The Florence tribune., 1899-01-14
TEE CASA eaANDg VALLEY.
information for Those Seeking Homes in the Garden Spot of the West.

portions of Pima, Maricopa and Yavapai counties, and contains an area of 5, ,S6S square could be made productive by systematic storage cf the surplus water now running to waste. Next to Maricopa 1t is the most inl- portant agricultural county in the Territory. 1t 1t trayersed from east to west by the Southern Pacific railroad, and Q branch of the great Santa Fe system is now approach .hg from the north. The objective point ot this read is a connection with the Sonora road, Of the same system. The Southern Pacific is also building In this direction from tempe,and it is confidently believed that work will not cease until the Deer Creek coal fields are reached and connection Is made with another branch of that road rum ming from Bowie to Globe and RoY complete ed to Fort Thomas.
 Thus it will be seen that pinal county is the theater of railroad building at the pres ant time, and inside of 0 year Florence, the county seat willbe
 A RAILROAD CENTER.
 At present it contains 6 population sof about 1900, but with the completion of these two railroads and the Butte reservoir no city in Arizona can approach it for natural advantages, and q large increase in popuia- tion will follow. Florence Is at an elevation of 1858 feet above sea level, situated near the Gila river tweRty -six miles northwest of the railroad station of Casa Grande, with which deily stage line. Going end coming stages run by the old Casa Grande ruins, and passengers are allowed short time to ln-
 
 Vate residences in Florence, several brick stores, good hotel an excellent graded school employing four teachers, churches, secret societies, Conlraerclal cup heMs- sio handsomest court house in the Territory. Here is held tke United States Court for the district composed of Gila, Graham and Pinal counties. The streets are lined with shade trees, which impart an air of comfort on the warmest days.
 PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY.
 Unlike the Salt river, the waters of the Gila are fresh and pure; the soil contains no All<ali, is a deep. rich gray ash, especially adapted to the growth of the prune, olive, almond, peach, fig, pear, apricot and fruits of all kinds, which pay largely on the invest ment. It is a lso the natural home of alfalfa, which grows in the most prolific manner. The grape does exceptionally well in this valley, and wine and raisin culture Is dest1n- ed to become prominent industry. Citrus fruits have been cultivated to limited extent; there are number of orange trees in the neighborhood of Florence which bear their gelden fruit each year without pro- tection, and few date palm trees are also in full bearing. The season is from six weeks to two months earller than Southern Califor- mia, which gives fruit growers an appreciat- cd advantage in
 THE EARLY MARKETS.
 The absence of fogs and nightly dews is Q formidable obstacle to the destructive and unsightly scale.bng, and the fruits ot the valley are all bright and clean. All the agri- cultural products of temperate and semi tropic zones are easily grown here, the long seasons giving 9 succession of crops that double or treble the productive value of the land.
 PRICES OF LAND.
 Improved lands, with government title and water right, can be bought for from so to $50 per acre, according to location and iTn- proyemeHts. In the immediate neighbor- 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 inexhausti- ble quantity is found at a depth of from twenty to thirty feet; in fact, a river seems to be flowing underneath. Here is splen- did opportunity to take up and improve land with pumping system Of irrigation. which is said to be successful on 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 UnINHABIrABLR DESERT
 Is In truth the most productive land on the globe, and that there is water In abundance to bring every foot of it under cultivation, only waiting for the magic wand of capital to develop 1t. There is no water-storage scheme on the Pacific coast that has one-half the natural advantages and so few engineer ing difficulties as the Butte reservoir. Here nature has built the abutments in ever-liy- Ing rOch. ana all that IS le1t Tor man to do Is to put in the headgate, the bluffs which form the gorge being only separated by paltry 220 feet. country Is drained through this narrow canyon 20 miles square, representing 4O,O0O square miles, or larger than Maine and Massachusetts combined. The rainfall is suf- hcient to fill the reservoir twice year, and the land to be brought under cultivation is practically limitless. This may read like fairy tale. but it is every word true, and has been verified time and again.
 CASA GRAEDE RESERVOIR.
 The reservoir of the Casa Grande Valley Canal company Is the largest in the territory. It tcovers surface of 1600 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 Il, 900 feet in length 125 feet in width at the bottom and 9 feet in width at top, to slope on each side, and an average height of 9 feet. The waste is regu- lated by 3 cast iron pipes feet in diameter set in solid masonry, regulated by gates and | tower. This reservoir cost S150,000, and SUD- | plies water for 6,00O acres.
 Meteorological Statistics. The signal service of the general govern ment maintained a station at Florence from 1871 to 1882. The reports covering the period from July, 1880. to April. 1882 gives the follow ing statistics, which may be taken as a safe guide to the prevailing temperature given during the series of six yeas:
 1880. Mean Max Min