The herald., 1898-01-05


about Globe than in I'VE years before.
The companies are thus prepared to
turn out the molten copper in very
tide. The Grand Canyon railway will
open up some phenomenal copper mines,
that run in character Of ores from the
freest carbonates to the basest of glance
and sulphides. and In metallic value up
to 20 per cent.
Onyx will be one of the main products
Of the territory in 1898. During the year
past the quarries at Big Bug have been
sold to New York company that is de-
veloping the great deposit, with the ex-
pectation of driving from the market the
Mexican article. The Arizona stone Is
OF remarkable delicacy Of marking and
is superior also In it's ledge formation.
Elsewhere onyx is usually found only in
boulders. Considerable development
work has also been done on the Heyman
onyx properties near Phoenix, In which
city has as well been established fac
tory for working the product.
WITH THE FARMER {
Agriculture has especially prospered
through the advance in cattle, for the
province Of the successful farmer in
<1klEOItt, dS III lllc Illl0ulC Cd6lp 10 W act
as aid to the man who grows the ma
tons meat. The acreage Of alfalfa,
that greatest of forage plants, has In
creased, particularly in the Salt River
valley, but at the expense Of the product
of small grains. The truth lies in the
fact that but slight addition may now
be made to the cultivated acreage Of the
valleys Of Arizona, for the water supply,
till water storage shall have been had,
has about reached it's limit, and the min
imum flow is the measure of the maxi
mum cultivation. Yet there are prod
ucts, most profitable Of all that require
far less irrigation than do small grains
or alfalfa. The orange and lemon acre
age is being extended till more than 1000
acres are coming into bearing In the Salt
River valley alone. The product is Of SUI
perb quality, mostly Of the Washington
Navel variety, and ripens In good time
for the profitable Christmas trade. Dates
during the past year have been demon
strated peculiarly suited to Arizona, and
are being planted widely. The fruit Of
the trees now bearing is Of superior quail
ity. The seedless varieties of grapes
have been shown in every way suited to
local conditions, and old vineyards are
being rooted UP or are being budded to
give them place. Canaigre, the tanning
root, is a natural product, and its prop
critics and value are being added to un-
der cultivation. Several thousand acres
of canaigre were planted last fall south
of Phoenix. Sugar beets, according to
reports at the late agricultural society
meeting, have not developed good re-
suits at the agricultural experiment sta
lions. The only encouraging samples
came from an elevation of 1000 feet.
Further experiments. more carefully
conducted, are in progress in the Salt
and ella River valleys.
ON THE RANGE
''The cattle business IL just where 1t
ought to be-" said an old stockman, land
yet am holding my steers for decided
raise" The ranges Of Arizona had for
1897 two features not known for years.
One was grass and the other good prices
with good demand for cattle. The rains
of last winter and spring were little
heavier than usual, but they came at
the proper times. The general estimate
is that there Is not one head of livestock
in Arizona where five years ago there
were five head. The result OF the whole
situation is profit to the grower. Steers
are selling in Phoenix at S27 head that
brought only 80 two years ago. There is
no doubt that the Arizona cattleman has
learned much from his years of ex-
perience and drought. It is doubtful IL
he will ever again overstock his range.
He has also learned that the steer that
is sure to sell and at the top price is the
steer with fat on bis ribs. Thus it is that
about 100000 head of cattle per annum
are brought by rail or are driven from
the range to the alfalfa pastures about
Phoenix and Tempe, to be shipped home,
after a few months Of feeding, to BUTCH
ers' blocks in Colorado, California and
the east.
Sheep are in much the same position.
Wool and mutton are more than twice
the price Of a year ago, and the flock
owners expect to be out of debt by the
time of the shipment of lambs in the
spring. A recent innovation in the sheep
business is to drive ewes and marketable
sheep from the mountains on the advent
of cold weather. The grassy plains of
central Arizona are available for grazing
as soon as the winter rains come. There
the herds are held till warm weather,
when the unsold woolies are returned to
the peculiar sheep district of Arizona,
the plateau region along the line of the
Santa Fe Pacific railway. Shipments to
market are mainly made from Phoenix,
where the shipper has the advantage Of
competitive freight rates over the two
great western railway systems.
LAUNDERING in northern Arizona, in the
great forests of Pinus Ponderosa. has
been exceptionally active during 1897,
the main markets being Southern Cali
fornia and Arizona at large.
Railway construction for the year has
been nil. This, too, despite the fact that
the legislature that closed its session
last March gave exemption from taxa
ton for fifteen years to all roads that
should commence construction work
within year. BY September 20 exemp-
ton notices had been flied on about 5000
miles of projected road, on over score
of lines-but on all these not mile has
thus far been built. Yet considerable
preparatory work has been done and the
public is assured that construction work
on several lines will begin early In the
year. One of the lines on which ma
terial is now being gathered Is that to
run between Geronimo, Graham county,
and Globe. 1t will be continuation Of
the ella Valley, Globe and Northern, and
will be from the start one of the best
patronized lines in the west. Another
new road, thirty miles in length will run
from the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix