The Arizona sentinel., 1909-08-12
POSSIBILITIES OF YUMA
REGION UNFATHOMED
The Soil Simply Marvellous in Its
Pr0duCtiyeneSS
And the Climate Is intOxiCatiagiy
Saiabri0uS
BY GEORGE n. BURTON,
In Los Angeles Times.

eyes OF Europeans. Il is only a little over g
century since the United States of America
spraHg, so 90 speak, like Palias Athene from
the brain OF Joye, O completely armed ad
1itton to the family of nations. 1t Is but
little ever half a century since California be-
came part Of these United States OF America
and less than a generation since the settle
nsent OF the Great Southwest began.
In all the l25 years since the Republic was
founded, also In the half century since Cali
fornia became one or the states OF the Union.
and during every year OF the last thirty, re-
alization of tire vast riches OF the American
continent, OF the territory of the United
States and OF this Great Southwest has been
more and more astonishing TO the minds OF
men. One woaid suppose that by today we
knew pretty thoroughly what the undevclop-
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.
In a residence OF forty years on the Coast
the writer thought he knew q little about
what there is on the Coast, and as most of
these years have been spent In and around
Los Angeles. he DatETafly had a little con-
ccit that me was pretty well acquainted with
the Greet Southwest, Last week o trip TO the
Colorado River bottoms. below Yuma made
ttfa feel rs tendsrfoot who bat1 come IN on
the hast train. New TO him. ibis wonderful
regIeo md rs possibilities are pretty well
known TO q great many readers oS The Times
by the stariea published, If not By the demon
strat5or of their OWE eyes.
Yuma Hes on the map tass twelve miles
sFom where the government Is putting in 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 interna-
tional bounGry line runs up along the river
which there takes n westerly trend and from
Yuma 10 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 they do row,
nains were very freduent 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 tow. The Colora-
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. iandsffdes and glaciers
wore down the mountain ridges year by year,
the great river carried down q vast amount
az silt, erosion from the rocks full of phoS.
pilates, iiglses and disinteFgrated GRANTEES, rs
well as the vegetation along Its banks; and
this WAS all Deposited IN what a7e BOW the
sinks ea the Colorado.
AS, the rsoxatafn tops were yyoYa Gown, TIE
1siass became Iess fseegueEs and less ~ sc2rrse
asts 5lse erosion OF rocks and river tssn KS, sae
trees and vegetable ShoBld torn fseun tho
AaHks STILL came down and settled into The
bottom of the great inland lake. This geogicaf
process went on from age TO age 90 our time,
heaving the Colorado at Yuma n stream bout
half mile widr and being at the present
ume about twenty feet deep In the deepest
portion.
IL is not necessary to remind Cssliforniaus
that the Spanish missionaries and explorers
called this river the Colorado because OF the
reddish color of its waters. It is the Colorado
up in the Grand Canyon In Arizona and
down past The Needles But ut this time OF
the year, after passing the mouth Of the ella,
instead of the red river IL becomes the brown
river. 1t actually looks today as II 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 atten-
tion 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 duFiDg 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 aroand Brawley,.
CaleXico and other points west OF the river
The fertility OF the black prairie soils Of ILL.,
nois has astonished people engaged in agri-
culture for nearly one hundred years. The
fertility of the valleys OF the Nile has been q
matter OF history for at least 5000 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.
If you ask farmer along this stretch Of
country II the soil is six feet, his eyes will
open with establishment al your ignorance.
He will tell you no one knows whether IL is
90 feet, 800 or 5000 feet deep. ID is practically
without bottom. 1t is SO thoroughly well
mixed with sand dssintegrated granite and
other rocks that 1t never breaks. 1t is rs
easily worked as q heap OF ashes, and re-
spends 20 cultivation in o way that is mar
seloos.
CUT SEVEN CROPS YEARLY.
Ar1zons has established an experiment
station N the heart of this big valley, which
is soDse tweaty-fOuT miles long, and in spots
ten TO twelve miles wide, down on the lower
Sevel. The results are wonderful. Last week
they we're cutting a crop of alfalfa on this ex-
periBseRt3l farm, and for seven consecutive
months they will cut succeeding crops. The
emily months when the crop is not cut here are
December and January.
Cotton and tobacco grow with the greatest
suxuriance, 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,
she 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
only three or four times in n whole winter
With an abundance of green alfalfa and veget-
able the dry and not overheated climate
prevailing in the winter months, chickens are
free from the disease that make their raising
Difficult elsewhere. There is no spot in South
ern Illinois or Missouri so adapted to the pro-
do River. With alfalfa and corn, the butter, |
oh IA 81 10