The Arizona sentinel., 1909-08-19
POSSIBILITIES OF YUMA
REGION UNFATHOMED
The Soil Simply Marvellous in Its
PrOduCtiyeReSS
And the Climate is IntOxiCatiagiy
SaiubriouS
BY GEORGE n. BURTON,
In Los Angeles Times.

BY GEORGE N. BURTON,
In Los Angeles Times.
II is very far from a semi.millenium sine
three little open boats under the flag OF SpaiI
first touched the waters OF the western hemi
sphere and revealed the new world 10 tn.
eyes OF Europeans. 1t Is only little over
century since the United States OF AmericS
sprang. SO to speak, like Pallas Athene from
the brain or Jore, a completely armed ad
dltion 20 the family of nations. 1t is but
little .ver half a century since California be
came part OF these United States OF America
and less than q generation since the settle
ment OF the Great Southwest began.
In all the Us years since the Republic was
founded, also in the half century since Cali
fornia became one of the States CT the Union.
and during every year OF the last thirty, re-
aliZation OF the vast riches of the American
continent, of the territory OF the United
States and OF this Great Southwest his beer.
more and more astonishing to the minds OF
Ipen. One would suppose that by today we
knew pretty thoroughly what the undeyelop-
ed resources OF the Great Southwest might
reasonably he expected TO become. We have
not reached the depths OF this great ocean of
wealth with our plummet line yet.
I'm q residence OF forty years on the Coast
the writer thought he knew little about
what there is on the Coast and most of
these years have been spent I'm and around
LOS Angeles, he naturally had little con-
ceit that he was pretty well acquainted with
the Great Southwest Last week q trip TO the
Colorado River bottoms. below Yuma made
him feel as a tcnderfoot who had come in on
the last train. New to him, this wonderful
region and its possibilities nre pretty well
known to great many readers Of The Times
by the stories 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. 1t 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 interna-
tional boundry line runs up along the river
which there takes a westerly trend and from
Yuma TO Mexico is only few miles.
ONCE A MIGHTY STREAM.
Ages ago when the mountain ranges of
Arizona and California lowered toward the
stars at least twice as high as they do now,
rains were very freduent and came down in
torrcntial volumes all along these mountain
ridges. The Colorado River in these past ages
was n mighty stream, sweeping down debris
in tons every second OF its flow. The ColoTa-
do sink was at that time q 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 a vast amount
Of silt, erosion from the rocks full OF phos-
pilates, lines and disintergrated GRANTEES, as
well as the vegetation along Its banks; and
this was all deposited IN what are now the
sinks OF the Colorado.
AS the mountain tops were worn down, the
rains became less frequent and less In volume
but the erosion OF rocks and river banks. the
trees and vegetable mould torn from the
banks still came down and settled into the
bottom Of the great inland lake. This geOgicRl
process went on from age to age to our time,
leaving the Colorado 1T Yuma a stream bout
half mile wide and being ut the present
lime about twenty feet deep 10 the deepest
portion.
IL is not necessary to remind Californians
that the Spanish missionaries and explorers
called this river the Colorado because of the
reddish color Of its waters it is the Colorado
mp i'm the Grand Canyon in Arizona and
down past The Needles. But at this time of
thc year. after passing the mouth Of the ella,
instead OF the red river il becomes the brown
river. 1t actually looks today as IL 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 call atteD-
ton 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 Brawley,
Calexfco and other points west of the river
The fertility Of the black prairie soils OF ILL.,
nois has astoDisbed people engaged in agri-
culture for nearly one hundred years. The
fertility of the valleys OF the Nile has been a
matter OF history for at least COCO years. Those
who are familiar 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.
IL you ask q farmer along this stretch of
country if the soil is six feet, his eyes will
open With astonishment al your ignorance
lie will hell you no one knows whether IL is
% feet. 0o OF 5000 feet deep. 1t is practically
without bottom. II is 50 thoroughly well
mixed with sand, disntegrated granite and
other rocks that IL never breaks. 1t is as
easily worked as heap OF ashes, and re-
spends 10 cultivation in a way that is mar
Vicious.
CUT SEVEN CROPS YEARLY.
Arizona has established an experiment
station in the heart Of this big valley, which
IS SoIne twenty-four miles long, and in spots
sen TO twelve miles wide, down on the lower
level. The results are wonderful. Last week
they were cutting n crop of alfalfa on this ex-
perimental farm, and for seven consecutive
months they will cut succeeding crops. The
only months when the crop Is not cut here are
December and January.
Cotton and tobacco grow with the greatest
luxuriance, and this rich alluvial soil will be
noted in a very few years as the ideal spot IN
the whole country for dairying, hog raising
the production OF poultry and vegetables, which
one hesitates to call early or late, as they will
be perennial. New potatoes will be produced
In the middle of January, tomatoes will be
ripe by the first of March. ripe grapes will be
gathered in the early DAYS OF May, and april
cots by the middle of the same month. Chic
kens and turkeys flourish there in the winter
time beyond all experience anywhere else.
The rainfall is exceedingly light and comes