The Arizona sentinel., 1903-12-23
COL lORADO AN. AN.
 GllA VAlEYS

In the valleys of the Colorado and Gila rivers there k room for thousands. It is not too much to say that nowhere within the limits of this broad union can be found a more desirable re- zion for the making of home. No labOriouS clearing of the land is reQuired; it lies almost ready for the blow. Trees aud Shrubbery have so rapid growth that within eighteen months | the immigrant can surround his abode with at. fractions which would require years to mature in less favored climates. Fruits ripen and are ready for the market full month before the California products. The bright sunshine makes life q luxury, and the pure dry atrnoS- phere brings health to all who inhale it. For the eStab.iShment of colonies, such as are made 1n southern California, Arizona presents un- rivaled opportunities. Thousands of acres now proitleSS can he made productive by the con- Struction of irrigating ditcheS, and there is no investment which assures larger and more per mancnt return.
 The statements in this article onYuma county are not exaggerated; in fact they fall short of doing justice to this wonderful bit of country PineappleS, dates, almonds and walnuts will do well. Strawberries, raspberrieS, blackberrieS, currantS, goOSeberrieS and all varieties of small fruits can be successfully cultivated In deed, Yuma county is not only the natural home of the citrus and SemitrOpical fruits, as almost every fruit, nut plant, grain, grass, or vegetable which can be produced in either tropc of the temperate zones will thrive in the rich and fertile soils.
 With the bright prospects ahead of the town of Yuma and Yuma county there can be no bet ter investment for capital seeking large and re- munerative returns than is afforded here. With q matchleSS climate where all forms of dis ease known to the damp and rigorous regions of the east and north are unknown. where the bright sunshine kiSSe' into bloom and fra grancc every form of vegetation. and where the clear days and cool balmy nights are one long continued poem of happiness and delight we can offer to capitalists an ideal field for invest ment and to hOmeSeeIerS q Veritable paradise in which to settle.
 The soil of these valleys is among the richest on the continent. It is formed of the detrituS which streams brOuODt down from their mountain homes in their journey to the sea. By constant OVerf1OwS and change of channel, the deposit of this rich vegetable matter has formed soil of extreme fertility. Near the streams 1t Is a dark alluvial mold, well adapted to small grains and grasses Far ther back there is a rich sandy loam, mellow and porous, and especially favorable for fruit culture It has been already demonstrated that the productive capacity of these valleys is not surpassed by lands of equal area in any part of the United States. So rapid and pro- life is the growth of thefruitS cereals and veg etableS that the labor of the cultivator is re- duced to the minimum, In nearly all of them two one month head of California. The farmer plants a cottonwood Sapling before his door, and within the year he has shade tree twenty five feet high! Alfalfa can be cut six times dur ing the season, and 1t is an actual fact that grape cuttings have produced within eighteen months! What state or territory can make such showing: The climate. it must be re- mem bered is nearly perpetual summer. Snow never falls in these southern valleys. The far mer begins to plant in November, and by the middle of May his harvest is ready. Roses are in bloom, fruit trees are blooming, and the grain fields are a sea of green, when the fields of the Eastern farmers arc covered with snow and ice.
 Every variety of grains, grasses fruits and vegetables grown in SemitrOpic zones can be produced in the valleys of Arizona. Wheat, corn, barley, oats and all the small grains give a yield of from twenty-five to fifty bushels per acre. Alfalfa, timothy, clover, Bermuda and nll cultivated yr.l lTlYnrllnflU former giving from eight to ten tons to the acre each year, Every variety of vegetable raised in the United States can be grown in Arizona, and 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 the suglr-c cane. but little attention is paid to the cultivation Of other stapleS but it has been demonstrated that the soil and climate are specially adapted to their successful growth. COtton-grOWiIg is no experiment in Arizona, fer it iS on record that when the Europeans first penetrated this region. they found the Pima Indians wearing fabrics made of cotton grown in the Gila valley.
 But it is their addptability for fruit culture that assures to these valley lands dense pop ulation and q prosperous future: Almost every variety known can be raised in their fruitful soils. The apple. pear, plum. peach, apricot, ouince and nectarinc are of delicious flavor, and give q generous yield. The grape of all va rietieS is at home in these sunny wales. No place in the :,raDe-grOWing belt of the Pacific coast can show so prolific yield. The quality is all that could be deSired and the wine, although it's manufacture is yet experimental, is of fine flavor delicious bouquet and un- surpassed by any native product as table bcv- craze. Experiments with the raiSin grape have shown that this climate and soil possess every advantage for the production and curing of this staple article of commerce.
 ''BeSideS the fruits already mentioned, the orange, lemon, lime, olive, fig pOmgranate and others of the citrus family, can be grown sue ceSSfully in the valleys of Southern Arizona. Orange trees are now i'll bearing In Salt river valley and at Yuma; while the banana is also being cultivated at the latter place. The Ari- zona orange in quality and flavor will compare favorably with the best California.
 Tn the valleys of the Colorado, the Salt and the Gila rivers, there iS room for thousands. It is not too much to say that nowhere within the limits of this broad Union can be found q more desirable region for the making of a home. No laboriouS clearing of the land is re- quired; it lies almost ready for the blow. Trees and shrubbery have so rapid growth that within eighteen months the immigrant can surround his abode with attractions which would require years to mature in less favored climates Fruits ripen and are ready for mar ket full month before the California product. The bright sunshine is a luxury, and the pure, dry atmosphere brings health to all who inhale it. For the establishment of colonies, such as have made of Southern California garden, Arizona presents unrivaled opportunities.
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