The Arizona sentinel., 1898-12-24
ARIZONA.

ARIZONA.
 Arizona stands at the threshold of an era of wonderful social and industrial de- velopment. There can't be doubt about the fact. The dawn for which she has waited so long is breaking at last. There is every promise of @ day of great pros- perity and permanent upbuilding just be- fore her. The impulse of new and ener- gizing hope is visible everywhere among her people. while the cumulative effect of many things, which made but small inn pression as they transpired singly, is now commanding for her full share of atten- ton and interest abroad among home seekers and capitalists.
 4 lively competition has sprung up for the possession of things which have hereto fore gone a-begging for ownership. There is a scramble for franchises. Nothing more surely indicates great industrial awaken ing than this. The rates of interest are falling to moderate figures. Nothing more surely indicates confidence and competition among the money lend, IS than this.
 Arizona has reachei that climacticer period which every western state has ex- perienced sometime in it's history when, after long and weary struggle and doubt, with each side of the balance first up and then down, the clouds of despondency have suddenly rolled away, and sunburst of energizing hope has thrilled the droop- ing spirits of the people to greater and braver endeavor than before.
 For the last twelve years the subsistence of the great Tombstone boom and the com pletion of two transcontinental lines of railroad across her territor5-Arizona has rather dropped out of public attention, but in that time she has been quietly ac- cumulating a fund of substantial wealth and a force of moral character which qualify her now to rise up and take her destiny in her own hands.
 The population of Arizona is Mexican This is mistake of great importance from the moral point of view. There is but one considerable center of Mexican population in the territory, the city of Tucson, and even there it is not by any means at pres ent the predOulinating element. It think it is certain that Arizona has not to-day nearly so large Mexican population as Colorado and not above one-tenth as much as New Mexico -"Fitz- Mac," in Denver News.
 FRUIT CULTURE.
 Fruit production throughout Arizona is @ sub ject O great interest at present, and will no doubt, be the principal industry in Yuma County The remarkable 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 at tracting carefnl 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, oftb3 onderful superiority of Yuma County over Southern California in fruit growing, and which must lead to a large and varied production, of the most remuneratve character.
 The Commissioner of Immigration in his report, published in 1886, writes as fellows of the rich valley of the Gila, Colorado and Salt rivers
 "The soil of these valleys is among the richest on the continent. It is formed of the detritus which the streams for ages have brought down from their mountain homes in their journeS to the sea. By constant overhows and change of channel, the deposit of this rich vegetable matter has fcrm ed soil of ,Xtreme fertility Near ths streams it is dark alluval mold, well adapted to small grains and grasses. Farther back there is a rich sandy loam, mellow and porous, and especially that the productive apacity of these valleys is not surpassed by lands of equal area in any part of the United States. So rapid and prolific the growth of the fruits, cereals and vegetables that the labor Of the cultivator is reduced to the minimum. ln nearly all of them two crops year can be growth, and vegetation is one month ahead of California. The farmers plants cottonwood saping before his door, and within the year he has a shade tree twenty five feet high! Alfalfa be cut six times during the season, and it is actual fact the grape-cuttings have produced within eigh teen mOnthsl 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 Lis harvest is ready. Roses are in bloom, fruit trees are blossomng, and the grain fields are 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 scmitropic 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 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 vation 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 Italians wearing fabrics made of cotton grown in the Gila valley.
 But it is their adaptabillty for fruit culture that assures to these valley lands dense popula- tion and aprosperous future. Almost every var ety known be raised in their fruitful soils The apple, pear, plum, beach, apricot, quince and nec- tarinc, are of delicious flavor, and give gen erous yield. The grape of all varieties isa home in these sunny valos. No place in the grape-grow ing belt of the Pacific Coast can show prolific a yield. The quality is all that could be desired; and the wine, although its manufacture is yet ex pcrimcnta is of fine flavor, delicious bouquet, end uA, ITp,>..d ol aDy naive product al a table