The Arizona sentinel., 1907-01-09
COL ORADO and GILA 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 home. No laborouiS | 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 2 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 0 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 moro 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, gooSeberr1eS and all 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 Ill 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 8 maUcQlcSS CllIQdbo, WQcTO all IOTIIS or us 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 menr and to homeSeekerS verttGble 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 .Anfv N1.ef- to the sea. By constant overflowS and change of channel, the deposit of this rich vegetable
 matter has formed soil of extreme fertility Near the streams 1t is dark alluvial mold, well adapted to small grains and grasses. Far ther back there is rich sandy lOHu 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
 etables 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 cottonwood Sapling before his door,
 and within the year he has shade tree twenty
 five feet high! Alfalfa can be cut six times dur
 ing the season, and 1t is an actual fact that
 months! What state or territory can make such showing: The climate, it must be re-
 mem bered is nearly perpetual summer. Snow
 never fails in these southern valleys. The far
 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 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, sugar-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 it 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 1t Is their ad4ptability 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, apr1cot' 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 g-ape-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 Q table bev craze. Experiments with tho 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, pomgranate and others of the citrus family, can be grown suc- 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.