The Arizona sentinel., 1906-07-25
COLORADO and GILA VALLEYS

In the valleys Of the Colorado ard Gila rivers 1 there is room for thousands. IL is rot tCo much to say that nowhere within the limits of this broad union can be found a flOrc desirable re- zion for tEc making of a homo. No laborOuiS clearing Of the land is required; it lies almost ready fer the plOW. Trees aud ShrubDery have
 90 rapid q growth that within eighteen months the immigrant can surround his - bOdc with at fractions which would require years to nature 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 atnGS- pherc brings health 10 HI who inhale it. For the establishment of colonies, such as are made n southern California. Arizona presents un- riVaicd opportunities. Thousands of acres now profitless can be made productive by the con- structiOn Of irrigatjng ditcheS, and there is no investment which assures larger and more per nGnent return.
 The statements in this article onYuma county
 are not exaggerated; in fact they fall short of dOlnG justice to thlS wonderful bit of country PineaDpleS, dates. almonds and WalnHtS will do well. Strawberries. raspberrieS, blacKberries currents, gCCSeDerrieS and all varieties of small fruits car be successfully cultivated. h. deed. Yuma county is not only the natural
 home of the citrus and semitropical fruits. as
 almost every fruit. nut plant. grain. grass, CT vegetable which can baprOduced in either trOpic
 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 capital seeking large and re- muncrative returns than is afforded here. With
 q 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 kiSSC' into bloom and fra grauce 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 cid for invest ment and to hOmeScekerS q Veritabie paradise
 in which to settle.
 The soil of these valleys is among the richest on the continent. It 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 overfOWS 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. wei ai;nptet; to +'nali grains and gr;iSscS. Far thor back Fherc k 8 rich sandy loan. mellow and porous. ana especially fdCtF;zUle Cor fruit culture. It has been already demonstrated that the productive capacity of these valleys is not surpassed by lands of equal area in anN part of tfe United States So rsgp;d and pro- life iS the .gTOW | Cf the fruits cereals and veg etdhics that the labor of the cultiFator is re- duced to the mlhlnlln. iBnearly all Ot them two crops a year can be grown aIld vegetation is one month head Of California. The farmer plants cottonwood Sapling before his door, and within the year he has shaCe tree twenty i've 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 make such d showing? The climate, it must be re- rnembcred. is nearly perpetual summer. SHOW never falls in these southern valleys. The far 1T. middle Of May his harvest is ready. Roses are 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 SHOW and ice.
 Every variety of grains, grasses, fruits and vegetables grown in SemitTopic zones can be produced in the valleys. of Arizona. Wheat corn, barley, cats and all the small grains give yield of from twenty-five to fifty bushels Der acre. Alfalfa. timothy clover Bermuda anG all the cultivated grasses grow luxuriantly, the pi each year, Every variety Cf vegetable raised in the United States can be grown in AIizona. and nowhere are they found Of better quality.
 Besides the products mentioned. these semi tropical valleys produce cotton, Sug..r-caf1c, 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 1t is on record that when the Europeans first penetrated this region, they found the Pima Indians wearing fabrics made of cotton grown in the Gia valley.
 But it iS their addDtability for fruit culture that assures to these valley lands a dense pop ulatiOn and prosperous future. Almost every variety known can be raised in their fruitful soils. The apple, pear, plum, peach, apricot quinc9 and nectarine. are of delicious flavor and give generous yield. The grape of all va retieS is at home in these sunny valeS No place in the grape-growing belt of the Pacific coast can show so prolific yield. The quality is all that could be desired; and the wine although it's manufacture is yet experimental is of a 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, fg, rOmgranate and others of the citrus family. can be grown sue ceSSfully in the valleys of Southern Arizona Orange trees arc 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 ia quality and flavor VIII compare favorably with she best California.