The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1905-07-05
OLORADO and GILA VALLEYS


there is room for thousands 1t Is not too much
to say that EOwhere within the limits OF this
broad union can be found Il more desirable re-
gion for the making Of Rome. NO IaDoroulS
clearing OF the land is required; it lies almost
ready for the plow. Trees ard Shrubbery nave
so rapid growth that within eighteen EonIhs
the immigrant can surround his =bode with at
fractions which would require years 10 mature
in less favored climates Fruits r1pen ana are
ready for the market u full month before the
California products. The bright sunshine
makes life u 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 CT irrigating bitches, and there Is no
investment which assures larger and more per-
manent return.
The statements in this article onYuIna county
are not exaggerated; in fact they fall short OF
doing justice to this wonderful bit OF country
PineappleS, dates almonds and walnutS Will 90
we'll Strawberries. raspberries, blackberrlcS
currents, 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 troplc
of the temperate zones will thrive in the rich
and fertile soils.
With the bright prospects ahead of the town
of Yuma and una county there can be no bet
ter investment for capital seeking large and re-
munerative returns than is afforded here. with
a matchleSS climate, where all forms OF dis
ease known to the damp and vigorous regions
of the east and north are unknown, where the
bright sunshine kisSe' into bloom and ira
GRANGE 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 hOmeSeekerS u Veritable paradise
in which to settle.
The soil of these valleys is among the richest
on the continent. 1t is formed of the detrltus
which the streams for ages have brought down
from their rs0llDtl;u homes in their lOurney
to the sea. BY constant overfiowS and change
of channel, the deposit of this rich vegetable
matter has formed Q soil of extreme fertility
Near the streams it is dark alluvial mold,
we'll adapted to small grains and grasses. Far
ther back there is rich sandy loan, mellow
and porous, and especially favorable Cor fruit
culture. 1t 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 thefrultS, cereals and veg
ctLbleS that the labor of the cultivator Is re-
duced to the minimum, In nearly all of them two
crops q 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 u shade tree twenty
five feet high Alfalfa can be cut six times dur
ing the season, and il 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-
membeTed. is nearly perpetual summer. Snow
nevef falls in these southern valleys. The far
mer begins to plant in November, and by the
middle of May his harvest is ready. Roses ore
in bloom. frtfit trees are blooming and the
grain fields are 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 csn be
produced in the valleys of Arizona. Wheat,
corn, barley, oats and all The small grains give
yiel1 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
tr0pscal valleys produce cotton, sugarcane, to-
bacco, hemp and rice. With the exception OF
the sugar cane but little attention is paid to
the cultivation Of other staples; but it has been
that the soil and climate are
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 regfon, they f9and the
Pima Indians wearing fabrics made Gf cotton
groWu IN the Gila valley.
but it is their ssddptabflity for fruie culture
that assures to these valley lands dense pop
ulatfon and a prosperous future: Aln1ost every
variety known can be raised in their fruitful
soils. The apple, pear plum, peachf aprlcot,
ounce and Hectarine, are of delicious flavor
and give generous yield. The grape of all va
rieties is at home IN these sunny wales. No
place in the grape-groving belt OF the Paelfc
coast can show 30 prolific yield. The quality
is all that could be desired; and the wine,
although its manufacture is yet experimental,
is of q fine flavor, delicious bouquet and un-
surpassed By any native product as table bev-
erage. 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 Ar1-
zona orange in quality and flavor Will compare
favorably with the best California.
In the valleys of the Colorado, the Salt and
the Gila rivers, there is room for thousands. |
1t Is not too much to say that nowhere within !
the limits of this broad Union can be found |
more desirable region for the making OF
home. No laboriouS clearing of the land is re-
quircd; it lies almost ready for the plow. |
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 !
lxet full month before the California product !
The bright sunshine is luxury, and the pure,
dry atmosphere brings health to all who tnhale |
it. For the establishment of colonies, such as /
have made of Southern California 4 garden,
Arizona presents unrivaled opportunities. /
Thousands of acres now proftless,s can be
made productive by the construction OF irrlgat
ing bitches, and there is no INSTRUMENTATION E
assures larger or more permanent returns.