The Florence tribune., 1898-04-09

adventages, and large increase in popuia- tiou will follow. Florence is at au elevation of le53 feet above sea leVei sittsatad near the Gila river twenty six miles northwest of the railroad station of Casa Grande, with which it is connected by an elegantly equipped duly stage line. Going and coming stages run by the old Casa Grande ruins, and passengers are allowed short time to in- spect them. There are many handsome pri- vate residences in Florence, several brick stores, good hotel, an excellent graded school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies. Commercial Club, news paper tthe only one in the countyG and the hands9mest court house ill the Territory. Hsre is held the United States Court for the district composed of Gila, Graham and Pinal counties. The streets are lined with shade trees which impart an air of comfort on the Warmest days.
 PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY.
 Unlike the Salt river, the waters of the Nila are fresh and pure; the soil contains no Allxali, is deep, rich gray ash, especially adapted to the growth of the. prune, olive, almond, peach, fig, pear, apricot and frults of Ill kinds which pay largely on the invest mellt. It is also the natural home of alfalfa, which grows in the most prolific manner. The grape does exceptionally well in this , valley, and wine and raisin culture IS destln- ed to become a prominent Industry. SltruS fruits have been cultivated to a limited extent; there are a number of orange trees in the neighbarho9d of Florence which bear their golden frait each year without pro- lection, and few date palm trees are also in full bearing. The season is from six weeks to two months earlier than Southern Califor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- cd advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 Tho absence of fogs and nightly dews is . formidable obstacle to the destructive and unsightly scale-bu@, and the fruits of the valley are all bright and clean. All the agri- cultural products of temperate and semi tropic zones arc easily grown here, the long seasons giving succession Of crops that double or treble the productive value Of the land.
 PRICES OF LAND.
 Improved lands, with government title and water right, can be bought for from $20 to $50 per acre, according to location and im- proYements. In the Immediate neighbor- hood and to the south of the Casa Grande ruins there are thousands of acres covered with a heavy growth of mesquite timber yet choicest in the valley. Water in inexhaussi> bic quantity is fonnd at depth of from twenty to thirty feet; in fact, river seems to be flowing underneath. Here is splen- did opportunity to take up and improve land with a pumping system of irrigation, which is said to be successful on small tracts
 However, with the completion Of the Butte reservoir pumping will be a thing of the past, and 1t is only mentioned here for the purpose of showing what can be done, and to magnify the further fact that what was once considered
 AN UNISHABITABLE DESERT
 Is in truth the most productive land on the globe, and that there is water in abundance to bring every foot of it under cultivation, only waiting for the magic wand of capital to develop 1t. There Is no water-storage scheme on the Pacific coast that has one- half the natural advantages and so few engineer ing difficulties the Butte reservoir. Here nature has built the abutments in eyer-liv- ing rock. and all that is left for man to do is to put in the headgate, the bluffs which form the gorge being only separated by paltry 220 feet. A country is drained through this narrow canyon POO miles square, representing 0000 square miles, or larger than Maine and Massachusetts combined. The rainfall is suf- ticient to fill the reservoir twice year, and the land to be brought under cultivation Is practically hmitless. This may read like fairy tale, but it is every word trueSand has been verified time and again.
 CASA GRAHDE RESERVOIR.