Weekly journal-miner., 1910-02-23
VERDE VALLEY IS
 ATTRACTING ATTENTION

northeast of Jerome, the finest ranch in Arizona, is the intention of R. A. Watkins, L. L. Young, H. T. Duffy and H. T. Byers, of this city, who re- gently formed the Verde Fruit com pany and purchased that property, says the Phoenix Gazette.
 The Jordan ranch is already one of the best paying places in the far famed Verde valley. MT. Jordan, the former owner, has lived along the Verde for thirty years and has held this ranch fourteen years. From it he has not only made a good living, but laid up a comfortable private Ior- tune. Fifty acres of the ranch are planted to apple, peach and pear trees. Altogether, 16O acres are un- der cultivation, and. it is possible to cultivate 1S0 acres. MT. Jordan has constructed two private ditehes. The water problem does not exist, for there is more than enough for irrigating purposes, and it is diverted from the Verde at almost no cost.
 There is in Arizona little land suit able for apple growing. The soil in the Salt River valley is good, but the climate is not right. It has been proven that apples require either a wet or a cold climate, and along the upper Verde there is 25 per cent more rainfall than in this section, while everyone knows that the climate is much more cooler. Moreover, the ranch is well sheltered on all sides ranch is well sheltered on all sides.
 Therefore, Messrs. Watkins, Young, Duffy and Byers feel that they have secured a piece of property that is not only very valuable at the present time, but can be made more so. MT. Duffy, MT. Young and MT. Byers will devote all their time to the ranch. MT. Duffy, who came to Phoenix sew eral years ago from Iowa, is a level headed business man, who has had twenty years experience as a farmer and has spent several years selling groceries and other commodities. He will be general manager of the Verde ranch. MT. Byers came here from Colorado and will have charge of the fruit-growing and of the work. He is a graduate of an agricultural college and has paid special attention to fruits MT. Young has been farming in the Salt River valley practically all his life and will have charge of the growing of vegetables and small fruits such as strawberries. He will leave for the ranch next week and intends to immediately plant about two acres of strawberries.
 | The plans of the young men are extensive, including the planting of about 100 acres to apple trees as soon as that can possibly be done. The entire 1sO acres will be brought under cultivation. while the remainder of the 36O acres, which runs back into the hills, is valuable pasture land. Apples are the most successful fruit in the Verde Valley, and the members of the Verde Fruit company will de- vote most of their attention to that crop. Most of the trees set out on that 100 acres to be planted will be of the black Arkansas variety.
 All Arizona knows that the Verde Valley grows as fine apples as can be found anywhere, and the east is now waking up to that fact. MT. Watkins sent half box to the United States Land and Irrigation exposition at Chi eago, in December last. The exhibit attracted widespread attention, and growers from the Yakima Valley, in Washington. admitted that they could show no better fruit. The apple-grow- CTS of the Verde have a steady source of income. MT. Jordan has been mak- ing 5000 per year from the place he sold to the Phoenieians
 Strawberries are no experiment in that section. MT. Jordan says that ne has raised 22,OOO boxes from one acre in a single year. The berries are picked almost every day, six months in the year.
 Some months ago, MT. Watkins, in whose hands MT. Jordan placed the ranch for sale, took William Morgan to see the place. MT. Morgan is the Californian who recently bought the Thomas MeGrath place. In California, he had a great deal of experience in apple-growing, and he pronounced the Jordan ranch the best he had ever seen for that purpose. He would have purchased had it not been for his children. The place is somewhat remote from schools. Later, Mir. Wat kins interested Messrs Young, Duffy and Byers, and formed the Verde Fruit company. The proposition look c1 ,o roCI n him +bo+ ba wanted