The Arizona sentinel., 1906-05-16
COL ORADO and GILk VALLEYS

h the valleys of the Colorado ard Gila rivers l there is room for thousands. It Is not too much ] to say that nowhere within the limits Of this broad union can be found a more desirable rc- zion for the making of home. No laborouiS clearing of the land is required; it lies almost ready for the plow Trees aud shrubbery have so rapid growth that within eighteen months the immigrant can surround his z bode with at fractions 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 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 un- rivaled opportunities ThouSands of acres now profitleSS 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 well. Strawberries, raSpberries, blackberrles, 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 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- munerative returns than is afforded here. With A ease known to the damp and vigorous regions of the east and north are unknown. 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 ideal field for invest ment and to hOmeSeekerS q Veritable 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 fhnir oin in to the sea. By constant overfOwS and change of channel, the deposit of this rich vegetable matter has formed soil of extreme fertility Near the streams it is dark alluvial mold. we'll adapted to small grains and grasses. Far ther back there is a rich sandy loam, 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 equal area in any l part of the United States. So rapid and pro- life is the growth of thefruits, cereals and veg etLbleS that the labor of the cultivator is re- duced to the minimum, In nearly all of them two crops q 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 a 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 l 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 l in bloom, fruit trees are blooming, and the 1 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
 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 | the United States can, be grown in Arizona, and nowhere are they found of better quality
 | 7 Besides the products mentioned, these semi tropical valleys produce cotton, sugar-cane to, bacco, hemp and rice. With the exception of
 the sugar-c 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 Gila valley.
 But it is their ad8ptability 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,
 quince and nectarine, are o1 delicious naVor' and give a generous yield. The grape Of all va rietieS is at home in these sunny wales. No
 place in the grape e-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, fig. pOmgranatc and others of the citrus family, can be grown Suc- 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