The Arizona sentinel., 1905-02-22
COLORADO and GILh 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 bread union can be found a more desirable re- zion for the making of q home. No labo rCUiS clearing of the land iS required; 1t lies almost ready for the blow. Trees ard Shrubbely have so rapid q growth that within eighteen months the immigrant can surround his - bOde with at traction V hich would require years tO mature in less !3VOTcd climates. Fruits rii:el 2uc are ready toF the EartEc- tUll mCnlh before 5nc California produces. The bright sunshine makes life a !pNUry, and the pure dry afIu0s- pEere l!bGS hrait:i 55 ai. WEC ItIaic l.. Fcr tie cSt2Cil~a5GHl;t Of cOlCu!CS. such are made iG Southern California, Arizona presents Un- rivalCG opportunities Thousands of acres now prOtitlcSS Can be made productive by the con Struction Of irrigdting GitcheS. and there is 10 investment which assures larger anC more per manent return.
 I'Ee statements in this article Yuma county are not exaggerated; in fact they fall short of doing justice to this wonderful bit CT country PileapDlcS. dates almonds and WdlnutS will do well. Strawberries, raspberriei, blackberrIeS, currents goose berries and all varieties of small fruits can te successfully cultivated. In deed, Yuma county is rot Cnly the natural home Of the citrus and sernitrGpcal fruits. lS almost every fruit, nut plant. grain. grass, or vegetable which can be produced ill either tr0pic of the temperate zones will thrive in the rich and fertile soils.
 With tbe bright prospects ahead of the town Of Yuma and Yuma county there can be no bet ter investment for capital seeking large and re-
 nunerative 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 unkuOwn, where the bright sunshine kiSse' into bloom and fra grance 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 idea! field for invest ment and to hOmeSeeherS vcritable paradise in which to settle.
 The soil of these valleys is among the richest Ou the continent. It is formed of the detritUS which the streams for have brought down from their mountain homes in their journey to the sea. By constant oyertiOwS and change Of channel, the deposit Of this rich vegetable matter has formed a soil of extreme fertility Near the streams 1t Is q dark alluvial mold, well adapted to small grains and grasses. Far ther back there is Q 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 ctJbleS that the labor of the cultivator is re- duced to the minimum, In nearly ali of them two crops d 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 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 monthSl What state or territory can make such showing: The climate, it must be re- meLdbered 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 ard the grain fields are a 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 q yield 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 De grown in AJiZOna, 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 1t has been demonstrated that the soil and climate arc 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 Glla valley.
 But it is their addptabiity for fruit culture that assures to these valley lands dense pop ulation and prosperous future. Almost every variety known can be raised ln thelr fruitful soils. The apple. pear, plum, peach, apricot, Ouinca and nectaFine are Of delicious flavor, and give generous yield. The grape of all va rietieS is at homo in these sunny wales. No place in the grape-growing belt of the Pacific coast can show so prolific a yield The quality is all that could be desired; and the wine, although its manufacture iS yet experimental, is of fine flavor. delicious bouquet and un- surpassed by any native product as 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.
 ''BesideS the fruits already mentioned. the orange. lemon, lime, olive. fig, pOmgranate and others of the citrus family. can be growH sue cessfully in the valleys of Southern Arizona. Orange trees are now in bearing Ill Salt river valley and at Yuma; while the banana is also being cultivated at the latter place. The Ari- zon;s orange in quality and flavor will compare favOraby with the best California.
 f'In 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 can be found q more desirable region for the making Of ~ home. No laboriOIS clearing of the land is re- quired: it lies almost ready for the blow. 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 ket full month before the California product. The bright sunshine iS a luxury, and the pure, dry atmosphere brings health to all who inhalc it. For the establishment of colonies, such as nave made of Southern California garden, Thousands of acres, now prOfitleSS, can be ing ditcheS. and there is no investment which