The Arizona sentinel., 1905-11-08
COL ORiDO and GILA VALLEYS

In the valleys of the Colorado ard 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 a more desirable re- zion for the making of home. No laborouiS clearing of the land is required; 1t lies almost ready for the plow Trees aud shrubbery have
 so rapid a growth that within eighteen months the immigrant caI surround his : bode with at | fractions which would require years 10 mature
 in less favored climates. Fruits ripen and are ready for the market full month before the California products. The bright sunshine makes life luxury. and the pure dry atmOS- phere brings health to all who inhale it. For the establishment of colonies, such as are made l in Southern California Arizona presents un- rivaled opportunities. Thousands of acre; now protitleSS can be made productive by the coli- 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; ii fact they fall short of | doing justice to this wonderful bit of country PineappleS, dates, almonds and walnutS will do l well. Strawberries. raSpberries, blackberries, l currents, gOcScDerr1eS and ali varieties or small fruits can be successfully cultivated In deed. Yuma county is not only the natural l home of the citrus and semitropicai 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 tEe bright prospects ahead of the town
 of Yuma and Yuma county there can be no bet
 ter investment for cppital seeking large and re-
 munerative returns than is afforded here With
 
 ease known to the damp and vigorous regions
 of the east and north are unknown where the
 bright sunshine kisse' into bloom and frar grance every form of vegetation, and where the | clear days and cool balny nights are one long continued poem of happiness and delight, we
 can offer to capitalists an ideal field for invest
 menJ and to homeseekerS a veritable paradise l in 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 | homes | 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 it is a dark alluvial mold
 we'll adapted to small grains and grasses. Far
 ther back there is 8 rich sandy loam; mellow l and porous, and especially favorable tor 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- l life is the growth of thefruts, cereals and veg
 ctJbles that the labor of the cultivator is re- duced to the minimum, In nearly all of them two crops 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 can be cut six times dur ing the season, and it is an actual fact that grape cuttings have produced within eighteen months! What state or territory can make l such a showing? The climate, it must be re-
 never falls in these southern valleys. The far mer begins to plant in November, and by the | in bloom, fruit trees are blooming and the l grain fields are 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 senitropic zones can be produced in the valleys of Arizona. Wheat; corn, barley, oats and all the small grains give 1 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 of 1lo | the United States can be grown in AIiZonn, and nowhere are they found of better quality.
 Besides the products mentioned, these serni- | tropical valleys produce cotton; sugar-CaH5, tO- 1 baccO, hemp and rice With the exception Of the sugaT-cene, but lttle attention is paid to the cultiva ton of other stapleS out it has been ! 1ern NY, tod that the soil and climate gre 1 specially adapted 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 the ! Pima Indians wearing fabrics made of cotton grown in the Giia valley
 But it is their adipta5ility for fruit culture that assures to these valley lands q densc pop; uiation ana a prosperous future: AlrtfSt every veri6ty known can Dc raised in their fruitful soils. The apple, pear, plum. peach apricot, quince and nec0arine, are of delicious flavor, and give a generous yield. The grape Of all va rietfeS is at home in these sunny wales: No place in tfie grape-grOwing belt of the Pacific coast can show so prolific g yield. The quality l is all that could be desired; and the wine, although it's manufacture is yet experimental, is of fine favor, delicious bouquet, and un- l surpassed by any native product as q 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.
 s'Besides the fruits already mentioned, the otsfige, lemon line, -alive-f 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 Yumaf while the banana is also being cultivated at the latter place.. The Ari- zona orange in quality and flavor will compare favorsbly with the best California.