The Arizona sentinel., 1906-11-21
COL ORADO and GILA VALLEYS

h the valleys Of the Colorado ard Gila 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 q more desirable re-
 zion for the making of q 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 r bode with at
 fractions which would require years to mature
 i'll less favored climates Fruits ripen and are
 ready for the market 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
 proftlesS can be made productive by the con- Struction of irrlgatinS GitcheS, 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, black berries, currents, gooSeberricS and ali varieties of small fruits can 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, or vegetable which can be produced in either tropic of the temperate zones will thrive in the rich and fertile soils.
 With tbc 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 matehleSS climate, where all forms of dis ease known to the damp and vigorous regions l of the east and north arc unknown, where the bright sunshine kiSse' into bloom and fra grance every form of vegetation, and where th9
 clear days and cool balmy nights are one long .s continued poem of happiness and delight, we
 can offer to capitalists an ideal field for invest ment and to homeSeekerS q veritable paradise iH which to settle.
 on the continent. It is formed of the detritus which the streams for ages nave brought down 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 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 part of the United States. So rapid and pro-
 life is the growth of thefruitS, cereals and veg etLbleS that the labor of the cnltiVator 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 Slpling before his door, and within the year he has a shade tree twenty five feet high! Alfalfa can be cut six times cur 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, it must be re membered. is nearly perpetual summer. Snow never falls in these southern valleys. The lar
 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 a 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. Besides the products mentioned. these semi
 tropical valleys produce cotton sugarcane, to- bacco, hemp and rice. With the exception oi the Sugar-cane, but little attention is paid to the cultivation of other staples; but 1t has been
 demonstrated that the sell and climate are
 specially adapted to their successful growth
 Cotton-growihg 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 addptability for fruit culture
 that assures to these valley lands dense pop alation and a prosperous future. Almost every variety known can be raised m the1r 1rutt1ul soils. Tho apple, pear, plum, peach, apricot uuince and nectarine, are of delicious flavor, and give a generous yield. The grape Of all va rietieS is at home in these sunny yaleS. Nc
 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 fine flavor, delicious bouquet, and un surpassed by any native product as q table bev eragc. Experiments with the raiSfn grape have
 shown that th'S 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
 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.