The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1905-05-31
COLORADO and GILA VAL LLEYS

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 q more desirable re-
| gion for the making of home No laborouiS
clearing Of the land is required; it lies almost
1 ready for the plOw Trees and Shrubbery have
| so rapid growth that within eighteen months
| the immigrant can surround his !. bOCe with att
| tractions which would require years to mature
| in less favored climates. Fruits ripen and are
! ready for the market a 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 uns
| rivaled opportunities Thousands of acres now
! prohtleSS can be made productive by the cons
StructiOn CT irrigating bitches, 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, blaekberries,
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 tropio
| of the temperate zones will thrive in the rich
and fertile soils.
| With the bright prospects ahead of the town
| of Yuma and Yuma county there can be no bet
! ter investment for cgpital seeking large and re-
munerative returns than is afforded here. With
u ElatchleSS climate, where oil forms of dis
| ease known to the damp and ii ,OrouS regions
| of the east and north 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 a nd delight, we
can offer to capitalists an ideal eld for invest
ment and to homeSeekeFS Veritable paradise
| in which TO settle.
! The soil of these valleys is among the riches
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 OverfiowS and change
of channel, the deposit of this rich vegetable
matter has formed soil of extreme fertility
| Near the streams it is dark alluvial molds
| well adapted to small grains and grasses. Far
| ther back there is rich sandy leam. mellow
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 edual area in any
part of the United States. So rapid and pro-
ltc is the grewth of the fruits, cereals and veg
ct1bleS that the labor OF the eultivator 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 cottonwood Sapling before his door,
and within the year ne has II shade tree twenty
FIVE feet highi 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 showing. The climate. it 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 IRE
| in bloom. fruit trees are blooming, and the
grain fields are q 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
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
each year. Every variety of vegetable raised in
4 tha TTni cd ne a
nowhere are they found of better quality.
Besides the products mentioned, these semi
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
ottOn-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 Gila valley.
But it is their addptability for fruit culture
that assures to these valley lands dense pop
ulation and a 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 havort
and give generous yield. The grape of all va
rieties is at home in these sunny wales. No
place in the grape-growing belt of the Pacific
coast can show SO prolific a yield. The quality
il all that could be desired: and the wine.
although it's manufacture is vet experimental
is of fine flavor, delicious bouquet, and un-
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 Ari~
zona orange in quality and flavor will compare
favorably with the best California.
In 4le valleys of the Colorado, the Salt and
the Cha 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 u
more desirable region for the making of d
home. No aborious clearing of the land is
Quired; it lies almost ready for the plow.
Trees and shrubbery 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 fGvore0
climates. Fruits ripen and are ready for mar
ket full month before the California product
The bright sunshine is u luxury and the pure
dry atmosphere brings health to all who inhaiG
it. For the establishments of colonies such AS
have made of Southern California Il gardenf
Arizona presents unTfv3led opportunities
Thousands of acres, now proftlesS, can be
made productive by the construction of Trigat
ing bitches. ard there is NO investment, which
assures larrer or more permanent returns. -