunities Thousands Of