The Arizona sentinel., 1897-01-16

l IOSaiAOISo anu lS HOL aIWdyS 0OnSUdllG.
 The soi o the uplands, or mesas, lighter anc
 more gravelly and in some places of ,rec, loamy
 ealcareous character. The mesa lands are warm ant
 generous. They seem especially adapted for thu
 grape, olive and citrus fruits generally Their soi contains more magnesia, lime or chalk than tht
 bottom lands It never cracks and retains moisture
 admirably in sumner. It is of that character whcl
 will produce a wine that will keep good for fifty o
 a hundred years, and improve annually, not being
 liable to sour, exposure to the air. after on,
 year old, to become turbid and change color in thu
 bottle or glass
 We 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 nc
 doubt, be the principal industry in Yuma County | The remarkable results that have sprung from
 very superficial and imperfect culture has de-
 nlohstrated 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 at
 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 large and varied production, l of the most remunerative character.
 The Commissioner of Immigration in his report, p1sl 1i4b 4bndi in Oi of rich valleys Of the Gila, Colorado and Salt rivers.
 1.-The soil of these valleys is among the richest on the continent It is formed of the detrtus which the streams for ages have brought down from their mountain homes in their journey to the sea. By constant 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 alluvial mold, we'll adapted to small grains and grasses. Farther back there is 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 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 cultivator is reduced to the minimum. In nearly all of them two crops a year can be growth, and vegetation is one month ahead of California. The farmers plants cottonwood saplng before his door, and within the year he has a shade tree twenty-five feet highi Alfalfa 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 ;,. b,,+ of his harvest is ready. Roses are in bloom, fruit trees are blossoming and the grain fields are sea of green, when the fields of the Eastern farmers are covered with snow and ice.
 Every variety 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 can be grown in Arizona, and nowhere 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 sugarcane but little attention is paid to the culti vation of other staples but it has been demonstrat- ed that the soil and climate are 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 adaptabihty for fruit culture that assures to these valley lands dense popula tiOn and nprosperous future. Almost every var iety known can be raised in their fruitful soils. The apple, pear, plum, peach, apricot, quince and nee tarine, are of delicious flavor, and give gen. erous yield. The grape of all varieties isa home in these sunny vaes. No place in the grape-grow- ing belt of the Pacific Coast can show so prolific yield, The quality is all that could be desired; and the wine, although its manufacture is yet ex- perimental, is of fine flavor, delicious bouquet, and unsurpassed by any native product as a table beverage. Experiments with the raisin-grape have shown that this climate and soil possess every advantage for the production and curing of this staple article of commerce.
 ''Besides the fruits already mentioned, the or ange, lemon, lime, olive, fig, pomegranate and others of the citrus family, be grown success fully in the valleys of Southern Arizona Orange
 
 and at Yun1a while the bananas is also being cul- tivated at the latter place. The Arizona orange in quality and flavor will compare favoraby with the best California.
 "In the valleys of the Colorado, the Salt and the Gia rivers, there is room for thousands. It is not teo much to say that nowhere within the limits of this broad Union can be found more desirable | region for the making of a home. No laborious | clearing of the land is required; it lies almost | ready for the blow. Trees and shrubbery have so l rapid a growth that within eighteen months the ! can surround his abode with attractions | which would require years to mature in less favored climates. Fruits ripen and are ready for market l a full month before the California product. The | bright sunshine makes life luxury, and the pure, | dry atmosphere brings health to all who inhae It. i For the establishment of colonies, such as we have made of Southern California arden, Arizona | p-esents rysivaled opportunities Thonsahas of