Imperial Valley press and the Imperial press., 1907-03-30
(Republished by Request.


 and silt until it now has dimension of about two hundred and seventy-five square miles in extent with a depth of seventy-fye feet graduHfiy lessening as the shore line is approached. Now that the Colorado river has been diverted evaporation will proceed quite rapidly and unlees replenished by the waste waters from irrigating ditches will in a few years be dry as before when an op- portunitY will be given to see the amount of sediment deposited or the land made on the inflowing side of the sea where large deposits of silt have taken place. This sediment in former times consisted in no small degree of the products of prehistoric volcanoes along the river's course from the upper tributaries of the Grand river in Colorado all the way down through Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and California, bringing with it untold qualities of the earthly salts and minerals, such as sul- phur, iroE potash, lime and phospheric acid, storing them in the soil to be drawn upon for future use following this period of deposition and during the lat ter period ot it there was time when this great basin was covered with water as is positively shown by the presence of vast quantities Of shells deposited on the surface and in the soil. Taking up a handful of soil one can see ;n most places dozens of these small shells and in many places hundreds of them. Tbe importnne of this vast and almost uni form deposit of lime in the soil has only to be mentioned to be highly appreciat. ed by any intelligent agriculturalist and readily accounts for the marvellous fer tiity of the region.
 We have here practically produced for us on very large scale what may be observed in many places ill regions where cultivated lands lie below lime deposits in the hills above them and where the fertility is in most striking contrast to the surrounding soils containing less lime and other ingredients obtained from inc rocks which are being slowly broken down and thus becoming a com ponent part of the soil.
 Among the industries of the Valley dairying is making rapid strides for newly settled region. A creame y com pany formed at this place some time ago had the promise of the produce of more than thirteen hundred COWS and other portions of the Valley show a COL activity in this line. It is estimated that an ordinary dairy COW will produce in cream about six to seven dollars per month and that the by prod ucts will increase these figures to about ten dollars per month, and when it is that the business can be con ducted at less than half the expense usually incurred for feeding and keeping dairy COWS it can readily be seen what must be the large profits made by those now in the business.
 Horses and mules can be produced here in great perfection and at small cost, as every day in the year they are supplied with an excellent quality of green feed, thus ensuring most rapid growth when young, nor is the growth ever checked by period of cold weather when animals so situated usually make small increase by winter growth.
 The greatest financial success yet reached here has been in raising hogs, which as in the case of cattle, horses and mules is done at greatly reduced expense, as the hog is raised and ma tured on feed of alfalfa and barley neither one of which is ever cut as the hog does his own harvesting and by this method he can bo produced at a prlce not exceeding one fourth to one third the cost in other parts of the country where hogs are produced and considered quite profitable.
 Many farmers could be named here who now have from five hundred to one hogs, few several times that number and they are cared for and OSkSd after by tive or tAFss mSn TSdus-