The Arizona sentinel., 1899-03-04
FRUIT CULTURE.


 ject great interest at present, and will no doubt, be the principal industry in Yuma County. The remarkable results that have sprung from very superficial and imperfect culture has de- i 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 tracting careful attention. Experiments have been made with care and facts in regard to the culture | of different kinds of fruits have been collected whicA cannot fal to convince, even tbe mcSt skept ical, off, Underful 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 Con missioner of Immigration in his report, published in sS6, writes as follows of the rich valley of the Gila, Colorado and Salt rivers
 The soil of these valleys is among the richest 1 on the continent. It is formed of the detritus which the streams for ages have brought down from their mountain homes in their journeS to the sea. By constant overfows and change of channel, the deposit of this rich vegetable matter has form ed & soil of ,xtreme fertility, Near ths streams it | is a dark aluval mold, we'll adapted to small grains and grasses. Farther back tnere is rich sandy loam mellow and porous, and especially favorable for fruit culture. It has been already demonstrated that the productive opacity of these valleys is not surpassed by lands of equal in sny 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. in nearly all of them two crops year can be growth, and vegetation is one month ahead of California. The farmers plants a cottonwood sapng before his door, and within the year he has a shade tree twenty-five feet hiah! Alfalfa can be cut six times during the season, and it is an actual fact the 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 Niq harvest is ready. Roses are in bloom fruit trees arc blossomng, and the grair fields are SE7 of green when she fields of the Eastern farmers are covered with snow and ice.
 Every variety grains grasses, fruits and vege tables grown in the temperate and serai-tropl' zones can be produced in the valleys Of Arizona Wheat, corn barley, oats and all the small grains give yield of from twenty-five to fifty bushels tt the acre. Alfalfa, clover, timothy, Bermuda anc all the cultivated grasses grow luxuriantly, th' former giving from eight to ten tons to the acr' each year, Every variety of vegetable raised il the United States can be grown ID Arizona, anc nowhere are they found of better quality.
 "Besides the products mentioned, these semi tropical valleys produce cotton, sugar cane, to bacco, hemp and rice. With the exception of th' sugar-cane but little attention is paid to the cuti vaton of other staples but it has been dcmonstrst ed that the soil and climate specially adapted to their successful growth. Cotton-Srowing Is n' experiment. in Arizona. for it is on record ths when the Europeans first penetrated this region they found the Pima Indians wearing fabric made or c4tton grown in the Gila valley.
 But it is their adsptabilty for fruit cultur that assures to these valley lands a dense popula tion and aProsperous future. Almost every var iety known can raised in their fruitful soils Tn : apple, pear, plum, beach, apricot, quince and neE taripe, are of delicious flavor, and give gen ] erous yield. The grape Of all varieties iss hom In these sunny wales. No place in the grnpe-gro" ing belt of tho Pacific Coast show so prolific yield. The quality IS all that could Dc desired
 aud tho wins, althou3hi it's manufacture IS vet e> pe-i,nertal is of a fhe flavor, delicious bouquet n end uns lrrG sSed by any native product as tasl