The Arizona sentinel., 1906-10-31
GOL ORADO and GILA VALLEYS

i In the valleys O. the Colorado arc Cila rivers there is room for thousands It is Tot too much l to say that nowhere within the limits of this | broad union can be found a more desirable re- 1 zion for the making Of home. No laborouiS 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 :; bodc with at l fractions which would require years to mature | fn less favored climates Fruits riPen and arc ready for the market a fuil month before the | California products. The bright sunshine
 makes life q luxury, and the pure dry atmoS- l phere brings health to nil who inhGie it. For the establishment of colonies, such as are made ! III southern CaluOrnla. Ar1Zona presents un-
 riCaled opportunities. Thousands of acres now i protitleSS can be made productive by the con StCuction of irrigating ditcheS. and there iS no l investment which assures larger and more per | fnnnCnt return.
 1 The statements in this article onY una county 1 are not exaggerated; in fact they fail short of doing justice to this wonderful bit of country PineappleS, dates, almonds and walnutS will do well. Strawberries. raSpbcrrieS, DlackberrioS, currents. goOSeDerrieS and all varieties Of small fruits can be successfully cultivated. h. tced. 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 tropc 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 fer cBpital seeking large and re- muneratiYe returns than Is afforded here. With a 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 kiSSe' into bloom and fra graace every form of vegetation, and where the clear days and cool balmy nights are one lcrg continued poem Of happiness and delight, we c;@n offer to capitalists ideal field for invest ment and to homCScekerS yeritable paradise
 i'll which to settle.
 The soil of these valleys is among tho richest on the continent. It is formed Of the dctrituS which the streams Tor ages have brought cown from their mountain homes in their journey to the sea. By constant oYerhoWS 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 a 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- 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 a year can be grown, and vegetation Is one month head Of California. The farmer plants cottonwood SaDIing before his door and within the year hC has a 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 d showing: The climate, 1t must be re- membcred, 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 are blooming, and tho grain fields are 6 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 luXuriantly, the n lfr each year, Every variety of vegetable raised in the United States can be grown in Arizona, and nowhere are they found of better quality.
 'BeSidcS the products mentioned. these semi tropical valleys produce cotton, sug2r-cane, to- bacco, temp 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 tho soil and climate arc specially adapted to their successful growth. Cotton growing k 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 Gila valley.
 But 1t iS their adiptaDility 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, Quince and nectarine. are Of delicious favor, and give a generous yield. The grape of all va rietieS is at home in these sunny vales. No place in the grapc-growinS belt of the Pacific coast can show so prolific yield The quality is all that could be deSired and the wine, it's manufacture Is yet experimental, is of a fine flavor. delicious bouquet and un- surpassed by any native product 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.
 "BesiieS the fruits already mentioned, the orange, lemon. lime, olive, fig, pCmgranate 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 with the best California.