The Arizona sentinel., 1902-12-17
GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENTAL
 WORK IN YUryA VALLEY.

The introduction of the trop- ical plants of Egypt, the date' the citron and other rare Orient al fruits, into the fertile valleys of irrigated Arizona is soon to- be undertaken by the United States agricultural department Secretary Wilson believes that the climate of Arizona is similar to that of the historic valley ot the Nile, and he will begin work in the cultivation of Egyptian plant life in the district below Yuma immediately. In his annu- al report to the president Secre- tary Wilson says:
 "During the past field season a soil survey was made of the area below Yuma, where the waters of the Colorado river are taken out for irrigation. The whole area covers about ninety-hve square miles, although only a portion of it is at present under ditch. A considerable part of this area is subject to overflow during flood times in the Cobra do river, and schemes have been proposed for dikes and levees to prevent this overflow, winch, Ii carried out, will add consider able area of valuable land to the irrigated district. This tract, with its tropical climate and fer tile soils, has been compared to the delta of the Nile, and 1t IS the intention of the department, through its soil survey and through the work of the bureau of plant industry, to see if crops equally as valuable as those cul- tivated along the Nile and adapt ed to this tropical climate cannot be introduced.
 "This party was in charge o1 J. Garnett Holmes, who has haC considerable experience in sol survey work in other parts O. Arizona and in Southern Califor mia.
 'It is believed that the infor nation obtained in this wOrl will be the basis of most valua ble economic development in tn introduction of Egyptian and Al gerian products. There is quit d variety of soils of ditferen character in this area, and whil there may be some trouble wit alkali, it is believed that thi problem can be easily controlle' and that the locality will develoI into one of the important irrigat ed districts of the west.
 "It seems advisable to spen three months in the soil surve of the upper Gila valley aroun Solomonville during the mex field season."
 An investigation was begu during the year as to the poss bllity of retaining soils in tn arid regions injured by seepag water and the accumulation ( alkali. Important work on thi line is being carried out on tract of forty acres near Sa Lake City. Arrangements al being made to carry on simlla work near Fresno, Cal, and it proposed to extend it to the trol ical area in Arizona to demol strate that these unfavorab conditions can be contrOlle' Land located in the immedia' vicinity of Salt Lake City, u secretary believes, can be i creased in value by at lea three millions of dollars, excl sive of the cost of reclamatio should it prove successful.
 The possible culture of u Central American rubber tree the southwest is another que ton of importance touched up' in the report. The secreta says:
 'It is generally supposed tn acontinuously humid climate necessary for rubber cultul
 but in southern Mexico it is (
 vious that an attenuation of d
 tinct wet and dry seasons is
 vorable to the production of II
 Der by Castilloa, which will p
 init a much wider use of u