The Arizona sentinel., 1906-09-26
COL LORADO and GILA VALLEYS

In the valleys of the Colorado ard Gila rivers 1 there is room for thousands It iS not too much 1 to say that nowhere within the limits of this broad union can be found more desirable re | zion for the making of homo. No labOrOuiS clearing of the land is required; it lies almost | ready for the blow. Trees aud Shrubbcry have
 so rapid growth that within eighteen months | the imml mlgrnnt can surround his :, bode with at | fractions which would require years to mature | in less favored climates Fruits ripen and are ' ready for the market g full month before the | California products. The bright sunshine
 makes life Q luxury, and the pure dry atmOS pherc 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
 mancnt return.
 The statements in this article onY una county
 arc 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, biackberrieS, ] currents, gooseberricS and all varieties Of
 small fruits car he successfully cultivated. 1n- dced. una county lS not only the natural home of the citrus and Semitropical fruits, 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 k afforded here. With matchleSS climate, where all forms of dis ease known to tEe damp and vigorous regions of the east and north are unknown, where the bright sunshine l1iSsce into bloom and fra grance every form of vegetation, and where tho clear days and cool balmy nights arc one long continued poem of happiness and delight, VIC
 offer to capitalists an ideal field for invest mcnt and to homeSeckerS veritablC paradise in which to settle.
 The soil of these valleys is among the richest
 on the continent. It is formed of the dctritus which the streams for ages have brought down from their mountain homes in their journey
 to the sea- By constant oyerfowS 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, 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 pacity of these valleys is not surpassed by lands of equal area in any part of t'ie United States. So rapid and pro- life is the growth Of thefruits, cereals and veg etIblcS that the labor Of the cultivator is re- duced to the minimum, In nearly all of them two cropS ye2r can be grown, and vSgcta ton is one month head of California The farmer plants a cottonwood Sapling before his door, and within the year he has q shade tree twenty
 five feet high Alfalfa can he 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. it must be re- mcnlberei. is nearly perpetual summer Snow nevci falls in these southern valleys. The far tncr begins to plant in November, and by the mItt0tc or hlaT ms harvest IS rcaIE. 1tOScS lr@ in bloom, fruit trees are blooming, and the
 grain fields are a sea Of grecn when the fields of the Eastern farmers arc covered with snow and ice.
 Every variety of grains. grasses fruits and vegetables grown in SemitFopic zones can be produced in the valleys of Arizona Wheat, corn, barley, oatS and all the small grains give Il yield of from twenty-five to fifty bushels per acre. Alfalfa, timothy, clover, Bermuda and all the cultivated grasses grow iuXurlantly, the former giving from eight to ten tons to the acre p:s1tx- fnknl in tre United States can he grown in ALjZoIl3. and nowhere gre ttll.ey found Of better quality.
 "Besides the produces mentioned these Sc1li- tropical valleys produce cotton, Sugar.cane. to- bacco. hemp and rice. With the exception oI the SuGar-cIne, but little attention is paid to the cultivation of other staples; but l. 5c5 been demonstrated that the soil and climate are specially adapted to their successful growth Cotton-growihg is no experiment in Arizona. for it is oD recorr that when the Europeans first penetrated this region, they found the Pima Indians wearing fabrics made of cotton grown in the Cfila valley.
 But i; iS their ad.sptabilty for fruit culture tlla; assures to these valley l;trds dense pop ulatioh and a prosperous future. Almost every variety known can be raised in their fruitful soils. The apple, pear. plum. peach, apricot Quiace and nectarnc. are of delicious flavor, and give T generous yield. The grape of all va riCticS iS at home ill these sunny valcS: No place i'll the srapC-grOWing belt Of the Pacific coast can show so nrollac yield. The Guattty K all that could be desired; and the winc' although its manufacture is yet experimental, is of fine flavor, deliciOrS bouquet, and un- surpassed by any native product as a 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, ponlSrGnatC 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.