The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1905-11-01

COL ORADO and GILk VALLEYS

In the valleys of the Colorado ard 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 a. more desirable re-
gion for the making of home. No laborouis
clearing of the land is required; it lies almost
ready for the plow. Trees ard Shrubbery have
so rapid growth that within eighteen months
the immigrant can surround his .bode 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 luxury. and the pure dry atmos-
phere brings health to all who inhale 1T. For
the establishment of colonies such as are made
in Southern California, Arizona presents I'M
rivaled opportunities. Thousands of acres now
protitleSS 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 do
we'll. Strawberries, raSpberries, blackberrleS,
currents, gooSeDerrieS 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, nutplant, grain, grass, or
vegetable which can be produced in either troplc
of the temperate zones Will thrive IN the rlcn
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
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 fra
GRANGE every form of vegetation, and where the
| clear DAYS and cool balmy nights are one long
continued poem OF happiness ana !, dengnt, we
ment and to homeSeekers veritable paradise
| in which to settle.
| The soil of these valleys is among the richest
on the continent. 1t is formed of the detritus
| which the streams for ages have brought down
| from their mountain homes in their journey
| to the sea. By constant oTerf1oWS ana cnange
| of channel, the deposit Of this rich vegetable
| matter has formed soil of extreme fertility
| Near the streams it is dark alluvial mold,
| well adapted to small grains and grasses. Far
| ther back there is rich sandy loan, mellow
| and porous and especially favorable Tor 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 thefruits, cereals and veg
ctableS that the labor of the cuit1vator 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 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 it is an actual fact that
| grape cuttings have produced within eighteen
months. What state or territory can make
such a showing? The climate, 1T must be re-
membered. 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 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 the valleys of Arizona. Wheat,
| corn barley, oats and all the small grains give
| Weld of from twenty-five to fifty bushels per
acre. Alfalfa, timothy, clover, Bermuda and
all the cultivated grasses grow luxurlantly, 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 ALizona, 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-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-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 ella valley.
! .But it is their adaptability for fruit culture
| that assures to these valley lands dense pop
| ulation and prosperous future. Almost every
variety known can be raised in their fruitful
soils The apple pear, plum peach apricot,
ounce and nectarine, 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-grow1ng belt OF the racine
coast can show so prolific yield. The quality
| is all that could be desired; and the wine,
although it's manufacture is vet experimental,
is of 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.