Show the in TWO A YEAR A land of sunshine and roses new irrigation scheme having received BO many letters from bienia in utah inquiring about the country down here in the sunny youth I 1 will with your permission reply to them through the columns of conr valuable paper i the gila valley where so many of the mormon people have located is in graham county in the part of arizona it ia about fifty miles long by ten miles wide surrounded on all sides by it ia divided lengthwise by ane gila river flowing through the cen tre this river ia about the size ol 01 the weber or aej would furnish plenty ot water if properly utilized utilised to irrigate all the laud it can be made to cover in the valley the climate is semitropical semi tropical and only when it ia trying lo 10 rain and cant do our nights even in midsummer mid summer get so oppressively hot that one cannot sleep comfortably winters are mild and pleasant no snow has fallen in ahe valley up to date ibis winter but the moun taina are covered to a consid demable depth we are never privileged to enjoy a ride or skating vegetation retains its green foliage nine months iu the year and at no time do the roots cease to put forth new fibers the soil in most pans is rich and very productive awo crops one of wheat followed by one of corn can be harvested from the same ground in a year biye heavy crops of alfalfa is cut and a good falls growth remains for winter farmers begin sowing in october and may continue until march giving us five months of seed time the earliest grain in after having been pastured all winter ia harvested during the latter part ot may or the early part of june besides beine a good farming country this is a good fruit growing country our peaches rival those of california apples in all their varieties apricots pears plums cherries berries grapes etc walnuts almonds and peanuts all thrive itis it is the laud of sweet potatoes pita toes mel ons and pumpkins A stranger who passed through last april called it the land of sunshine and loees most of the land under the present canals is taken up but a new company abe enterprise canal jo is just organized for the purpose of taking out a larger canal above all the others this when completed will coyer thousands of acres of our beat land in view of its construction there have already been hundreds of acres of this new land filed on but thousands of acres yet re main awaiting fo other locators this haeher land is freer from frost and will prove to be the better for fruit along the line of this canal large reservoirs will e made to hold tha water until needed you who ara seeking for a home who have neither a foothold or a chance for one in utah who live in a rented house or till a rented farm young men of brain and grit and push we invite you to our beautiful valley we are not asking for street corner loafers or any from tha floating element we have plenty of such bore but utah farm boys who have a desire to blant themselves upon the soil cultivate it build homes set out orchards and vineyards raise horses cows hogs etc obey the laws of god listen to the council of his servants and bacomo good citi there ia room for five hundred fach young men here taxes are very high but this is the fault of our lawa and the officers who execute them and not the fault of the country you need not expect to find the tone in society here that you do an fn provo and other large towns in utah trusting that these few brief answers in a measure will be I 1 am trilb yours jan 31 1895 |