Arizona republican., 1912-12-19
SCHOOL LAND
 REFRESHMENTS
Detailed Description of Fer tile Section of Graham County Described by Land Commission While Making Investigations

In it's recent report of the Graham county portion of the Sulphur Springs Valley, the Arizona State Land Com mission has this to say:
 Tn the Sulphur Springs Valley of Graham cOunty-thuS diStinguishing it from that portion of the valley lying in Cochise county-Which, heading at point almost identical with the Ioca- tion of Fort Grant, runs southeasterly between the Graham mountains on the east and the Galiure and Winchester ranges on the west, the State owns a numebr of school sections of consid- erable Value-at this time. 10 be sure. used almost exclusively for grazing purposes, but many of them, if not all possessing possibilities as dry farming tracts.
 Extending over a period of several years, dry farming experiments have been conducted in this broad, level val ley, with varying success, the variance being due not only to the seasons, but probably still more to the skill and experience of the eXperimenters There have been many failurs as was inevitable but on the whole there ap- pears to have been especially during the past two years. a fairly definite demonstration of the practicability of dry farming in the Sulphur Springs Valley of Graham county. The soil is clayeN lOam, peculiary retentiVe of moisture. and which is. withal exceed irgly fertile. With growing knowl- edge of conditions and requirements, and the application of the most mod ern and most scientific dry farming methods the excellent crops of corn, maize beans and other grains and veg 1 etables winch were observed by the 1 commission upon the occasion of it's visit, should be materially improved | upon. and the area now devoted to l this class of farming Wdenad. Should ! dry farming, in this section. therefore l pass entirely out of the experimental l stage, and become. as it bids fair to ] do, aD established industry. it would while adding to the value Of the lands in general and to the taxable wealth and prosperity of the state. provide | homes for many industrious tillers Ot 1 the soil and mean an important en- l'hancement of the public school fund represented by the four sections ir each township set aside for that pur- 1 pose.
 Tt is stated upon competent auth ority that while there are seasons il which the rainfall in this district i!
 not sufficient to insure a full crop b,
 the dry farming method it is probable
 that water can be found throughout
 the valley at a depth which, while
 prohibtiVe of regular irrigation, vii
 permit the pumping of sufficient water
 at critical periods to save the croYs
 For the purpose of demonstrating thi
 condition, the University or Arizona
 will shortly establish an eXperimenta
 station at or near the railroda station
 of Cochise, which while not in Ora
 ham county nor in the immediate dis
 trict now being delt with. is in tn,
 same valley, not more than twenty-fiv'
 or thirty miles to the south, and pos
 seSses practiclayy identical character
 iSticS as to soil, climate and water sup ply. The demonstrations to be mad
 at this farm. if successful will in al likelihood materially increase the pres
 ert tide of settlers toward Sulphur
 Springs Valley So fair indeed, is tn
 prospect that the commission is con
 sidering the advisabilitY of recon
 mending the selection by the Stat of quantities of these lands still re
 maining unsettled.