The Florence tribune., 1898-04-30
TIE CASA eRANpE VALLEY.
information for Those Seeking Homes
 In the Garden Spot of the West.


 In the Garden Spot of the West.
 Piual county was organized in 1875 from portions of Pima, Maricopa and Yayapal counties and contains area ot 5.S6o square miles. or 3, 435 520 acres, one-third of which could bo made productive by a systematic storage of the surplus water now running to waste. Next to Maricopa it Is the most iIn- portant agricultural county in the Territory. It it trayersed from east to west by the Southern Pacific railroad, and q branch or the great Santa Fe system IS now approach ing from the north The objective point of this road is a connection with tho sonora road, of the same system: The southern Pacific is also building in this sllrectlon rom Tempe and it is confidently believed that work will not cease until the Deer Sfeeh coal fields are reached and connection Is made with another branch of that road run ming from Bowie. to Globe and now compiet- ed to Fort Thomas.
 Thus it will be seen that PiEal county IS the theater of railroad building at the pres ent time, and inside of e year Florence, the county seat, will be
 ARAILRoAD CENTER.
 At present it contains Q population of a5cGt 150o. but with the completion or these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach 1t for hatd,al advantages sand large increase m popuia- tiOn will follow. Florence is at an elevation of 1858 feet above sea level, situated near the Gia river, twenty-six miles northwest or tiie  it is connected by an elegantly. equipped dsily stage line. Going and coming stageS run by the old Casa Grande runs, anu passengers are allowed short tlme to IT. spect them. There are many handsome prl- Vate residences in Florence. several bficA4 stores, good hotel, an excellent gfaleo school employing four teachers, chtirehes' secret societies. a Commercial Cup, news paper (the only one in the eountyl, and the handso,nest court house in the Territory. Here is held the United States Court Tor the district composed of Gila, Graham and PinaI counties. The streets are lined with shade trees, W hieh impart an air ot comfort on the warInest days.
 PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY.
 Unlike the Salt river, the waters of the Gila are fresh and pure; the soil contains no Allkah is deep, rich gray ash, & espeelIalis e,Ile almond, peach, fig, pear, apricot ana Ifults of all kinds. which pay largely on the invest ment. It is also the natural home of alfaiia, which grows in tho most prolific manner. The grape does exceptionally well in tnis valley. and wine and raisin culture IS destin- ed to become prominent industry. CltFuS fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; there are number of orange trees in the neighborhood of Florence which bear their golden fruit each year without pro full bearing. The season is from six weeks to two mouths earlIer than Southern Cailfor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- ed advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is a formidable obstacle to the destTrlctiNe ana unsightly scale-bug, and the fruits or the valley are ali bright and clean. All the asri- cultural products o! temperate and semi tropic zones are easily grown here, the long seasons giving Q succession of crops that double or treble the productive value or tAe land.
 PRICES OF LAND.
 Improved lands, with government title and water right, can be bought for from S2a to $50 per acre, according to location and im- provements. In the immediate neighbof- hood and to the south of the Casa Grande ruins there are thousands of acres covered with heavy growth of mesquite timber yet open to settlement. These are among the choicest in the valley. Water in mex hausti- bic quantity is found at depth Of rom 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 small tracts. However with the completion of the Butte reservoir, pumping will be thing Of the past and it 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 UHISHAB1TABLE DESERT
 Is in truth the most productive land on ths globe and that there is water in abundanct to bring every foot Of it under cultivation only waiting for the magic wand of capita to develop it. There is no water-storags scheme on the Pacific coast that has oue-hal the natural advantages and so few engineer Ing difficulties as the Butte reservoir. hers nature has built the abutments in eYer-liY ing rock, and all that is left for man to do i to put in the headgate. the bluffs which form the gorge being only separated by paitry .220 feet 4 country is drained through thil marrow canyon 200 miles square, representing 10000 square miles. or larger than Maine anC Massachusetts combined. The rainfall is sui ficient to fill the reservoir twice year, ana the land to be brought under cultivation Ii practically hrnitess. This may read like fairy tale but it is every word true, and has been verified time and again.
 CASA GRANDR RESERVOIR.
 The reservoir of the Casa Grande Valley Canal company is the largest in the territory. It covers a surface of 1900 acres with an aver age depth of 12 feet, and contains about eight thousand million gallons of water. It is sit- uated fifteen miles southwest of Florence. A levee of earth has been thrown up across a depression in the plain l4, ,000 feet in length 125 feet in width at the bottom and 25 feet in width at top, to 1 slope on each side, and an average height of g feet. The waste is regu- lated by cast iron pipes feet in diameter, set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and tower. This reservoir cost Sl5O,D0O, and sup plies water for 6,O00 acres.
 Meteorological Statistics.
 The signal service of the general govern ment maintained station at Florence from 1874 to IS52. The reports covering the period from JuIy 1800 to April 1S82, gives the follow