The Arizona sentinel., 1906-01-10

COLORADO and CELIA VALLEYS

In 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 more desirable re- zion for the making of Q home. No laboroulS clearing of the land is required; 1t lies almost ready for the blow. Trees aud Shrubbery have so rapid growth that within eighteen months
 the immigrant can surround his g bode with at fractions which would require years to mature 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 1t. 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 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, raspberrieS, blackberries. currents, gOoSeberrieS and all varieties or small fruits car 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 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 is afforded here. With a maCclleSS cl1maGe, WQOTS all 1OTulS Ol us ease known to the damp and vigorous regions
 of the east and north are unknown, where the bright sunshine kiSsee 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
 ment and to homeSeekers a 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 | fr1 NIaf1. nnr- to the sea. By constant oyerfows 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 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
 etables 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 sapling before his door, and within the year he has shade tree twenty five feet highl Alfalfa be cut six times dur | ing the season, and it is an actual fact that grape cuttings have produced within eighteen monthsl 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 far
 mer begins to plant in November and by the 1 middle of May his harvest is ready. Roses are l in bloom, fruit trees are blooming, and the | grain fields are sea or green, when the nelds | 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 former giving from eight to ten tons to the acre l 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, sugar-cane, to- bacco, hemp and rice. With the exception or | 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 growing is no experiment in Arizona, 1 for it is on record that when the Europeans l first penetrated this region, they found the | Pima Indians wearing fabrics made of cotton grown in the Gila valley.
 But it is their adAptability for fruit culture | that assures to these valley lands dense pop
 ulation and prosperous future: Almost every 1 variety known can be raised in their fruttful
 soils. The apple, pear, plum, peacn aprlcot, Quince, and nectarine, are of delicious flavor, | and give 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 | 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 a table bev- craze Experiments with the raisin grape have | shown that this climate and soil possess every 1 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.