The Arizona sentinel., 1904-09-14
COLORADO ss. AN.
 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 can be found more desirable re-- zion for the making of home. No laboriouS- clearing of the land is required it lies almost. ready for tho 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 a luxury, and the pure dry atmos-
 phere brings health to all who inhale it. For
 the establishment of colonies. such as are made
 in Southern California. Arizona presents un-
 rivaled opportunities. Thousands of acres now
 profitless can be made productive by the con-
 struction of irrigating ditches, and there is no'
 investment which assures larger and more per-
 manent 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 dOs
 well. Strawberries, raspberrieS, bIackberries, entrants, 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 trOpiC' of the temperate zones will thrive in the rich and fertile soils.
 With the bright prospects ahead Of the towu of Yuma and Yuma county there can be no bet ter investment for capital seeking large and re- mune1 ative returns than is afforded here. With matchleSS climate where all forms of dis ease known to the dump and rigorous regions of the east and north are unknown. where the bright sunshine kiSSe' into bloom and fra
 granee every form of vegetation, and where the clear days and cool balmy nights arc one long continued poem of happiness and delight, we can offer to capitalists ideal field for invest
 ment and to homeSeekerS 1 veritable paradise
 in which to settle.
 The soil of these valleys is among the richest. on the continent. It is formed of the detrituss
 which the streams for ages have brought down from their mountain homes in their. journey dol1.r1 of channel the deposit of this rich vegetable
 matter has formed soil of extreme fertility Near the streams it is a dark alluvial moId- 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
 et.IbleS that the labor of the cultiVatOr Is re- duced 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 a cottonwood Sapling before his door, and within the year he has a shade tree twenty five feet high, Alfalfa cIn be cut six times dur ing the season, and it is an actual fact that
 grape cuttings have produced within eighteen
 monthSi What state or territory can make such showing? The climate, it must be re-
 membered is nearly perpetual summer. Snow never falls in these southern valleys. The far mer begins to plant in Novem Der, and by the
 middle of May his harvest is ready, Roses arc in bloom. fruit trees are blooming, and the
 grain fields are sea of green, when the fields of the Eastern farmers are covered with snow and ice.
 vegetables grown in semitropic 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 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 irs Init fntn hn in ATlY
 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 or
 the sugdr- -cane,-b but little attention is paid to
 the cultivation of other staples; but 1t has been demonstrated that the soil and climate arc.
 specially adapte1 to their successful growth. COtton-grOwing is no experiment in Arizona | for it is on record that when the Europeans | first penetrated this region. they found tho.
 Pima Indians wearing fabrics made of cotton
 grown in the Gila valley.
 But it is their adaptability for fruit culture. that assures to these valley lands dense pop
 ulation and prosperous future. Almnst every variety known can be raised in their fru tfuk | soils. The apple, pear, plum, peach, apricot | and give a generous yield The grape of all Va rietieS is at home in these sunny wales. No' place in the grape growing belt of. the Pacific l 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 a fine flavor, delicious bouquet. and un | craze. Experiments with the raisin grape have
 shown that this climate and soil possess every l 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 arc now in bearing In Salt river
 valley and at Yuma; while the banana is also | being cultivated at the latter place. The Ar1-
 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 c5l be found a
 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 ShrubbCTy 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 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 unrivalcd opportunities | Thousands of acres now prottlesS. can be
 made productive by the construction Of irrigat | ing GitcheS. and there is no investment which
 assures lart'er or more permanent returns.