The Arizona sentinel., 1906-09-19
COLORADO and GILA VALLEYS

Tn the valleys Of the Colorado arc GiIa 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 more desirable re- zion for the making of home No laborcu1s clearing of the land is required; it lies almost ready for the blow. Trees and shrubbery have so rapid growth that within eighteen months the immigrant can surround his e bOde with at fractions which would require years to mature ill less favored climates Fruits ripen 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 opportunities. Thousands of acres now protitleSs 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, raspberr1es, blaekDerrles. currents, goose SeDerrleS and all varieties or 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 ln 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
 
 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 an ideal field for invest meht and to homeSeekerS veritable paradise ir 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 il their journey to the sea. By constant oyerftowS and change of channel, the deposit of this rich vegetable matter has formed a soil of extreme fertility Near the streams it is dark alluvial mold, well adapted to small grains and grasses. Far ther back there is a rich sandy loam, mellow and porous, and especially favorable Cor 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 etdbleS 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 a 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 months. What state or territory can make such showing? The climate, 1t must De re- nembered. is nearly perpetual summer. snow never falls in these southern valleys The far
  middle of May his harvest is ready. Roses are in bloom. fruit trees arc 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 yield of from twenty-five to fifty bushels per acre Alfalfa, timothy, clover, Bermuda and all the cultivated grasses grow luxur1antly, the
 
 each year, Every variety of 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, Sug2r-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 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 adLptability 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 nectarlne. are 0f delclouS lilVor' and give q generous yield. The grape or all va rietfeS is at home in these sunny wales. NO place in the grape growing belt of the Pacific coast cft1 show so prolific a yield The quality iS all that could be desired; and the wine, although it's manufacture is yet experimental, is of fine flavor. delicious bouquet and un- surpassed by any native product as a ttDIe DeV- craze. Experiments with the raisin grape have shown that this climate and soil possess every advantage for the production and curing or this staple article of commerce.
 '.3esides 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.