Weekly journal-miner., 1909-04-07
(From Tuesdays s Daily)

nOuLccu DH expert dgICulIuIllstS ds
 rich as any out of doors, including the
 valley of the Nile, with an acreage
 almost twice as large as that under
 cultivation in the Salt River valley, and you will have formed a faint idea
 of the wonderful agricultural and nor
 ticultural possibilities of the valley of
 the Colorado extending from a mile
 south of Parker almost to Ehrenburg
 and the great Palo Verde valley of
 California lying immediately across
 the Colorado River from Ehrenburg."
 This is the declaration made yester-
 day by P. P. Hastings, general freight
 and passenger agent of the s. F., P. 6
 P. and operated lines, who arrived
 home Sunday morning from a trip
 through that region accompanied by
 W. A. Drake, vice president and gen
 eral manager, and w. c. Datum, indus
 trial agent of the Santa Fe with head quarters in Los Angeles.
 ''This great scope of bottom land which with the exception of small patch of 50 acres near Parker on the Colorado River Indian Reservation and about 1900 acres of the Blythe es- tate of the PalO Verde valley, is yet unreclaimed, he said. ''Neither the reservation lands on the Arizona side or the part of the Palo Verde valley already unappropriated is open for set clement. It is believed that both will be thrown open for entry soon, under the reclamation act, in smaller par eels than in past year, affording thous- ands of settlers from the over-crowded states homes.
 ''It has been proven by actual ex- periments that ordinary cotton and Egyptian cotton can be proftably raised in Yuma valley. The soil of the Colorado valley surpasses in fer tility either the Yuma or Imperial val leys. The produetiveness of that un- reclaimed portion of western Arizona along the Colorado River will startle the world when brought under eultiva tion by the waters of the Colorado River under the reclamation service. "
 Speaking of the trip, NIT. Hastings continued: "Leaving Parker last Tuesday morning we travelled down the Colorado River Indian Reservation to Ehrenburg by what is known as the outer road. This route follows the foothills of the valley, which is 45 miles in length and ranging from three to ten miles wide. Every foot of the valley is susceptible to irrigation and will produce several crops of cereals a year.
 "Crossing the river at Ehrenburg morning, Blythe City, the headquarters of the Blythe estate was reached after a walk of five miles. !. and Thursday was spent travelling through the Palo Verde val ! ley, of which the Blythe estate is part. The Blythe estate is owned by the Palo Verde Land Company. Part of . the valley south of the Blythe estate {, has been entered under the homestead | and desert land acts. The remaining portion with an area of 3O,OOO acres is bottom land and as rich as any. Set lers irrigate their tracts from shallow wells by pumping. All the land under ultivation on the Blythe estate. com ,rising some 1,5O0 acres, is irrigated ,y system of canals. These canals Ire being extended as fast as a force if from 200 to 300 men can pusn their obstruction. Not only the entire es- ate will be reclaimed by this canal ystem, but settlers on the outside 5ill be furnished water from them to rrigate their tracts.
 "Only a small portion of the Palo 'erde valley lands are subject to verflow. The overflow can be stop ed by building levees at the mouths f the sloughs, which will prevent the 7aters from backing up in flood times.
 "The head of the canal system runs through a gateway cut through a solid eef of granite jutting out into the iver at Black Point. There is no anger of destruction of the headway [ imilar to the destruction of the canal | ear Imperial valley that caused so { lueh destruction there.
 "On account e the lack of trans { Ortation facilities only forage crops | re grown on the Blythe estate. Wat I rmelOn, pumpkin and fruit raising for he outside markets does not pay so | I