Bisbee daily review., 1908-05-29

 FUR SAN PEDRO
 VALLEY COMING
]. M. Crosby, Merchant of Ben son, Has Been Working Dii- gently on Project That Will Benefit 5000 Acres.

! BENSON. May 2S.-One of the best moves toward bringing the agricultI--
 a1 interests near Eea' on to the front
 Na- been consummated. To J. M.
 Cosby, a merchant of Cnr |"
 the credit for the work done so far
 For the past six months Mir. Cosby
 has been working d lige ltlv on aa IT
 Tigation project that would benefit
 about 5000 acres Of the finest land on
 the nCTth and east side e the San
 Pedro river near town.
 His idea is to not alone benefit those who have already taken up hOmesteads, but to make valuable the goySrnment land which no one cared to take up owing to the inability to get wCter T E. and is some of the bet in the valley.
 Three months ago he had rrol'nni- nary survey made by John Profit. Impressed with the results shown by tNi su-70r- f~~ 0- i--i~a5F~.' -rn"l 'n be supplied with water from the riv- CT. he approached a number Of our prominent citizens and trose wNo have homesteads. Meeting with success in getting their assistance, he had a permanent survey made, meotiDg all the evpen~e himself
 In the meantime he has carried on a quiet campaign with a number of m.ners of Bi bee who are farmers by profession, and who were anX- ious to take up farming providing water was assured. His irrigation scheme has met with their approval. and today all of the land that can be covered by the irrigation ditch, so it is under toCd, has been filed upOl.
 Besides this, MT. Cosby hes quietly secured options on Q number If other homesteads held by parties taking no interest in the development of their property, which will be cut up into 10 and 20 acre tracts, which will be sold at prices ranging from $15 to $50 pc: acre.
 This is certainly one of the best moves that could have been made, and with water assured for irrigauus the lands will be the means of br.Ig- ing in more of class who will till the land and improve the country. The soil cannot be beat, most ot il bf ing covered with a heavy growth , of mesquite which Is & sure indica- tioa oI the fertility of the ground
 The survey made for the canal calls Tor the heSdgates at a point above the Vaughn ranch, known as | the Hawkins point. about three and a ! half miles south of Benson, and one ! Raf miles tAis side of the Sl. 1 David bridge. At this point the river is cOhoeded to carry the -uosL l Water during the dry season. The | canal will be about eight feet wid~ 1 on the bottom and will run north 70 | as to tap and put uId Irrigation i about 5000 acres of land.
 The eXpense of building the canai 1 has alreedy heen assured.
 As a criterion as to what can be | done bv a man who is enterpr.s'ng | and means ru-ineTs. and '.n the water, and what the possibilities are for Isk g a rm of y1lue Ie has 1 only to drive ovlr the new road late i ly Cpsned to the county bridge and | stop and go over the homestead { l on about year ago by C. C. Cu-ran | Mir. Curran has had two fOur-inCh | well driven on his property from | which he gets a sufficient flow to irri ! gate all the land he. can properly pu, | under Cu'tivltion- Already he ha; ! fenced of different sections of his | ground and has planted various crops i which are growing nicely. Besides l he has set out a number of tres, cal. of Whlch are making good head Aay. Going over his property one cannot 1 but be impressed with the great PoS- f abilities of the valley when in the 1 hands of those vho make farming a | matter Of business.
 It is safe to say that with the in- auguratiop of Mir. Cosby's irrigation project. that within the next .~0 ] years there will be a change in the agricultural co 1ditions of this dis | trict little dreamed Of by the average Bersonite.
 And too much credit cannot be giv- en to the men who are using their wits and money to bring this valley ! up to q producing state.