Arizona republican., 1920-05-21
LOCAL PROJECT
 SHOWS SUCCESS
 OF RECLANA TION
Phoenix and the Salt River Valley Stand As Example of Prosperity Brought By Irrigation

Foremost among reclamation pro- jects of the southwest, with a success equal to that of any similar enterprise, stands the Salt River project. the greatest single factor in the making of the Salt River Valley and an eX- ample to which proponents of pro- posed projects may well point as proof that reclamation is all that it Is claimed
 Of the 3oo.o0o acres of land under water in the Salt River Valley, 205,0o0 draw their ife-fluid from the Salt River project centering in the great Roosevelt dam. Reclamation has made agriculture i1 this valley, and agri- culture has made Phoenix and the valley what they are. In 1918 the agricultural products of the lands ot the Salt River project reached value double the cost of the propect, and the production valuation figure has been climbing by leaps and bounds in the two years since that time.
 The project has made possible the cultivation of thousands of acres of Pima cotton, which is a development of the Egyptian long staple cotton, and is declared to be of the finest quality grown anywhere. It has made possible the production of many thousands Of acres of alfalfa, wheat. grain sorghums. cantaloupes, citrus and decidEous fruits. which lose no value when compared with similar products from other agricultural cen ters anywhere.
 Huge Agricultural Production The agricultural production of the Salt River Valley for 1919 was valued l at $43, ,225. 200 which was only made possible by the tremendous assistance of the Salt River project.
 By far the most valuable crop raised l in the district covered by the project Is cotton. The unusual high quality of this necessity has attracted the att | tention and financial interest of great cotton growers everywhere. There are ! 200 gin stands already in operation and others are being planned for the valley. Two cotton seed and cotton oil manufactories are already in active l operation and one more concern is now being constructed The best of the standard automobile tires are con- 1 structed with a tough combination of Pima cotton, grown here, and rubber. 1 Pima cotton has brought as high as s1.S5 a pound in the market, which is a higher price than any other variety has ever sold for. It is estimated that an acreage increase of 50,000 will be seen in the county in the coming sea- son. The average yield per acre is 1900 pounds of seed cotton.
 Alfalfa is second to cotton in value as a product of the Salt River pro- iect. There were 92,354 acres or al- falfa raised in the county in 1919. the value of which was S7.740.00O. Alfalfa Is one of the most nourishing varieties of stock food, and is responsible for the value and excellence of the dairy stock and beeves raised in the Salt River Valley. The revenue in 1919 from livestock and poultry was S5.- 100000
 Other Crops Are Grown Too
 Wheat and grain sorghums are next in importance and their value in 1919 exceeded a million dollars each.
 Cantaloupes too, are an important offspring of the project. Last year the crop was valued at s974.00 The cantaloupes raised under the Salt River propect are especially sweet and succulent and are among the earliest on the market each season. Citrus and deciduous fruit raised here is of fancy grade and is a valuable asset to the valley.
 The total cost of the Salt River pro- ject exceeded S12, 900. The money was furnished by the federal govern ment. and the farmers using the pro- ject have 20 years in which to pay he debt. Approximately S500.00 a year is realized from the power features oe the project. and it is believed that this in the near future. The solid success of this great project has been an ex- ample that has given confidence 10 irrigation propects.
 There are 5051 farmers who are us- { ing the project and who have votes in are. on this basis. 65SS farmers in the r-Ha