The Arizona sentinel., 1904-04-20
COLORADO sse sse
 CHA VALLEYS,

In the valleys of the Colorado and Gila rivers there is room for thousands. It is not too much to say that nowhere within the limits Of this broad union eau be found more desirable re- zion for the making of a home. No laborious clearing Of the land is required; it lies almost ready for the blow. Trees aud Shrubbery have so rapid q growth that within eighteen months the immigrant cGn surround his abode with at fractions which would require years to mature in less favored climates. Fruits ripen and are ready for the market a full month before the California products. The bright sunshine makes life luxury and the pure dry atmoS- puere brings health to all who inhale 1t. For the establishment of colonies, such as are Nade in Southern California, Arizona presents un- riyaled opportunities. Thousands of acres now profitcSS can be made productive by the con- struction of irrigating dtchcs, and there is no investment which assures larger and more per manent return
 The statements in this article onYuna county are not exaggerated; jn fact they fall short of doing justice to this wonderful bit or country PineappleS, dates, almonds and walnuts will do well. Strawberries raSpberrieS, blackberries, entrants, gooSeberries and all varieties of sn1all fruits can be successfully cultivated. h. decd, Yuma county is not enly the natural homo of the citrus and seInitrop!cal fruits, as almost every fruit, nut, plant, grain, grass, or vegetable which can be produced in either tropic 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 d case known to the damp and rigorous regions of the east and north are unknown, where the bright sunshine kiSSe@ into bloom and fr;,- grance every form of vegetation, and where the clear days and cool balmy nights are ore long continued poem of happiness and delight we can offer to capitalists an ideal field for invest ment and to hor1cSeekcrS q Vcritublc paradise ia which to settle.
 The soil of these valleys is among the richest on the continent. It is formed of the detrituS which the streams for ages have brought down 1.fNr,l to the sea. By constant oyerftow5 and change of channel, the deposit of this rich vegetable matter has formed a soil of extreme fertility Near the streams it is 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 duccd to the minimum. In nearly all of them two crops a year can be grown, and vegetation is one month head of California The farmer plants cottonwood sapling before his door, and within the year he has a 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 mbered, is nearly perpetual summer. Snow never falls in these southern valleys. The far mcr- begins to plant in November, and by the middle of May his harvest is ready. Roses are in bloom, fruit trees arc blooming, and the grain fields are q sea of green, when the fields of the Eastern farmers are covered with snow and ice.
 Every variety Of grains, grasses, fruits and vegetables grown in Semitropic zones can be produced in inc 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 all the cultivated graSSes grow luXuriantly. the 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 Sugar-canc but little attention is paid to the cultivation of other staples; but it has been demonstrated that the soil and climate arc specially adapted to their successful growth. Cotton-growiag is no experiment in Arizona, for 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 2ddptabillty for fruit culture that assures to these valley lands Il dCnSc pop ulatiOn and prosperous future: Almost every variety known can be raised in their fruitful soils. The apple, pear, plum, peach, apricot, Quincc and ncctarine, are of delicious flavor, and give q generous yield. The grape os all va rieteS is at homo in these sunny wales. No place in the grape-Growing belt of the Pacific coast cau show so prolific yield. The quality is all that could be desired; and the wine, although it's manufacture IS yet experimental. is of a fine flavor, delicious bouquet, and un- surpassed by any native product as a table bev- 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 in 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 Ciila 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 a more desirable region for the making of home No laborious clearing of the land is re- quired: it lies almost ready for the plow. Trees and shrubbery have so rapid a 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 Ect full month before the California product. The bright sunshine is a luxury and the pure, dry atmosphere brings health to all who lnhale 1t. For the establishment of colonies, such as have made of Southern California garden. Arizona presents UnriYaled opportunities. Thousands of acres, now proftleSS, can be made productive by the construction of 1rrlgat- ing ditcheS, and there is no investment which assures larger or more permanent returns.