Show WRESTING WEALTH FROM THE DESERT Great Colorado Desert Is Being Be Being ing Transformed Into Fer Fertile tile fila Farms RICHER THAN THE NILE ENTIRE YU YUNA A VALLEY WILL SOON BE UNDER IRRIGATION With private enterprise working hand handIn In hand with the federal government the once dreaded Colorado desert is slowly but surely being transformed into lL a garden spot which will rival the most fertile and productive agricultural regions of the world says a western ex exchange exchange change What private interests and private capital have done to create the agricultural agricultural tural paradise aptly named the Im Imperial Imperial valley in the southeastern por portion portion tion ot of California the government is doing in southwestern Arizona and a portions ot of contiguous to that section with the funds of the na national national treasury and the brains ot of the reclamation service Too much cannot be said In praise ot of those men of I progress who planned the project that has made the Imperial valley bloom much more will be done by the govern government government ment Water is the secret Water and gold Millions In gold are necessary for these great task of diverting heretofore use useless useless less waters which already are creating millions in new wealth and will create countless millions more as time goes goeson goeson on The yellow waters of the Colorado properly designated ns as the Nile of America are rich In gold only the In Industry and properly employed brain of man being required to extract it Be Beside Beside side it the golden Bands of the Yukon are poor Rich Country Created The first attempt to reclaim a portion of the Colorado desert by diverting the waters of the Colorado river was that which resulted in the creation of the now populous and rich Imperial valley It was a private enterprise known as the California Development company and Its accomplishments have been written and read the world over This enterprise is still reaching out contin continually continually increasing the area ot of IrrIgated lands in that valley and consequently its population and wealth The year just closing saw the com completion of the Laguna dam the nucleus of the great Yuma project fathered by bythe bythe the rational government at II a cost of over three million dollars It is one of the first reclamation projects under undertaken undertaken taken by the and one of the largest When the canals and ditches provided by th the project are completed acres of the richest farming farming land in the world will bo be under cultivation all of It comprising small small farms none over acres in extent ex extent tent But the government will not stop with what Is now known as the Yuma project for the waters of the Colorado can provIde moisture and nourishment for tor many more thousands of acres s and andIn andin In time It Is planned to tax the rIver to toI I Its capacIty The main canal going through the Yuma Indian reservation I of acres which will soon be i thrown open to settlement Is now less than fifty miles mUes long It will be con continued continued through the reservation si et siphoned phoned under tho Colorado into Arizo Arizona na and the Yuma mesa lands comprisIng ins Ing acres which will be suitable for tor successful fruit raising Work on the tho High Line The entire project provIdes for a highline canal from the Laguna dam damI I swingIng down across the Mexican line and up through Imperial county west I and north of the valley now under irrigation irrigation gation so that In the years to come all allot ot of the sea level zone includIng almost a 0 halt half million more acres of desert lesert waste will become prosperous farms and ranches It Is truly a vast under undertaking undertaking taking The Colorado river Is even richer in plant food than the Egyptian Nile and almost the entire Yuma valley which will soon be under irrIgatIon is formed of sedimentary deposits which have been brought down by the murky wa waters tors for ages or deposited before the tha Gulf of California receded The pres present present ent and future farms of the valley will never wear out from overproduction because each year new life will be in infused infused fused by the Irrigating waters from the river and they will continue to grow more productive The area which will be Irrigated by bythe bythe the waters of the Colorado checked and controlled by the Laguna dam and its gates as provided for at present c com comprises the Yuma Indian reservation in California consIsting of acres the lower Yuma valley of ArIzona acres that portion of the e GIla valley rear near the dam con of acres and the Mesa land beyond Yuma of acres a total ot of acres When the acres of the lower Gila valley are added a grand total of will wUl be reached Yuma Is Grand Country The Laguna dam was completed last March It Is of the style of dam 4 known as the Indian weir because of I Its general use In India and Is J teat almost a mile long It has a max maxImum wIdth of cf feet and a general heIght of from fifteen to nineteen feet except in the center where feet off of 1 f the dam reaches a height of forty feet teet I IThe The principal function of this style tyle of 1 dam Is to raise the general rIver level j in order erder to provIde a slow current in inthe inthe the reservoir formed by the dam and to divert the water at each end ot of the dam Into canals which will have a suf I fall for sluicing purposes Bloc Elec Electrio trio motors control the opening and closing of the gates In spite of its tabled fabled reputation for excessive heat the climate ot of Yuma and vicInity is magnificent from an agricultural standpoint And long since It has become known throughout the theland theland land that the story etory of the man who after demise returned to Yuma for tor his overcoat was a grossly exaggerated misstatement If not a wholly unjust and libelous assertion The summers in Yuma are warm but not distressing such as In the large eastern cities an and heat prostrations we are unknown because of the slight humidity On the other hand the winters are delightful and the city of Yuma has a large wInter population The Yuma valley already Is famous for its diversity of farm products and the abundance of Everything Every Everything thing that can be raised elsewhere will grow in the Yuma valley fruits vegetables vegetables and cereals and the valley is not surpassed in the raising of live livestock livestock stock Seven and eight crops of alfalfa can be cut yearly and a crop can be had three months after atter planting the seed Potatoes may be planted In January Jan January uary and marketed In May all kinds of beans graw satisfactorily as do vInes cane beets and trEes and there is a close and ready market for nIl all products Wheat corn barley and maIze have a phenomenal growth in the Yuma valley and aU all sorts of garden truck can be raised The raising of citrus fruits In the Yuma valley will be one of the great future industries as conditions are ex excellent excellent for extremely profitable fruit raising and this applies to deciduous fruits although but little has been at attempted attempted tempted In that line There are a num number number ber of splendid orange orchards In the valley ad the fruit is ready for the tha market in October With the exception of a small portion which will be allotted to the orIginal in inhabitants Inhabitants habitants the Yuma Indians the yuma Tuma Indian reservation will soon be opened to settlement under the homestead law lawas lawas as modified by thee the reclamation act The total amount which may be filed upon by will be between 1000 and acres and the farm unit has been fixed at from twenty to thIrty acres |