The Arizona sentinel., 1909-09-02
POSSIBILITIES OF YUMA
REGION UhFATHOMED
The Soil Simply MarveleaS in Its
Pr0dHCtiyeHeSS
And the Climate is intOxiCatiagiy
SaIubriouS
BY GEORGE ~. BURTON,
In los Angeles Times.

sphere and revealed the new world To tho
eyes OF Europeans. IT is only little over i
century since the United States OF America
sprang, So 80 speak, like rallas Athene from
the brain OF JOve, a completely armed ad
dition 10 the family OF nations. 1t is lui
little -ver half a century since California he
came a part of these United States Of America
and less than generation since the settle
rnent OF the Great Southwest began.
In all the l25 years since the Republic was
founded, also in the half century since Cali
Tornia became one of the States of the Union.
and daring every year of the last thirty, a re-
aliEation of the vast riches OF the American
continent, Of the territory Of the United
States and of this Great Southwest has been
more and more astonishing 20 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 I've expected 90 become. We have
not reached the depths of this great ocean of
wealth with our pIummct line yet.
IA residence of forty years Oh the Coast
the writer thought he knew little about
what there is on the Coast, and as most of
these years have been spent in and around
hos Angeles, he naturally had little con-
ceit that he was pretty well acquainted with
shc Great Southwest. Last week Il trip 10 the
Colorado River bottoms. below Yuma made
him feel as Il tenderfoot who had come in on
the las, train. New TO him. this weosicrfus
region and its possibilities ave pretty we'll
known to great many readers ofThe Times
by the steries published, if not by the demon
stration Of their own eyes
Yuma lies on the map Just twelve miles
from where the government is putting in the
great Laguna dam, at the confluence of the
ella and Colorado Rivers. II is twelve miles
from Yuma down the river TO the Mexican
boundry line on the Arizona side of the river
at one point. just below Yuma. the intcrna-
tional boundry line runs up along the river
which there takes a westerly trend and from
Yuma to Mexico is only few miles.
ONCE \ MIGHTY STREAM.
Ages ago when the mountain ranges of
Arizona and California lowered toward the
stars, al least twice rs high us they do now,
Eains were very rreduent and came down in
torrcntial volumes all along these mountain
ridges The Colorado River in these past ages
was a mighty stream, sweeping down debris
in tons every second OF its flow. The CoIora-
do sink was at that time great inland sea,
which spread over the country on both sides
Of where the river now runs. AS the erosion
of winds and storms, landslides and glaciers
wore down the mountain ridges year by year,
the great river carried down vast amount
of silt, erosion from the rocks full OF Phos.
pilates, Times and dIsntcrgrated GRANTEES. rs
well as the Vegetation along It's banks; and
this was ali deposited in what are row the
sinks OF the Colorado.
As tl4e mountain tops were r0rN Gown rfie
sains became less frequent and less In yelEIne
but the erosion Of rocks and riveE h:akS, f}se-
srees~ and vegetable mould fora ETsSFa ffss-
banks still came down and settled sBto BE
bottom OF the great inland lake. This gcoSicsl
process went on from age 90 age 10 our tiIaRe,
seav;ng the Colorado 1T Yuma a stream about
MALTA mile wide and being at the present
Lime about twenty feet deep in the deepest
portion.
II is not necessary to remind CtI;forEiaps
that the Spanish missionaries and explorers
called this river the Colorado because of the
reddish color Of its waters. II is the Colorado
ap in the Grand Canyon in Arizona and
down past The Needles. But at this time of
Che year. after passing the mouth Of the ella,
instead of the red river il becomes the brown
river. 1t actually looks today as if ten per
sent of its aow was silt and only ninety per
cent water.
RICHES OF SOIL WONDERFUL
But the object of this story is to call atten-
zion once more, and for perhaps the thou
sandth time, to the riches of the soil along
the Colorado on both sides, incident to the
depositidg of this mass of debris during all
the past ages. Going through the country
on the Arizona side OF the river, for several
miles below Yuma, one encounters the same
type of country and soil that is found in the
Imperial Valley country around Brawiey,
Galexico and other points west Of the river
The fertility of the black prairie soils of Hi
nOis has astonished people engaged in agri-
sulture for nearly one hundred years. The
aertility OF the valleys Of the Nile has been "A
matter OF history for at least 6OG0 years. Those
who are famlinr with Illinois prairie soil,
and those who know what the valley of the
Nile is for agriculture. know that this lower
Colorado River region surpasses both Of them.
fyeu ask a farmer along this stretch of
sountTy if the soil is six feet, his eyes will
open with astonshment al your ignorance.
Pc VIII tell you no one knows whether il is
20 fec, SOC or 5000 feet deep 1t is practically
without bottom. IT is SD thoroughly well
saixea with sand, disintcgratcd granite and
easily worked as Il heap of ashes, and re-
sFoasds tOeuEtvatiou in way that is mar
gslo9s-
CUT SEVEN CROPS YEARLY.
arizona has established an experiment
station ri the heart OF this big valley, which
Is sorae tgyeRty-fessT miles long, and IN spots
tea TO twelve miles wide, down on the lower
seVst- The results are Wonderful Last week
Shey clsttiIsg u crop of alfalfa ou this ex-
pcrirseEtal farR, and for seven consecutive
months they wiu cut succeeding crops. The
only months when tEc crop1s not cut Ecre are
Dccenaecr ana January.
Cotton and tobacco grow with the grs;g:esr
luxuTiancss and this rich allGvtal soil viii Re
noted il . rcrr few years as tho i1esl spot in
she whole country for dairy1e hog raising
she production Of poultry and vegetables, witch
one hesitates to clll early or Late, they vii
be perennial. New potatoes viii he Pre<5gccd
IA the middle of january, tomatoes viii be
ripe by the first of March ripe grapes viii be
gathered in the early DAYS OF Nav, and ap-i-
cots by the middle Of the same month. Chic |
lIens and turkeys flourish there in the winter
time beyond all experience anywhere eIse,
The rainfall is exceedingly light and comes
Snly three or four times in a whole winter.
With an abundance of green alfalfa and veget-
able the dry AMI not ovcrheated climate
prevailing in the winter months. chickens arc
free from tho disease that make their raising
diHicul5 elsewhere. There is no spot in South |
sra Illinois or Missouri so adapted to the pro- |
duction Of corn as this valley along the Colora-
do River. With alfalfa and corn, the butter |