El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-10-14
The Salt River Valley as Seen
By "Fitz-Mack", Noted Western
Writer; a Garden of Paradise

! ~ TTZ-JAAIES MCCARTHY, the world
known writer, who died suddenly
IN Denver recently, was one of
the best boosters" the city Of Phoe-
nix and the Salt River valley Of Ari-
iona has ever known, and not only
did he notice the principal things Of
interest in the territory. but the
small things as well. He wrote them
in an Instructive and entertaining
manner. and his writings have been
read with interest by thousands who
were attracted to the salt River val
ley. In the Denver News, Fitz-Aac
wrote the following Of Arizona, and
especially the vicinity Of Phoenix
This. Maricopa county, is the
only place I have ever been where q
man can live the whole year round
without swearing at the climate.
w mere man can 80 into his garden
Of a Christmas morning and dig
mess Of new potatoes for dinner, and
fetch in a half busheI Of new peas, and
a basket Of stra Wberries, and bucket
or ripe luscious oranges, and then
shoulder his gun and stroll down TO
the river (Salt river, execrable nance
and bag a dozen ducks at single
shot there ism much excuse for his
swearing unless the whiffle tree
breaks when he is driving to church.
When the vile Of his bosom the
same Christmas morning can cOur-
teOusly but firmly direct her assistant
in the culinary department to fetch
forth for the Christmas feast a dish
of home picked olives; a dish of home
dried raisins, a dish Of luscious home
packed dates OF figs, dish Of home
raised paper-shelled almonds and a
couple of dishes of delicious pome-
granates, and then herself go out
on the veranda where the sweet sum
ell
pluck a great armful of glorious roses
to top the festal board, while the ORR
Oles from the orange trees and the
meadow larks from the alfalfa fields
are filling the balmy morning air with
ravishing rivalry OF song in praises
Of God for the birth of the Savior,
there isn't much excuse for her swear
ing either.
and existence here in the dry, balmy,
southern sunshine with never a fog,
and seldom cloud and rarely rain, I
but with a dreamful indian summer :
haze always lowering over the land, /
is a bliss and men and women who I
are coughing ana sneeZing and cursing /
their chance of eternal salvation ever /
Iastingly away in the damp, bleak or ]
ought to come rere and try it, even I
If they have t. walk.
Beats California Too.
Commercial orchards and vineyards /
are a comDara tfveIv recent thing here
but they have been set out long
enough to get maximum results So
far as the proof goes, it indicates that
this country lays clear over any
thing in California for semi-trOpical
fruit, such as oranges, lemons, olives
lates, figs, raisin grapes and the pc
can and almond nuts, and quite gets
away from Florida on everything but
oranges. The Florida oranges are not
10 be beaten for flavor, but MaricOpa
county claims to equal them for flavor
and beat them for beauty I can't
imagine fruit rlure beautiful in color
han the oranges grown here
But that is where California and
Florida fall dC'Jn on Oranges-they
ant color them like Arizona. No
AN. The scale and the rust that low
.r the grade of so much Florida and
california citrUo fruit can't exist in
rizona on account Of the dryness Of l
he atmosphere.
Country of sOngbirds.
This country sWarms with sOngbirds 4
never saw any thing like it since
vas born. Five or six nests in a sin
lie apricot tree is nOthing-runs that
-ay through the whole 40 acre orch { Z
rds. If there is a great curved
wayinE limb springing from a cot
luWOOd. look up and yOuu see two
r three nests Of the golden OriOle {
angling from t.
The biggest bird in the territory is
he ostrich. Arizona knocks the socks
IF Africa for oCtriches. They multi
~ in this climate like rabbits. I Wis 7
ed a farm the other day near Phoe- Z
tx where there were SO in one field &