USA > Arizona > The resources of Arizona; a description of its mineral, farming, grazing and timber lands; its rivers, mountains, valleys and plains; its cities, towns and mining camps; its climate and productions; with brief sketches of its early history etc > Part 17
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Irrigation is the life of agriculture in the Territory. Without it scarcely anything can be raised; with it the soil is the most prolific in the west. Water, therefore, is the most precious element for the farmer in Arizona. Without it the soil is worthless. It follows from this that the amount of land that can be brought under cultivation depends on the water supply. The limit of production will always depend on this supply, but with care, economy, and system in its management, there is enough to support a large agricultural population, who will always be able to meet the home demand. This chapter will give the reader some idea of the extent and character of the arable lands of the Territory, the present condition of the farming industry and its possibilities for the future.
When the obstacles which stood in the way of the early settler are considered, it will be acknowledged that commendable prog- ress has been made; and a glance over the fair and fruitful fields in the valleys of the Salt and Gila,
" Where the luscious fruits and golden grain Make glad the heart of the toiling swain,"
will show the grand possibilities of Arizona as a farming country. For the purpose of conveying this information more clearly the agricultural resources of the different counties are given sepa- rately.
Maricopa is the leading agricultural county of the Territory, and the valley of Salt river has been well-named the "Garden of Arizona." Besides the fine valley on this stream, the county also. embraces a large stretch of rich lands in the valley of the Lower Gila. It has been estimated that the total area of arable land in Maricopa will exceed 400,000 acres, nearly all of which can be brought under cultivation. The valley of the Salt river from the junction of the Gila to the cañon, contains nearly 230,000 acres, with as fine a soil as can be found in any country on earth. The river flows through this immense tract, and carries sufficient water, averaging one year with another, to irrigate every acre of it. The land in this magnificent valley is generally a sandy loam, light and porous, and especially adapted to fruit. That nearer the river is inclined to a heavy, rich adobe. The first set- tlement by Americans was made in 1868. It was then a barren waste, covered with grease-wood, mesquite and cactus. The sun beat down on the arid plain, scorching and blistering the struggling vegetation. Outside of a narrow strip along the
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THE RESOURCES OF ARIZONA.
river, there was not a single spot of verdure to relieve the eye A more perfect picture of nature in her wildest and most savage mood, it would be hard to find.
But what a transformation has been wrought by the labors of a few sturdy pioncers! What once was an uninviting wilder- ness, is now one of the loveliest spots on the Pacific coast. For a distance of nearly thirty miles along the stream, and for over four miles back from it, on the north side, is a succession of grain- fields, gardens and orchards. In the early spring, when the land- scape dons its most attractive dress, the sight is surpassingly beautiful. As far as the eye can reach in every direction, it is met by fields of waving grain and blooming alfalfa; orchards, reveling in all the glory of blossom and bud; gardens, beautiful with their abundance of roses and other floral wealth. Groves of cottonwoods, giving a glimpse of tasteful homes, lines of the graceful Lombardy poplar and the handsome Osage orange, mark the boundaries of the different farms, and from garden and orchard and alfalfa field there comes floating on the air an odor of delicious fragrance, as pleasant as a breeze from the vales of Araby the Blest.
Through these green fields and delightful groves, canals and acequias run in all directions, and from shady arbor, orchard and thicket is heard the cooling murmur of sparkling waters. Sur- rounding this Arcadia, and serving as a frame to set off the charming picture, the rugged mountains rear their jagged and serrated fronts, their outlines wrapped in an atmosphere of wonderful beauty and softness, whose purple haze invests them with so strange and weird a fascination. This is not too highly colored a picture of the Salt River valley of to-day, and as yet its productive capacity has scarce been touched.
It is estimated there are at present 300,000 acres of land under cultivation in Maricopa county, some 1,500 acres being farmed by the Pimas on the Gila, and along the valley of the Salt. This shows an increase in the acrcage under cultivation within two years of nearly one hundred per cent. The yield of cereals for the year of 1883 was as follows :
Wheat . 14,000,000 lbs.
Barley 1 8,000,000 “
Making a total of .. ·32,000,000 lbs.
Wheat averages about twenty-five bushels to the acre, and barley about twenty-six, though instances are not rare where, by careful cultivation, a yield of forty bushels to the acre has been secured. The grain grown in the valley is large and plump, and is equal to any raised on the coast. Of cultivated grasses alfalfa, or Chilian clover, is cultivated extensively, and attains a wonderfully productive growth. Four crops are cut during the year, the yield being nearly two tons to the acre, at
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a cutting, or eight tons to the acre during the year. It makes excellent feed for horses, cattle and hogs, keeping the animals in prime condition all the year round. It is also cut and baled, making a rich and succulent feed. Of fruit trees there are over 30,000 in the county, and nearly 300,000 vines.
The planting season in the Salt River valley is from the first of November to the first of March. The heavy black loam is ploughed dry, while light sandy soils are first irrigated. Many farmers summer-fallow their land, which is considered an im- provement, and will no doubt yet come into general use. Every- thing is raised by the aid of irrigation. Small grain is flooded on an average four times during the season. The amount of artificial irrigation depends much on the rainfall and the character of the soil. New land will require more water than that which has been under cultivation for some time. The harvesting of the grain begins by the first of June, and is com- pleted by the middle of July. The latest improved machinery has been introduced, and here, as elsewhere, steam threshers and headers have destroyed all the poetry of the harvest-field. The price of wheat will average about $1.75 per hundred pounds, and of barley about $1.50 per hundred. The following would be a fair estimate of the expense of cultivating one hundred acres of wild land :
Clearing, sowing, cultivating and harvesting per acre.$10 Sacking, freighting, storing, etc., say. 5
Total per acre. $15
Estimating the yield at 1,500 pounds to the acre, and the price at $1.50 per hundred, we have a total of $22.50, or a clear profit of $7.50 to the acre. These are conservative figures, and the profits will go above instead of falling below them. The expense of cultivation is much lessened after the land has been reclaimed, and where no hired labor is required, except at harvesting, the cost will not be over $10 per acre, leaving a clear profit of $12.50. Alfalfa is one of the most profitable crops raised in the valley, the yield being eight tons to the acre, which sells readily at $6 per ton, baled. It is estimated there are now nearly 3,000 acres devoted to the cultivation of this plant in/ Maricopa county.
The fattening of hogs is also a profitable business. They are kept on the alfalfa fields until the grain is harvested in the latter part of July, when they are turned into the stubble and allowed to glean the scattered grain which has been lost by the headers. A run on these fields puts them in prime condition for the butcher in the fall, the pork being solid, sweet, and finely-flavored. Disease is unknown, and but little work is required in fattening them for market. They are very prolific, having two litters a year. Hogs on foot delivered at the railroad, twenty-eight miles
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THE RESOURCES OF ARIZONA.
away, bring eight cents per pound, and are worth eleven cents when dressed. The bacon cured in the valley commands a ready salc at eighteen cents per pound. It is of good quality, the hams being equal to the best California. The mesquite wood, used in the curing, gives to the meat a clear, brown color and an agreeable flavor. The market is almost unlimited, no bacon being cured anywhere else in the Territory. Over 2,000 .- 000 pounds are annually imported, which will yet be produced at home. It has been demonstrated that the article can be raised and sold in the Salt River valley cheaper than it can be brought from California or the East. There is a fine opening for this branch of business in Arizona.
But little corn is grown in the valley owing to the uncertainty of rains; yet the soil is well-adapted for it in many places, and under favorable conditions, as high as seventy bushels to the acre have been harvested. But wheat and barley will continue to be the staples grown for some years to come. The labor and cost of production is light, while the market is always an active and remunerative one. The Salt river and Gila valleys are peculiarly adapted to horticulture. The climate, soil, and situa- tion arc all favorable, and some of the finest fruit grown west of the Rocky mountains is raised in Arizona. The grape of all varieties, apple, peach, pear, nectarine, almond, fig, plum, pome- granate, quince, grow thriftily and yield large returns. The citrus fruits, such as the orange, lemon, lime, etc., will do well by careful cultivation and close attention. Even the olive, the most valuable tree known to man, thrives in the valley of the Gila, and in a garden at Florence are several trees that have at- tained a strong and vigorous growth.
There are at present about 500 acres devoted to fruit culture in the valley, the greater portion being planted in peaches. The fruit is large, juicy, and of excellent flavor. The varieties grown are mostly from California cuttings, and the mode of cultivation similar to that practiced in the southern portion of that State. Fruit trees, after being planted, require to be irrigated at least once in every two weeks, but after they have begun to yield they do not require one-fourth of the moisture. Peaches begin bearing the second year and yield a good crop the third year, after planting. The profits on peach culture are large, and steadily increase as the trec attains age. The following is a fair statement of the cost and profits of peach growing in Maricopa county :
350 trecs @ 20 cents. $70
Planting, labor, ctc 50
Water 3
Total $123
The second year the cost of labor, water, etc., will be $53, and the yield five pounds to the tree, which at five cents per
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pound, would amount to $87.50, leaving a balance of $34.50, over the second years' expenditure.
The yield the third year will be twenty-five pounds to the tree, which, at four cents per pound would amount to $350 per acre. The increase for the next three years can be safely put down at fifty per cent.
This is a reasonable estimate of the profits from the culture of the peach in the valley of the Salt. The market is at the very door, and the price seldom falls below four cents per pound. Pears, plums, apricots, quinces, and all other fruits are equally profitable, and the cost of cultivation not greater.
Grape culture is making rapid strides in this valley. It is estimated there are now nearly 300,000 vines, and new vine- yards are being constantly planted. The varieties grown are the Mission, the Muscat and the Black Hamburg. On the light gravelly soils their growth is remarkably thrifty and pro- lific. The Muscat attains a large size, and has a magnificent flavor. As a table grape it is unequaled. On the dry, gravelly plateau, on which the Mormon colony of Mesa City stands, over 70,000 vines have been planted and all are growing wonderfully well. The light, porous, gravelly soil seems specially adapted to the vine, and this spot yet promises to become famous for the quality of its wine. It is a well-established fact that cuttings from vines in bcaring, planted in this soil, have been known to produce inside of eighteen months. Some wine has already been made in the colony, equal to the best California. Climate, soil, situation and water are all that could be desired, and this portion of the valley promises to become one immense vine- yard.
The profits of grape culture are said to be greater than that from peaches; and farmers all over the county are turning their attention to it more earnestly every year. Vines planted from cuttings begin to yield the second year, and it is safe to estimate that the product of each plant for the third ycar will be twenty pounds. Averaging 500 vines to the acre, this would be 10,000 pounds; and at three cents a pound, $300 per acre. The cost of cultivation is very little more than that of peaches. Grape-vines, however, require more attention, but the yield is larger and the profits greater.
The fruit culture of Arizona is yet in its infancy, but it promises in a few years to become the leading industry of the Salt river valley. There are few spots on the Pacific coast so favored by nature, and none where the horticulturalist receives larger profits for his labor. The fruit grown here is ripe and ready for sale fully three weeks before the California product. This gives the Arizona fruit-raiser an immense advantage. He has a virtual monopoly of the market during this period, and his early crop commands fancy prices wherever they are offered. With a railroad tapping the Salt river valley its fruits will yet
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THE RESOURCES OF ARIZONA.
be shipped to the East, and offered for sale in the markets of California, nearly a month before the products of the Golden State are ready for the table. It has been demonstrated that the raisin-grape can be grown here successfully, and no doubt that branch of the fruit industry will yet be gone into on an extensive scale. The canning of fruit, which has proved so profitable a business in California, will yet be carried on with success in Arizona.
In fact, the possibilities of fruit culture in the valleys of the Gila and the Salt, scem almost without limit. Year by year the area devoted to it is being enlarged, and as the country is settled up, vineyards and orchards increase and multiply. The profits are much greater than from grain-growing, while the labor of cultivation is much lighter and pleasanter. It requires no stretch of the imagination to see the valley of the Salt one immense orchard and vineyard in a few short years ; to see the large farms, now in grain, subdivided into smaller .tracts, with happy homes embowered in groves of refreshing shade ; to see mile after mile of the luscious grape pendant from vine, trellis and arbor, and orchards bending beneath the weight of their ripening treasures ; to see the orange, the lemon, the olive and the fig growing side by side with the fruits of a more northern clime; to see this lovely vale one immense garden, the home of a happy and prosperous people.
This is not an overwrought picture of what this region is des- tined to become within a few years. All the adjuncts in the way of soil, climate, and water, are already here, and labor alone is required to bring about the change. Besides the fruits we have mentioned, strawberries, blackberries, gooseberries, currants, and other small varieties grow thriftily and give a prolific yield.
Dairying and bee keeping are two other sources of profitable industry in the valley. The alfalfa keeps green the whole year, and the milk and butter from cows fed on it is rich and of a prime flavor. The demand for butter is always steady, and the price seldom ever falls below fifty cents per pound. The Arabian millet is also being introduced, and is said to be an excellent butter producer. With abundance of cheap feed, the Salt river country should meet a large portion of the home demand which · is now supplied from California. Bee keeping, which has proved so profitable in Southern California, was introduced into the valley a few years ago by Mr. Ivy H. Cox. The remarkable success which has attended his efforts proves the country to be well adapted to the business. The blossom of the alfalfa is an excellent honey producer, as are also the mesquite and the sun- flower. As there are almost unlimited quantities of all three in the valley, the bees do not have to go far to get their food.
Disease among them is unknown; they require but little care, and the product is equal to the best-made on the coast. It is white, clear, of a delicious flavor, and readily commands from
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AGRICULTURE.
18 to 20 cents per pound. The business has passed its experi- mental period, and the time is not far distant when the larger portion of the Territory will be supplied with the honey grown in the valleys of Central Arizona.
The sugar cane and the cotton plant thrive in the rich valleys of the Salt and the Gila. Of the former it is estimated there are nearly 500 acres now devoted to the business. The stalks grow strong and thriftily, and will yield 1,000 pounds of sugar per acre. At present the product is turned into syrup, which is of a good quality, and finds a ready sale at $1 per gallon. The stalks are fed to hogs and cattle, their fattening qualities being unsurpassed. The Territorial legislature, at the session of 1883, passed an act, offering a bonus of $500 for the best crop of cot- ton raised on five acres in Arizona. Several parties are com- peting for the prize; the growth is strong, and the cotton promises to be of superior quality. Cotton culture is not an ex- periment in Arizona. Long before Europeans raised a single pound in the valley of the Mississippi or along the Sea Islands, the Pimas manufactured fabrics from cotton grown in the valley of the Gila. There can be no doubt that the soil and climate of these valleys favor its successful cultivation.
In enumerating the products of the Salt river valley, it will not do to overlook its vegetable yield. The fame of its pumpkins has extended all over the Territory, and the prolific growth of its squashes, turnips, onions, beets, cabbages, carrots, lettuce, asparagus and all other varieties, is something phenomenal. But little labor is required to secure these crops. The quality is not excelled anywhere, while the yield is very large. Pota- toes, which it was thought at one time could not be raised here, are of as fine a quality as if grown beneath the blue skies of the Green Isle. They are large, mealy and of excellent flavor. Sweet potatoes are most prolific. They are grown extensively and attain a large size.
After building a home, the first wish of the new-comer is to surround it with a cluster of trees to temper the rays of the sum- mer sun. The cottonwood is now the principal tree. It has the most rapid growth and makes a refreshing shade. The first set- tlers being mostly poor men, set out the tree nearest to hand and native to the soil. Nearly the entire cultivated portion of the valley is now adorned by this tree, and a great many farm- ers have live fences of the same material. But as population increases, and the farmer finds himself in easier circumstances, others are being introduced; among them the willow, locust, ash, walnut, mulberry, pepper tree, Lombardy poplar, ailanthus and many other varieties. It is believed that the eucalyptus, magnolia, palm, cypress and other semi-tropic trees can be suc- cessfully produced along the Salt and Gila. Many homes are being made beautiful and attractive by groves of such trees; and green, cool and inviting carpets of Bermuda and blue grass
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THE RESOURCES OF ARIZONA.
give to them all that restful charm which should surround every homestead.
No matter how humble the home, flowers beautify and adorn it. No matter how poor the immigrant, the flowers and shrub- bery around his abode will always proclaim his thrift and good taste. The rose, of all varicties, the oleander, with its beautiful white blossoms, the mignonette, the honeysuckle, the geranium, the heliotrope, the fuchsia and nearly every flower that sheds its fragrance through the temperate and tropic zones, grows in these valleys. As permanent homes are being established, flower cult- ure is receiving more attention, and a stroll through the shady lanes and byways in the suburbs of Phoenix, when the atmos- phere is laden with their delightful fragrance, is like a vision of that land-
" Where the light wings of Zephyr, oppressed with perfume, Wax faint o'er the gardens of Gul in her bloom."
And now, reader, after having learned something about the capabilities and products of this favored region, if you think of emigrating, you will naturally desire to know what are the op- portunities for securing a piece of land and making a home there. As has been before stated, everything is grown by irri- gation, and the land is utterly valueless without water. At the present time eight canals convey the water from the river over the land. The names of these canals, and their respective ca- pacities, are as follows :
Grand canal, capacity
· 7,000 inches.
Salt river
3,000
Maricopa
· 3,000
Farmers
.1,000
These are all on the north side of the river. On the south side there are the
Tempe canal, capacity . 3,000 inches.
Prescott
500
Wormser
500
Mesa
. 2,000
Jonesville "
. 2,000
Making a total of 22,000 inches of water now appropriated. The Joresville and the Mesa canals are owned by Mormon colonies which have settled in the upper portion of the valley. They claim more water than they are at present taking out, and are enlarging their ditches and making preparations for a larger acreage. At present both colonies cultivate about 5,000 acres, devoted mainly to fruit and alfalfa. The area of land under the several canals is about 45,000 acres, of which about 30,000 are under cultivation, leaving 15,000 uncultivated. With care and economy in its use, the quantity of water now brought from the
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AGRICULTURE.
river is sufficient to cultivate all the land within the lines of the irrigating ditches.
The volume of water flowing in the Salt river, in the dryest season, has been put at 60,000 inches, and it is claimed the stream will average, one year with another, 100 000 inches.
At one-half inch to the acre, which is about the quantity re- quired to raise a crop of grain, there is water enough in the river to cultivate 120,000 acres of cereals. If devoted to fruit, a quarter of an inch will suffice. From this it will be seen that not much more than one-sixth of all the land that could be re- claimed is now under cultivation. The canals are owned by in- corporated companies, who are nearly always farmers who have invested their own money and labor in building them. There are so many shares in each canal, each share representing what is known as a "water-right." This "right" entitles the owner to sufficient water to irrigate 160 acres of land. In the sale of land, under a ditch. the water generally goes with it; and the valuc of land is always determined by its water facilities, as without them it is worthless.
At present a water-right in any of the canals can be had at from $300 to $500. This "right " once acquired, the owner of it is entitled to water so long as there is any in the canal. The occupant of a piece of land is further required to pay $2 per inch for the water used in raising a crop. For a quarter section in grain this would be eighty inches, or $160 per year. This tax goes to keeping the canal in good repair, the pay of a zansaro, or overseer, and for such other incidental expenses as may be incurred. At present there is great wastage, owing to a lack of anything like a regular system in the handling of the precious fluid. Among the different canals priority of location governs the right to appropriate the water from the river. The earliest claim takes precedence, and the others follow in their regular order. They are each entitled to the amount which their canal is capable of carrying ; but there is no regulation by which they shall be compelled to prevent waste.
A company has lately been organized under the title of the "Arizona Canal Company," who propose to take out the largest waterway yet opened in the valley, and which will reclaim nearly all the arable land on the north side of the stream. It taps the Salt river a few miles below the mouth of the Verde where the stream is confined to a narrow channel, and flows over a rocky bottom. By taking the water at this point, a supply is assured at all seasons as it cannot loose itself in the thirsty sands. The canal will sweep around by the foot-hills of the mountains which wall in the valley on the northern side, where the traces of an old pre-historic ditch are yet plainly visible. Its total length will be forty miles. It will be thirty-six feet wide on the bottom and will have a capacity of 40,000 inches. The estimated cost of this great work is put at $400,000. A large force of men are
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