The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-05-20
DRYEsT STATE OF ALL.

From the Denver Times.
Arizona has some timber in the noun
tains and grass in the valleys, but these
grow despite the fact that Arizona is in the
dryest part of the United States Even
within the boundaries of this one territory,
however, the rainfall varies from over
twenty-five inches year at Camp Good
win in the mountains to three inches a
year at Yuma on the desert. Twenty-Five
inches of rainfall a year means, perhaps, a
possible CROP Three inches year means
no water at all. The people Of Arizona do
not, therefore, concern themselves much
with rain. They talk about 1t once in a
while, and on occasions an inch or two or
three comes down in a solid chunk and is
called cloudburst but such a rainfall has
little relation to the possibilities of the soil
from a productive point of view
The settler in Arizona first seeks running
water, and then with confidence, settles
himself upon the land and straightway
proceeds to get rich, for running water
upon Arizona soil is like unto a gold mine-
it produces wealth. This has been the
system even beyond the memory Of man,
for there are Arizona bitches which are
nearly 400 years old, and the present gen.
Grafton is not quito sure what manner of
people digged them.
1t is within the memory of man, how
ever, when Arizona was an almost track
less desert, overrun with fierce and warlike
Indians, and 1t is within the memory of
even the children of Arizona that all this
has changed; deserts have been made to
bloom and all warlike Indians have either
been sent to the happy hunting grounds or
are used for exhibition purposes in wild
west shows and eastern expeditions.
All this has been done by ignoring the
We 0f ha rth ma Nv
utilizing the melting snowbanks as their
waters raced toward the sea. Fifteen hun
bred miles of artificial water courses or
bitches, have these ambitious and indus
trious Arizona people dug, and 100000 acres
of their wonderful valley land grow rank
with green things of the earth in response
to the water from these bitches. 1t is not
all fun to settle on these arid lands, and
it is no easy task to have dug these bitches,
but the results have paid tenfold to those
who dared the task. Great mining camps
are always near by. Miners always have
money to spend They want the best the
earth can give them, and the irrigated
lands of Arizona have been paid for with
the money dug from the bowels of the
vo'canic hills.
The running streams of Arizona are now
doing all they can and still more water Is
wanted. To get this the people of valleys
not so favored with living waters as they
might be are preparing to store the little
that falls from the clouds at some seasons
of the year. In the mouths of rugged can
ons they will place great rock dams. The
melting SHOWS and the winter rains will
here mingle and lie euiet until the drought
strikes the valley below and the parched
vegetation calls for their use. Then the
stored waters will be loosed, to add more
greenery, hence more wealth, to the dryest
place In America. Arizona wants the ma
tional government to build these dams to
store the water, but if the fog stricken
taxpayers of the east shall object the peo-
pie of Arizona will do this themselves as
they have done many things before, by
their own might.
the valleys of the Salt and ella rivers
there are a thousand of these 1900 miles
Of bitches which have been dug Groves
of trees, fields of alfalfa and grain, or
chards and tropical growths are not in
patches here, for one irrigated field joins
another until the green can be counted for
miles as it lies in sharp contrast to the
desert round about. Orange and pome-
granates tell of the climate. Great fields
of alfalfa, cutting four or more crops q
year, tell of the strength of the soil and its
virtues, latent until called forth by the
slipping water as it quietly comes from the
bitches, spreads over and seeps down into
the almost bottomless SOIL
The Salt river and Gilla valleys held at
one time nothing of value to the tax gath
erer, but now he hndS. between $780, 100000
and $40 100000 In property to list upon his
book. All this came from the water in the
bitches and yet less than per cent of the
face of the earth in Arizona produces aught
OF value to man. There are many larger
percentages which can be made equally
fruitful when water Is added to complete
the simple but necessary formula used by
nature in turning common things into
gold.
In this Arizona country the United States
government IL crroenti ling its irrigation
experiment work AMI IN time much knowl-
edge wi, be forthcoming which will be of
value everywhere that water is brought
upon the land.