The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-03-18

oo"''c, hdich o, lJlU.-SOme weeks
ago | wrote The Free Press from Lo.
Angeles and said that | would later
write something on Yuma, Arizona.
Since leaving Los Angeles we have
covered considerable territory, both lane
and water. On our way north we
stopped over at Santa Barbara, San
Jose and San Francisco. At San Jose
we called on Mrs. d. F. McGraw and
found Mrs. Payne suffering from a
fractured limb caused by fall. She
was, however, slowly improving and
her recovery while necessarily slow
on account of her age, is expected.
After reaching Seattle at twelve
o'clock midnight Saturday | was fore
ed to sail for Alaska on business Sun
day night and was gone tewelve days
on this trip, hence | have only just
about settled down for a brief rest
My trip to Yuma was certainly an
eye opener insofar as the conditions of
that part of Arizona are concerned
1t is by no means the barren waste
that we have been led to believe. but
on the contrary is rich productive
and wholly desirable agricultural dis
trict. In fact, theer is no richer or more
productive valley in the United States
than the Yuma valley. And there is
ride through that it has ever been my
good fortune to see. The valley is
small Its average width is only
about seven miles, while its length to
the Mexican border is only twenty five
miles. The total acreage in this valley
is given at 10000, but it is practically
all irrigable and consequently tillablc.
As Il guess. ! should say that nearly
one-fifth of the entire valley is now
under cultivation or being prepared for
cropping. Water is now on but a
small part of the lands and this has
heretofore been furnished through a
and altogether inadequate
system. But the lack of water will
soon be thing of the past. The United
States government, some two years ago,
six millions of dollars for
irrigation purposes for the Yuma and
contiguous valleys, and is rapidly push
ing to completion one of the finest rec
lamation projects ever undertaken.
The water is taken from the Colorado
river which at this point divides Cal
iiornia from Arizona. The dam, which
is known as the La Guna dam. is about
twelve miles up the river from
Yuma. and has length of ALSO feet.
The abutments. gates and elevations are
all constructed of solid concrete, and
have been put up under the most skill
full engineering. The capacity of the
main ditch now being constructed is
sufficient to irrigate one hundred and
fifty thousand acres Of land and it is
predicted that this area will
all be under cultivation as rapidly as
the grounds can be cleared leveled and
otherwise prepared.
An engineering feat of exceptional
nicely is being accomplished in this rec
l1mation undertaking. The water
from the Laeuna dam is brought
down in huge canal TO point oppo-
site of the city of Yuma and to con-
meet this with the-valley on the Arizona
side of the Colorado a tunnel will be
constructed under the bed of the river
and the water brought to the surface
through Il siphon. This siphOn or tank
is one hundred and twenty feet deep.
twenty three feet in diameter (nside
measurement and the flow of water
into the main canal will sup
ply more than enough water to irrigate
the whole 10000 acres of land con-
tanned in the Yuma valley. 1t is
claimed by the engineer in charge that
sufficient water can be taken from the
Colorado river or Laeuna dam to ir-
ricate one and half million acres of
land without preceptloly reducing the
flow of the great stream.
A peculiar and Invaluable feature
about Colorado river water is that ii
carries with it a sediment that is
claimed to be great fertilizer, and it
is also claimed that no other fertil-
izer will ever be needed to keep the
land enriched up to the maximum OF
productive richness.
Above the Yuma valley and to the
east of the city of Yuma lies what are
known as the Mesa lands. These lands
have been thoroughly analysed by
government experts and are pronounc-
ed to be the finest orange and other
deciduous fruit lands in this country if
not in the world. Certain it is that /
have never tasted such sweet, juicy or
anges and grape fruit as | picked
from trees there on my recent visit.
MANY of The Free Press readers are
acquainted with Mr.. II. +. Brown Of
He is spending the winter
ut Los Angeles and being particular
friend of mine it afforded me pleasure
To present him with some of the Yuma
fruit. He said it was the finest he
ever ate, and since | left Los Angeles
he has ordered two boxes of mixed
oranges and grape fruit for his own
This fact alone is
a great compliment to the Yuma fruit
when ordered by one who can step
from his hotel and Get the best of
California oranges at half the cost.
But the Yuma and California oranges
are not to be counted in the same class.
Besides its superior sweetness and fa-
II.