New-York tribune., 1896-11-22
ARIZONA IN WINTER.


pears to be such dearth Of precise nforina'loiI
among many who are vitally Interested that IL
seems almost public duty, to set down: III the
simplest form. few facts Of personal oDser'a-
tion.
WEATHER-Durng five months residence
in Southern Arizona in winter tne'e WIS pu'
one day when the weather made IL actuih! "n-
pleasant for me to take exercise III tiie open III
at some time or other during the day. Or course
there good many days when Wea'hci
observer would describe as cloudy. ana some
that were 'showtry": but during these nve
months from November, lS9J. to May! iooo'
there were only four days when we dld hot nav
brilliant sunshine at som" time during the ""!.
Even more than Egypt. anywhere nor'n Vi
Luxor. Arizona Is the land of sunshine AS ~
details:
TEMPERATCRE.-I have seen the ther-
mometer mark 92' in the shade on my hor'ii
piazza in March, On the other hand. we haa
frOsts which killed young orange trees anu
there were several nights when thin ice ioricu'
The Government reports show mean LIN
pcraurc for fourteen years ut the present i''
rltoral capital Of j1la' in November '' III De,
cembcr. 40 I'm January, ~ in February. vi III
March and GG' in April. The same reports snow
the highest and lowest temperatures. averaged
for eight years, at the same place. as foloWs:
For November 7S1a' and 42'. December 1872
and 3Gla', January 6512' and 32'. February ~
and :,jia' March Sl1a' and Az. and April Soi2
and 4G0 The nights throughout the winter are
apt to be cool enough for open wood fires. and
for blankets. Half the time an overcoat Is NOT
needed during the day. bur ii Is never prudent
for a stranger to be without one at hand
AIR-The atmosphere Is singu.arly clear. tonic
and dry. I have never seen 1t clearer anywhere
in the world 1t seems to have about the same
bracng and exhilarating qualities as the ar OF
the Great Sahara in Northern Africa. or Of the
iuni m A Dptrlc1
II is much drler than in the parts Of Morocco.
Algiers or Tuns usually visited. and drler than
any part Of the Valley of the Nile north or the
First Cataract II seems to me about the same
in quality as the air on the Nile between Assouan
and Wady-Hafa but somewhat cooler
ACTUAL HrMIDITY.-This is extremely
slight. everywhere in Arizona as compared with
any Eastern climate in the United States. Inc
air Is driest on .he high mesas. remote from
snOwclad mountains or forests. and IN the desert
valleys where no considerable irrigation has
been begun. Wherever irrigation Is carried on
on n large scale the percentage OF humidity III
the atmosphere must be somewhat increased.
although to an Eastern visitor Ii Ia scarcely per-
cepiihle The sam" Government observations
already cited show relative humidity. at Phoenix
or Tucson. averaged for weeks. from morning
and evening readings. As less than half the usual
humidity on dr., days in N"w-lork 'iehrral
Greely in n publication from the Weather Blu
rcau gave the normal weight Of aqueous vapor
in the Arizona air at from IL TO grains per
cubic foot
Showers. and indeed heavy rains are
liable to occur IN every month OF the year: but
the actual number Of rains seems 10 IN Eastern
visitor strangely small. Tie average rainfall
in Southern Arizona. as shown Ivy the Govern
ncni observations. is but S'a inches per year.
ALTITTDES.-Tt is a striking advantage Of
ferel by Arizona that. with the same general
.f a
the physician Is able 10 select nearly any altitude
n. may desire Thus asthmatic sufferers can
find almost the sea level at Yuma. or an altitude
of only a thousand feet AT Phoenix. or ol Only
2.iOO NJ Tucson. Others. who find no objection
10 greater elevations. can choose between fres-
cott or Fort Whipple. 5.tOO: Flagstaff $500: the
sulphur Spring Valley or For Grant. 400; Fort
Huachuca 1900 or Oracle. about 1000.
ISIT PLACE FIT TO LIVE lN:-Thls de-
peLds Oh what one expects in a huge. sparsely
settled Territory OF mountains and deserts. The
man who looks for either the beauty or the So
ductvc eXcitcmen. Of Monte Carlo will not find
H. As little vii, he find the historic remains or
the cosmopolitan attractions OF Egypt: nor could
he eaSonably expect the amuScmcn'S ana lux
urlcs ~ our own Eastern cities. The people OF
Arizona are still chiefly busy in the pioneer work
Of >ublung il 10 the residence and uses OF civil
lzcd man. But II has two trinscontncnfal lines
OF railway with numerous feeders: II has fast
with the Intense lfc of the splendid West
The two principal towns in the southern por-
ton chiefly sought for their climatic advan-
tascs. are Phoenix and Tucson Each of them
has ter ,houSand inhabitants or more. They
have the electric light, telephones trolleycars.
plcnty of hotels banks. book stores good schools,
churches an occasional theatrical performance.
sometimes 4 lecture or n circus. often horse
race. and. In the spring thoroughly curious
and interesting FIESTA" For the rest. people
must take their amusements with them. Good
horses are abundant and cheap and there are
plenty of cowhoys--ihe genuine ar,icle-to show
what horses can do. The driving for fifteen or
twenty miles in almos, any direction from Phoe-
nix. is nearly always easy. The roads are app
10 he dusty: but there is one well-Sprinkle1 drive
of six or eight miles; and since the winds are
quite regular in their direction. II is rarely Diff
cult to choose n route on which the dust VIII be
largely carried away from you The unbroken
desert itself j. often easy 10 drive over as an
Eastern highway and the whole valley is a para
disc for hcyclers, or cqicS;rians
CAN ONE LIVE COMFORrABIY:-Th
again depends on what you expect. You cannot
hoye the luyurics Of Our NewlOrk houses out
there unless YOU build one: or the variety of
our Ncw-York markets. unless you charter
rcfrigrrotor ear But there are hotels with al
most rs much frontage rs the Waldorf. and. like
everything else In the Territory excepting the
mountains ana The deserts. they are new. There
are boarding houses of more kinds than one. ana
brick cottages of egh; or ten rooms can occl-
>ionally In rented Better than any OF them. Tor
the man with the energy and the pluck to take
IT, is a tent on the desert and he who knows
how 10 'camp our with comfort through Sep
trmbcr In the Adirondacks can camp out in
Arizona through the winter.
As TO food there is plenty. AMI it Is good-lf
you can get it we'll cooked. The alfalfa fields OF
the Salt River Valley are the fattaning ground
for the great cattle ranges Of the Territory. From
there the markets of Los Angeles and even OF
Denver are largely supplied. Good beef. NUT
ton and poultry are plenty and cheap. Quail.
ducks and venison from the vicinity can also be
had. Vegetables and fruits are abundant in
their season and sometimes the season Is long
ONE Il is the one country have lived in whtre