Show ARIEZONA arty six miles long four feet deep twenty five feet wide are the abiona ais of our big bier canal the surrey which aich is just completed and the s and maps accepted by the board nectora tors this thin water supply will a continuous series of valleys jam bitable lands from its head waters dk narrows arrowo ll of the gila river to its as below pima at least re more land will be brought under unde r considerable of this is yet dupon upon an and d that which is taken be divided up and make fa farms for ly more inquiries have been made of me I 1 could not do justice by pe perletter r I 1 have asked them to and ad I 1 would answer all at once ugh i the columns of the deseret 0 now with your kind t will proceed questions as they are and answered will serve to get I 1 acao its in a clear and concise man far are you from railroad corne come afon ave a system passing through valley connecting with all the owna aw a and cities this road the gad and G N connects with the S P RR at bowle bowie 48 miles distant A continental route prompt connections are made all over the united states on the east with the santa pe fe and R G systems connecting with U P 0 R S L and a nd all utah and idaho lines on the west through california it costs a nominal sum more by way of california but it pays to make at least one trip west eastern roads take you through the scenic route of R G and santa santafe San taPe ire through colorado and new mexico the sum of from 35 to 46 45 will land you in the heart of our country apply to W C spence box B salt lake city or to me for transportation por tation we have a dally daily mall telegraphic system with all the world and ana prospects of a telephone system connecting our leading towns soon what is the topography level or undulating situated in the southeast of arizona we are of both old and new mexico the gila river heads back in new mexico and as it crosses the line the valley commences to widen until we have a series of settlements nearly 90 miles long one settlement however being 60 miles from the others which axe are grouped in the radius of about 30 miles our principal settlements are from three to five miles apart our valley will I 1 average v possibly 10 miles wide the thickly settled part is fully 40 miles long there is no limit to land the question quest on Is s water the natural slope from the e mountains on either side of our valley Is about right for irrigation and there Is an average fall down the valley of about ten feet to the mile the country is to some extent undulating this however is more of an artificial nature than natural caused by washes and the piling of sand and earth about the roots of trees and shrubs as is natural to all desert countries outside of grubbing but little labor Is necessary to prepare land for irl gatlon we are something like feet above sea level the mountains on either side a thousand feet higher and are filled with saw timbers and crystal streams though not sufficient clent water for the accommodation of more than two or ahree ranches at present what Is your chief water supply the gila river which is estimated at about cubic inches per minute at its lowest it Is a perpetual stream cannot be drained immediately below each dam d am still a good stream runs and at the lower end of the valley still there here Is a good sized stream we have some 1 body has a good well ranging from 35 to 60 90 feet deep any flowing deus depth etc I 1 visited one of these wells lately which Is about feet deep and runs about 60 gallons per minute Is back at the foot hills hahs of graham mountain there Is no reason we should not have many others our st david ward on the san pedro river miles fromherz from here has many which axe are bringing that settlement out the people were about discouraged when an earthquake shook up the earth opened up and sent water to the surface since that time many wells have been driven and an all prove to be good not all the land located under the various canals here chere Is used there is fully one third of the land under thema them still not under cultivation we find as la 19 demonstrated in utah the more water used the more there to Is to be used our large canal can alwin will run dose close to the foot hills of the graham mountains and will make a series of reservoirs of inestimable value to out our valleys ca causing US the low lands to get wet springs to break out that formerly run but brut have been dry during this season and will husband water of considerable side sid raiMe erable quantities our drnest season is usually the latter part of may and extending into july rains commence usually in the early part of the latter month on the 3rd ard of the present month we had a beautiful rain and have had several seve iral rains since and one or two good so sG akings what are your money getters everything we raise and we ean can raise everything but tropical fruits baled hay lucern brings from 6 5 to 19 per ton ranging in price according to the season and market we are situated in the heart of a mining district camps from five to ninety miles away in the spring irish potatoes bring as high as 2 cents per pound corn and everything brings a good price for we cannot supply the demand A farmer of thatcher on the 3rd ard of july just past made on one wagon load of watermelons water melons and only hauled them four miles butter brings from 20 to 60 cents creamery never less than 80 cents eggs seldom less than 20 cents and EL a continuous demand for an we can get there Is not space to enumerate more suffice it to say it is the best local market I 1 ever esver saw for a farming district outside of being close to such cities as salt lake when you come to realize the fertility of the soil and the length of the season a small farm is a fortune we raise five crops of lucern a year and two crops of everything but fruit I 1 dug the last of my early crop of irish potatoes a few days since seventeen of which weighed fifteen pounds we now have a patch about ready to dig from as new potatoes others to come on later and in a few days will have to plant a fall crop I 1 have two or three crops of garden stuff and could have more if I 1 had time to plant them one reason of the land yielding so much is the land is fertilized b by y the sediment from the gila river during rainy season especially it Is as rich as the overflowing nile bishop john taylor of pima raised fifty bushels of wheat on one acre of land after harvest he soaked the land and put in ift corn and raised fifty bushels of corn the same year manure is a drug in the way hardly used farms sixteen years in use are producing as aa heavy grain and and other products as to is desired and in most of cases two or three crops all over the valley grain to is now threshed and corn and potatoes being planted on the same sa ground what is the cost of irrigation at present watering ground to is rather expensive the reason chiefly is most moat of the canals are small and poorly I 1 constructed the sediment accumulates and it costs considerable to keep them clean and the dams wash out so BO ottea during high water but our large canal has head waters in the rock M be built entirely on a scientific ing ourselves of science experience when water to Is brought rought Ti out 04 through the canal of the enterprise canal water will mill be reduced at least 60 per cent we haye have now four or five good sized canals but they axe are not far from the river bottom land the enterprise to is soa so high it will soak up and bring about sub our water supply all over the valley and be the means of reducing to cul thousands of acres more of choice land Is there any government land to be located yes thousands of acres but the question is water all the land below the canals now in use is loci located ded it is estimated that there te is acres of choice land under the brot enterprise considerable ot 0 that lying nearest our towns to Is located there to is much yet not taken wave water shares can be worked out on oil the canal where men and team is allowed 4 per day man only 2 there should be at least five new towns located along its source what kind of land and price per acre terms etc our gila valley land Is of a rich sandy loam some mixed with clay floods coming from the san simon river or wash bring a sandy sediment while the gila of black rich ric nature so the surface of the land is changed about as often as a horse sheds its hair land may be had under homestead or desert entry to buy at present land Is high A farmer out about two miles from here was offered 50 per acre for his entire farm town lots lota range from 60 50 to according to locality terms are usually easy farms are for lease rent and to be taken on shares at the usual rates small farms are most prevalent 40 to 80 acres Is about al anyone can take care of A man with only a reasonable amount of energy can do well here if he prosper its his own fault land will be cheaper soon no spot on earth can boast of a better climate than we have almost perpetual sunshine the exception Is this season when clouds especially laden with moisture is very refreshing dry and clean and cool all winter beautiful spring and autumn and hot in sumer when you want things to grow nights usually cool even during the extremely hot weather every day there is a breeze of a refreshing character and not blizzard either men work sixteen hours a day never stop because of the heat A sunstroke is s almost unknown how about health I 1 consider this one of the healthiest spots on earth taking it the year round there theire is very little sickness no better place on earth for those suffering with lung troubles and rheumatism it is not a chill and fever district my own health has been improved 10 per cent at least never felt better in my life it is a little trying on child children reri especially infants the first year but when one becomes accustomed to this climate there Is no use of being sickly how about price of lumber stock etc native lumber 27 milk cows from 35 85 to 60 00 work horses usually bring brin 9 60 to 76 75 beef stock of course la in governed very much by eastern prices row how about early and late frost that to Is one of the worst features we have to contend cohlend with not that the frosts come late inthe spring but our trees bud so early they often get caught no early frosts in the fall this year fruits were not harvested and consequently we have an abundance of 0 all kinds of fruit grapes figs and other delicate fruits even apricots and early blossoming bloss oming peaches and plums how ho do wheat oats barley rye po j corn etc thrive the gila valley is the granary of arizona not less leas than twelve headers have been employed cutting grain the owners of these told me they bol 1 ui mt 30 acres in about thirty days and the others a like amount aino besides about 60 self blaim and at least seven threshing machines ma phines have been and are now threshing the grain all are busy I 1 cannot give in an estimate as yet of the grain raised rained all grains do well it asahe bonie of corn I 1 s w a stalk from last year over sixteen feet long the corn Is good two sweet potatoes raised in thatcher weighed respectively 36 and 19 pounds irish potatoes do well but we are not wise enough to keep them to advantage it would be much easier to answer the h e negative question on this what about securing hired help mexican labor to is about all we can set get and we cannot use that at all kinds of work we are worked to death and need many laborers wages exceed anything I 1 know of what labor la Is necessary to prepare unimproved land for tilling I 1 grubbing plowing and leveling in the crops in at the first plowing some majority of instances In we can plow ow OIL land needs but little clearing the land covered with mosquite mesquite mos quite re quires much labor to remove the stumps the or brush does not amount to much what wild grass grows on your ranges grass peculiar to this region only following our summer rains our ranges become covered with grass and flowers previous however it looks as dry as the northern countries do in july and august but stock do well by arousing bro using on the abundance of brush our domestic animals are usually ke kept t up and fed or pastured near at howe home what particular production are your people giving their attention none in particular everything is raised and everybody raises everything he wants how about winds etc I 1 am led to understand that you have heavy winds that fill the air with dust and sand to a certain extent this is true the winds themselves are no worse than those experienced in utah and idaho but as it passes over such a large scope of desert country it gathers sand and dust where the country is settled and covered with vegetation it is no worse than an ordinary wind seldom ever doing damage worse than to blow down trees have you showers at all in summer or snow in winter on the 3rd ard of july this month it rained as already stated and has rained several times since I 1 am told it Is usual to have rains during july and august no snow to speak of in winter and but little frost what time of the year would be best to emigrate fall by rail unless you hilve have good teams etc and cannot sell to advantage it will take thirty days by team four days and four nights by rail the eastern route 1400 miles western route 1900 miles through california furniture and all household goods can be got here as cheaply as in the rural districts of the north now bro K X one writer asks if you had your choice a certain valley north or where you are which would you take there is no comparison whatever should you consider salt lake county utah county cache or davis counties utah I 1 might listen we are no small potatoes as far as size of country is concerned this is a new world corn com part vely ively speaking to those accustomed to being cramped in a little cold valley in conclusion let me say we have a country unexcelled abounding in undeveloped resources that bids welcome to the man who wants a home all we need Is a great many good enterprising people no countr for a lazy man he will get burled buried in weeds we need means and men to aid in the development of our beautiful country we bid all welcome men of all the practicable trades and professions can grow with our country and do well procrastination Is the thief of time come early for further information address the guardian printing co safford ariz send 10 cents get a copy of the souvenir naper of recent date and learn more respectfully also address ANDREW KINBALL thatcher ariz july 20 1898 |