The Arizona sentinel., 1906-02-14
COL ORADO and CELIA VALLEYS

In the vallers of the Colorado ard Gia 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 a more desirable rc zion for the making of a home. No laboroulS
 clearing of the land is required; it lies almost
 ready for the blow. Trees aud Shrubbery have so rapid growth that within eighteen months
 the immigrant can surround his -bode with at
 fractions which would require years to mature
 in less favored climates, Fruits Tipon and are
 ready for the market q full month before the California products. The bright sunshine
 makes life a 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 oppor ortunitiesss Thousands of acres now
 profitlesS can be made productive by the con-
 struction of irrigating ditches and thercis 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, raSpberr1eS, blackberr1eS, 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 eitheEkrcpic
 of the temperate zones will thrive in the rich dfertile 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
 
 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; anjfswhere 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 hOmeSeekerS 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 from their mountain homes in their tourney to the sea. By constant overf1OwS and change of channel, the deposit of this rich vegetable matter has formed a soil of extreme fertility
 Near the streams it is a 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- Elific is Sthe growth of thefruitS cereals and veg ct.lbleS that the labor Of the cultivator 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 q cottonwood Sapling before SdoOrs and within the year he has shade tree twenty
 five feet high! Alfalfa can be cut six times dur ing the season. and 1t is an actual fact that
 grape cuttings have produced within eighteen
 months! What state or territory can make such 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 in bloom, fruit trees are blooming, and the 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 semtropic zones can be produced in the valleys of Arizona. Wheat, corn, barley, oats and all the small grains give
 yield of from, twenty-tive 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 Tn AIfzona and nowhere are they found of better quality. >s
 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 it has been demonstrated that the soil and= climate are specially adapted to their successful growth
 Cotton-erox 7~' = ro. e~oeriment' in Arizc1na, , ,r it iS on record that when the Furopeans | first penetrated this reeiorLf they found the 1 Pima Indians wearing fabrics madesof cotton grown in the Gila valley.
 But it is their adaptability for fruit culture
 that assures to these valley lands dense pop ulGtion and prosperous future. Almost every variety known can be raised in their fruitful soils. The apple, pear, plum. peach, apricot, Guince and nectarine, are of delicious flavor, and give a 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 yield The quality l is all that could be desired; and the wine, although it's manufacture is yet experimental. | is of q fine flavor, delicious bouquet, and un-
 surpassed by any native product as a table bey- 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 l others of the citrus family, can begrQwn 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- l zonat atorange in quality and flavor will compare | favorably with the best California.