The Arizona sentinel., 1905-02-15
COL ORAD0 ard GIlA VALLEYS

In the valleys of the Colorado arc 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 q more desirable re. zion for the making Of home. No laborouis clearing of the land Is required; it lies almost ready for the blow. Frees aud Shrubbcry have so rapid 5. growth that within eighteen months the innligrant can surround his . bo,ie Utth 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 srnskine makes life & IuXGIy, and the pure Urg atmOS- pb9re brings health to all who inhalc it. Fer the establishments Of colonies. such uS are nude in Southern California. Arizona presents un- riv;.ied Gpportunil ie>. Thousands of acres now prrlltlGSS can De made productive by the con- struction Of irrigatirlc Gltches, and there is no investment which assures iurSer and more per tnGne2t return.
 The statements in this article onYuma county are not exaggerated: in fact theZ fall short Cf doing justice to tiliS wonderful bit af country PiEeGDpleS dates. almonds and TalnutS will Go well. Strawberries, raSpberr!cS, biackberricS currents. gOOSCceTriGS ard all varieties Of small fruits cHL tc successfully cultivated. In Geed, Yuma county is not Cnly the natural home of the citrus and seTnitropical fruits. as almost every Truit nut. plant, grain, graSS CT vegetable which cen be produced ir either trop.c Of the temperate zones miu thrive il the rich and fertile soils.
 With Jbe bright prospects ahead of the town Of Yuma and Yuma county there can be no bet ter inye't1nent fer capital seeking large and re- lnuiiEH1IlVC ieJuTilS tEuD IN GEOIU6u 0e1S. " 1Jn a IpatchIeSS climate, who're all forms Of dis ease known to the damp and vigorous ragiCT;S of tie east and north are unknown, where the bright sunshine kiSSe' into bloom and fra gruHcc every form Of vegetation, and where the clear d3ys GGd ctOl balmy nights are oDe long continued tOcm of happiness nd delight, we c3n offer to capitalists ideal field for invest mel:t and to homeSeekers yeritGbl6 paradise in which to settle.
 The soil of these valleys is among the richest on the continent. It is formed of the detritus s1l,+l from their mountain homes in their journey Co the sea. By constant oveIfOWS and change If channel, the Hepost Of this rich vegetable matter has formed a soil of extreme fertility Near the streams it iS dark alluvial mold, well adapted to S-naH grains and grasses. Far ther back there is rich sandy loam, mellow and porous. and especially favorable for fruit culture. It has been alTcGHy 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 etLblcs tfat the labor of the cultivator is re- duced 10 the minimum, In nnc;grly all of them two crops 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 bGS a shade tree twenty i've feet high Alfalfa cGn be cut six times dur ing the season, GHd it is an actual fact that grape cuttings have produced within eighteen mCRtkSl WhGt state or territory can ma:e SucF Showing: The climate, it must be re- IncmbereG. is nearly perpetual summer. Snow never 1allS III tn(eSe southern VdIiPNS. The 1ar- rler 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 a sen Of green, when the fields Of the Eastern farmers are covered With snow and ice.
 EvGfy variety of grains, grasses, fruits and vegetables grown in Scmitropic zones can be produced ia the valley% If Arizona. Wheat, corn. barley. cats and all the small grains give . y;eld Of from tWCntH five to fifty bushels per acre. Alfalfa, timothy. clover. Bermuda and all the cultivated grasses grow Iux1Pfantly, the fcrH1tr gtvirs from cfght to ten tons to the acre each year, Every variety of vegetable raised in the LTnited States can he grown in Ef5Zor,, and nawAecG are they found ol better quality. ..
 fB5syltS the products mentioned, these semi tFop.Gai valleys produce cotton, SuGar-cane, to- bact5 hemp und rice. With tie exception 6f the sugar-ca.ne but little attention fS paid to the cultivation Of other staples; bit it has been (ItJllSsiiStcated that Jhe soil and climate are specially adapted t0 their successful growth C5st9n .tr0wEAE iS no experiment. in Arizona fir It is on record that when the Europeans flFs.5 fenetrated thfS,. region, they found the Pima fqdianS wearing ft5rlcs r.aGc of cotton grown iu tine Gi!a yailey
 .3iTt ft iS their a,ttDtabilfty for frcft culture fli.Tt assures to tiIgSt velleY landS 2 dense pop Ulatian md pT5SperoUS fI5uret Almost every vGriet$ known. can Dc raised in their frul tful soils. Tie apple, pear, plum, peach apricot, q,liIce and 9ectarine, are of delicious flavor tI7d 6ivG a gSner0tI-' TfelG, The grape of all va rfetiCS is at homo i.t these sunny vaieS No place in the grap6-SrowIrg belt of the Pacific cOiSJ CtfD SHOW 50 piOltilS t yl6lG Inc uUtkiIGy E all that could he desired; and the wine although it's manufacture is yet experimental is' of q ffae flavor, delicious bouquet, and un- t3lIpasScG by Eny native product as table bey= craze. Experiments with the raiSin grape have shown that this climate and soil possess every GtivIntage. 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 tie citrus family. can be grown sue ceSSfully in the valleys of Southern Arizona Orange trees arc now ill bearing In Salt river valley and at Yuma; while the banana is also being cultivated at the latter place. The Ar- zona orange in quality and flavor will compare fayOrably with tho best California.
 In the valleys of the Colorado, the Salt and the. Gila rivers. there is room for thousands It iS nJt too much to say that nowhere within the limits Of this broad Union can be found 6 more desirable region for the making Of 6 home No labOri0uS clearing of the land iS re- Guireii, t lies almost ready for, the blow. Trees and shruUbery have so rapid q growth that within eighteen months the immigrant can surround his abode with attractions which would require years to mature in less favored climates. Fruits Fipen and are ready for mar lIet full month before the California product. The bright sunshine is e luxury, and the pures dry atmosphere brings health to ell who inhaie it. For the establishment of colonies, such as have made of Southern California, a garden Arizona presents unriTalCd opportunities. Thousands of acres, now prOtitlcSS, can be made productive by the construction of irrigat ing ditches. and there is no investment which assures largcr or more permanent feturns.'