| Show SALT RIVER VALLEY ARIZONA I 1 confess to have been somewhat prejudiced against salt river valley in southern arizona by the reports I 1 had heard concerning its climate before I 1 visited it I 1 had been given to understand that owing to the ibe extreme heat beat which there prevailed I 1 would jeopardize my health if ejof actually endanger my life by visiting it that I 1 would be overpowered by the heat beat within n few hours after my arrival and that my whole cuticle from the effect of prickly heat would present the same florid hue as a whisky guzzlers guzzle rs nose while the intense itching to which I 1 would be subjected could only be alleviated by submerging my body in iii water a somewhat difficult thing to do as all the water in the country was used for irrigating the land except what was kept in ollas collas for drinking purposes none ot of which were large enough to take a bath jr in one of my friends who claimed to be familiar with the climate on learning of how gradually I 1 had been getting used to heat by visiting in the order named portions of colorado new mexico northern arizona old mexico and the gila valley before attempting to logo ga to salt river ventured the opinion that my experience in rising temperatures might enable me to stand that of salt river valley but if so I 1 would be able to slide from there right into hades without noticing any change in temperature I 1 told him my transportation did not provide for my visiting the last mentioned place without that was another name for san francisco and courageously decided then and there to go to salt river atAll at a hazards and if the prickly heat was unendurable to take a bath if necessary in the same manner in which my old friend W 0 staines once constructed a dam which he dc dined tied his neighbor johnson with the acidulous lacteal cognomen to touch by sitting down in an irrigating ditch well I 1 went I 1 was fortunate in meeting ou on the cars while on his way home from brother jas jae F Jo joanson Job brison of mesa city who became my entertain er and guide while in the valley and made my visit an exceedingly pleasant one on reaching tempo tempe the nearest railroad station to the sett settlements lemens of the saints he secured a con vey us to mesa city a distad ce of seven miles and then commenced feasting me on the most temo tempting ting watermelons water melons grapes plums figs etc which continued linued during that and two succeeding days my indulgence indulged indulge nee e being limited only by the capacity of my stomach which is not dot so 80 small as it might be I 1 found the warmest things about the country to be the hearts of the inhabitants many of whom were old acquaintances in utah before they went to arizona and who have lost losi none of their old time cordiality by their change of residence I 1 was most agreeably surprised by what I 1 saw and learned of the country I 1 consider it oneff one of the best and most desirable I 1 have ever seera seer a region that has not been fully appreciated by the saints sainto generally Sene raHy or bo few would not he residing there now and with such a small proportion of the valley in their afi ria possession almost the entire val valley having baving been open for settlement wh wheat h the saints first went there ind deedS In hardly think the present innab inhabitant realize to the full extent the ad advant ages they would have over those r siding elsewhere if they were but tc develop the natural resources of the th country As it is is they could n easily be induced to lekve the coun counts for with the exception of during abo three months in the year when is rather too warm to be alewal the climate is most delightful andai ing to the productiveness of the aoi it jess so labor is a required to make a lilii than in most other places while m mo of the saints in that locality cultis the soil for a subsistence and t tl majority of them have good fields a aa gardens and have done much 6 demonstrate the capabilities of ih country their efforts in that line ha bavei generally been of a desultory charae ter they have raised a little of w everything almost rather than a specialty of those particular pro products k fur for which the country is best ads adapted p LJ nor would I 1 question the wisdom or off this course in the past for the people who settled there were not wealthy and a subsistence iwas was the first con with them besides it was wa measurably uncertain in the past as to i what would be the most profitable crop no doubt should longer exit however that the country C on n try is i s duclo dinue better adapted for the production of off fru rulf 1 than cereals cere alp or that the former much more profitable pro liable to raise tha than lucern which to is cultivated so efte extend the truth Is that salt ri biar valley is one of the choicest places attal this continent for raising semitropical semi trop tropical fruit fig trees can be raised the there apfl easily as poplars can in the most fa dav ored parts ot of U utah tab and bear beadil heaphy 1 pomegranate trees grow so t thrift hr r ily that they make the best beat kind hind of a hedge and are cultivated for that purpose grapes could 3 not do better anywhere any where and are mor X ire extensively cultivated than any other t her i kind of fruit peaches almo n do plums plume and apricots thrive excellent excellently and there is little doubt but orang orangey will do quite as well here as in any p of california the average aver a ge annual a annu 11 at temperature is seven degrees hig b eigher berand and the average winter temperature tempe temper raUM aturo nearly four and a half deg degree higher than at riverside the m moh famous orange oradge growing district OJ california besides the season b hem is from five to six weeks earlier tha than in any part of california which aou would prove an immense advantage in th matter of obtaining a market chef chances for which would market ale also 0 be m ea 4 by the fact the salt RI is located so much nearer easta ern markets than california fi I 1 traveled from tempo tempe to san bein nardino with a couple of wealthy ann experienced california orange oradge growe growell who had been spending some time lai salt aalt river valley in investigating vesti gating soil soi water supply etc in various lo 10 calit cali les ties with a view to purchasing anah entering extensively into orange grow g ing there and discovered that tha the were greatly elated over the prospect p 9 1 before them one of them admitted adm fc me confidentially that he be was confident that the valley would surpass a any 1111 11 11 part ot of california as an oran orange producing 1 rod acing district he also informed m t 0 t thle the profits in an orange crop were athan most I 1 people eople imagine that we was not unusual for them to gather to 1200 worth of oranges m an acre and that a neighbor had mined ined 1700 worth from an acre jur dur lone gearhe He also gave it as his that the people of salt river valley atit reap immense profits from the of figs and pomegranates foially ally the latter as aa they were in id demand and yet not grown to f crest extent in california aalt river valley is very well watered rould id be extremely so for the grow of gt fruit as less would be required in case than for raising lucern and 6 the WA water ter is so abundant that clai efforts such as are in vogue I 1 fo ania where cement pipes and alts etc have there been resorted and may never be necessary even bueb tile the whole valley be cultivated a rule the land throughout salt ivor r valley is very easily irrigated hb ceslas or higher land are so level have such a gentle slope that I 1 robson bobson assured me that he t C d known the water to run in a on track which would be a quarter if f an inch in depth a distance of 1 miles that the country ham ban sus d an immense population at some in the dim and distant als Is g atte tt tested eted by the extensive ruins ties sties and canals that still exist the va a of houses bouses appear like huge founds ds of earth the structures having a built of adobe but thebe when d reveal deweal walls and in many wees portions of charred timber iee ea human remains pottery ware ments of husbandry weapons of etc making the region a most mul U field 9 old for scientific research together ether salt river valley is a interesting region to visit and has a future before it as perhaps any por dortlon tion of this favored land of Q G CI C L |
