The Arizona sentinel., 1898-08-27
ARIZONA.

ARIZONA.
 Arizona stands at the threshold of al era of wonderful social and industrial de velopment. There can't be doubt about the fact. The dawn for which she ha!
 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 a new and ener
 gizing hope is visible everywhere among
 her people, while the cumulative effect o1
 many things, which made but small i'm.
 pression as they transpired singly, is now
 commanding for her full share of atten-
 tion and interest t~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 reached 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 energiziug 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 con-
 pletion of two transcontinental lines of
 railroad across her territory-Arizona has
 rather dropped out of public attention,
 but in that time she has been quietly &C., ! cumulating a fund of substantial wealth
 and force of moral character which
 qualify her now to rise up and take her | destiny in her own hands.
 1 The population of Arizona is Mexican.
 This is a 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 predominating element. It think ! 1t is certain that Arizona has not to-day
 nearly so large a Mexican population as ! Colorado and not above one-tenth as much
 as New Mexico -"Fitz- Mac," in Denver News.
 FRUIT CULTURE.
 | Fruit production throupbout Arizona is srb
 ject great interest at present, and will no doubt, be the principal industry in Yuma County. The remorkable 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 tracing 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 tS wonderful superiority of Yuma County over Southern California in fruit growing, and which must lead to large and varied production, of the most remunerative character.
 The Commissioner of Immigration in his report, published in 1888, writes follows of the rich valley of the Gia, 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 journey to the sea. By constant overfows and change Of channel, the deposit of this rich vegetable matter has form ed soil of extreme fertility, Near the streams it is dark alluvial mold, well adapted to small grains and grasses. Farther back there is a rich sandy lOam. mellow md md ecnnp;aI1V favorable for fruit culture. It has been already demonstrated that the productive capacity of these valleys is not surpassed by lands of equal area 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. Tn nearly all of them two crops a year can be growth, and vegetation is month ahead of California. The farmers plants a cottonwood sapling before his door, and within the year he has a shade tree twenty five feet hgh Alfalfa can 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 to plant in November, and by the middle of May | bis harvest is ready Roses are in bloom, fruit trees blossomng, 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 Alizona. 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 luxurantly, 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 ip Arizona, and nowhere are they found of better quality.
 "Besides the products mentioned, these semi tropical valleys produce cotton, sugar-cane to- Dacco, hemp and rice With the exception of the but little attention is paid to the cuti- vation of other staples but it has been demonstrat ed that the soil and climate are specially adapted to their successful growth. Cotton-growlng IS no experiment ill 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 hat assures to these valley lands dense popula- ion and aprosperous future. Almost every var ety known can be raised in their fruitful soils The lpple, pear, plum, peach, apricot, quinee and nee arne, of delicious flavor, and give a gen 'rous yield. The grape of all varieties isa home II these sunny wales. No place in the grape-grow- ng belt of the Pacific Coast can show so prolific field, The quality is all that could be desired; nd the wine, although it's manufacture Is yet eX- Is Of fine flavor, delicious bouquet, nd uus lrPa5sed by any native product as a table