The Arizona sentinel., 1909-09-30
The Soil Simply Marvellous in Its
Pr0daCtiyeneSS
And the Climate is IntoxiCatingIy
SaIsbriouS
By GEORGE N. BURTON,
In Los Angeles Times.


and less than generation since the settle
ment of the Greet South vest began.
In all tine rs years since the Republic was
founded, also in the half century since Cali
sornia became ore OF tle States OF the Union.
and during every ye,sr of the best thirty, a re-
alization or the vast riches OF the American
continent, Of the territory OF the United
States and OF this Great Southwest b'ss been
more and more astonishing to the MINDS OF
men. One would suppose that by today we
knew pretty thoroughly what the undevelop-
ed resources OF the Great Southwest might
reasonably be expected to become. We have
not reached the depths Of this great ocean O<
wealth with our pIunamet line yet.
In residence OF forty years on the Coast
the writer thought he knew little abOgt
what there Is on the Coast, and US most Of
these years have been spent I'm md around
Los Angeles. he naturally had little eor-
seeit that he WAS pretty we'll acquainted with
the Crest Southwest. Last week n trip 70 the
Colorado River bottoms. below Yuma made
him feel as q tcDee5foes who bsd come in On
fhe last train. New 10 him. this woDfeEfnl
yegion and its possibilities are pretty we'll
known TO u great sany Yeadrrs OF The Times
ny the stories published, II not by the demos
>ssTatien ~ their own eyes.
Yuma lies On the map just twelve miles
fsom WHERE the government is putting TN the
great Iaguna dam, at the confluence Of the
G5la and Cososnae Rivers. It is twelve miles
from Yuma down the river to the Mexican
Bexndry line On the Arizona side OF the river
At one point. just below Yuma, the tnterna-
tional boundry line runsup along the river
which there takes a westerly trend and from
ONCE A MIGHTY STREAM.
Ages ago when the mountain ranges Of
Arizona and California lowered toward the
stars, at least twice IS high rs they do now,
Bains were very fredueTt and came down in
torrcntiaI volumes all aFong these mountain
ridges The Colorado River in these past ages
was q mighty stream, sweeping down debris
I'm tons every second or its flow. The Cosora-
do sink was at that time a great inland sen,
which spread over the country on both sides
Of where the river now runs. As the erosion
Of winds and storms, landsl1des and glaciers
wore down the mountain ridges year by year,
the great river carried down q vast amount
efBIlt, erosion from the rocks full OF phOs.
pilates, lines and dIsintergrated GRANTEES, as
well as the vegetation along Its banksS and
%
sinks OF the Colorado.
AS the m@Eratasn tops wsse WON down, the
minis becane less frequent snd less in Volume
Bot the erosion OF rocks and river beDks. tina
trees and vegetable mould torn from the
banks still came down and settled into the
bottom OF the great inland IsEe. This geosfenl
process went on fB0n age to age to our time;
leaving the Colorado at Yuma stream bant
hi, ,f to. a
time about twenty feet deep In the deepest
portion.
Itfs net necessary to remind CaIifoTnfans
t1sat the Spanish missionaries and explorers
sailed this river the Colorado because of the
reddish color of Its waters. 1t is the Colorado
UP in the Grand Canyon in Arizona snd
down past The Needles. But at this time Of
the year, after passing the mouth ofthe CHA,
instead of the red river 1t becomes the bSown
river. II actually looks today as H ten per
cent OF its flow was silt and only ninety per
cent water.
RICHES OF SOIL WONDERFUL
But the object OF this story is to cali atten-
uen once more, and for perhaps the thou
1sandth time, to the riches OF the soil along
the Colorado on both sides, incident to the
Aepositidg of this mass OF debris during ALI
the past ages. Gotng through the eoSntTy
On the Arizona sfdeot the river, for several
miles below Yuma, one encounters the same
type Of country and soil that is found I'm the
Imperial Valley country around Brawiey,
Calexico and other points wrst of the river
The fertility OF the black prairie soils OF ILL.,
nois has astonishef people engaged in agri-
sulture for nearly one hundred years. The
sertility OF the valleys OF the Mile has been a
matter of history for at least 6OO0years. Those
who are fanlifinr with Illinois prairie soil,
and those whe know what the valley of the
Nile is fes agriculture. know that this lower
Colorado River region surpasses both ofthen.
nyoa ask . farmer aEong this stretch OF
country II the soil is six feet, his eyes viii
spcs with establishment Cd your Ignorance.
He win ten you no one knows whether II Is
- feet- coo or 5000 feet deep. 1t is practically
without bottom. 1t is 50 thoroughly well
mixed with sSnd, dfsfntegrated granite and
ether rocks that IL never breaks. It Is as
easily worked as a heap OF ashes, and re-
spoDds to cultivation in q way that Is naar-
vc1ous
CUT SEVEN CROPS YEARLY.
Arfzoea has established ND experiment.
STATION in the Isesrt OF this big valley, which
Is some swenty-so<T nsfbes bong, and In spots
ZEN 10 tvel We miles WIDE down OF the lower
yerel The results are wonderful Last week
they vess cutting a crop Of alfalfa Oh tins e1-
detrimental Sarra and for screen consecutive
Months they viii cut Succeeding crops Tie
snly nsoOtlss when the crop not cut here are
December and January
Cotton and tobacco grow with the eTcSsess
zuxurisnee, and this rich alluvial soGI VIII Ne
, zoted in very few years the ideal spot IN
she whole country for dairyInz, hog raising
the production OF poultry and vegetables, which
ane hesitateS to call early or Late as they VIII
be perennial. New potatoes viii be produced
80 the middle Of January, tomatoes WEI be
ripe by the FIRST OF March, ripe grapes viii be
gathered in tie early DAYS Of May and ap1i-
cots by the nsfdle OF the same month. Chic
kens and turkeys flourish there in the winter
time beyond oil experience anywhere else.
The rainfall is exceedingly light and comes
only three or four times in whole winter.
With an abundance of green alfalfa and veEet-
able the dry and not Overheated climate
prevailing in the winter months chickens are
free from the disease that make their raising
dificult elsewhere. There is no spot in South
ern Illinois or Missouri so adapsed to the pro-
auction of corn as this valley along the Colora-
do River. With alfalfa and corn the butter,
cheese, eggs poultry and pork 10 be raised on
twenty-acre farm will amaze those who hSTe
the experience IN American agricultural aGsfrs
The winter climate around Yuma is q thing
so intoxicatingfy Sal ubriOHs that no WORKS can
describe IL. Those deserts Of America, we
1a1 ~ TcSr