Graham guardian., 1898-10-28
CONCERNING THE GILA VALLEY,
President Andrew Kimball Answers In.
quiries Regarding that Section. some
thing More OF the Country that Pro-
duces Such ProdigIou Sweet PO-
tatoes, Tall Corn and Fine
Fruits,
TO THE EDITOR:

tatoes, Tail Corn and Fine
Fruits.
To THE EDITOR:
Almost covered up with letters
of inquiry in the last few days, and
besieged on all sides by personal
friends and the many seemingly
interested IN our Arizona country,
find it necessary to again appeal
to you, Mr.. Editor, for help. and
with your consent use your valu'
able paper to answer the numerous
inquiries made of me.
Before beginning | wish to verify
statements alreaoy published. l
have heard that some OF our people
have almost apostaled, to think
the News would publish, and a
high Stake official would say,
"that a sweet potatoe weighed 30
pounds and that corn grew l6 feet
high, The writer is prepared to
demonstrate all he says. OF courDe
the potatoe has long since gone
where such sweet foods go, but
there is q photograph left and the
testimony Of baif the people Of the
valley as to the facts in the cas".
Tue writer boasts no great pre-
tentions of honesty, but singular
fact has transpired which adds to
bis testimony. Several gentlemen
said to the writer, al met some
people from your valley today, and
they verify your statements; you
all seem to agree on the general
condition Of your country" OF
course these people have been put
under proper training before we
let them out of the. valley. This
large potatoe is remarkable ex-
ceptlon, though wagon loads are
produced every year ranging from
8 to 10 pounds each, while with
tall corn that's about the only kind
we grow. As the corn and pota-
to statements are now old and no
doubt easy to believe, l will give
you something to set you thinking.
Johnson grass grows eight feet tall
and red root weeds as large as
wild plum tree; actually while plow-
ing in my corn field encountered
weed roots that would stop my
horses, so large were they; the
widespread leaves of the weed
would cover four square yards OF
ground, and an ak had to be used
to cut them down before plowlng
could be successfully done. But
that is nothing; we have variety
OF weeds that look over our ordi,
nary we'll trimmed trees, and sun
flowers make good fence poles; a
limb of a young tree grew nine
feet in one year, and actually a
graft in pear II ee grew six feet in
onesseason and bore fruit. Sugar
cane grows three or four years from
one planting, and so on. The writ
er has reserved some of the aston.
ishing facts, lest people would
think we were over drawing our
statements. | am willing to leave
the matter with others who know.
if there should be any further queS-
ton about the correctness of the
statements formerly made and
those IN the above lines. Now to
business:
In answer to letters of inquiry
from Frisco, Ogden, Cleveland,
Emery county, Eden, Weber
county, Logan and other places, l.
take pleasure in answering as fol-
lows: The land not already filed
upon may be secured in the usual
way, by homestead or desert act,
but the choicest quarter sections
have already been taken. Though
there are still smaller pieces left,
forties and eighties near the settle
ments while farther away and in
less desirable locations larger
quantities may be secured. After
the survey of our canal was com.
pleted this last spring, and 1t was
fully determined that the new canal
would be put through, our people
located all the choicest land that II
might he properly secured. We
felt that incoming Saints might
share with US on very reasonable
terms. Choice farm land under
and that not cultivated
IN and about our towns can be had
at prices ranging from $40 to Soe
an acre, and even less 10 the rural
districts. There are thirteen canals
already conveying water on our
lands owned entirely by the people
of our valley. A water right usual
Iy covers ten acres of land and in
the majority Of our canals can be
had for S25, though in the Monta'
yuma and San Jose, two canals
holding prior rights, the prices are
materially higher. Not more than
one-third of the valley on the wired
side of the river is covered ny these
canals, the remainder left to be
covered by our prospective enter.
prise. The land above mentioned
not located and which can be OBJ