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THE < FAVORED VALLEY Las Vegas, the Land of Sunshine, Fruits, Flowers and Flowing Wells (By James G. Givens) Las Vegas valley is surely a most fa­vored part of this broad land of ours. Associated Press dispatches within the past week have told us of a “blizzard” in Chicago; of “snow and sleet” at De­troit; of “the coldest weather ever known at this; season” at Pittsburg; of “the worst and most killing frost known for 74 years” in New England; of “thousands of dollars worth of fruit killed” about Kansas City ; of “rain and gloom and cold,” the chill that cannot be shut put, at Seattle and the north­west; of frosts in the “Inland Empire” that have caused great loss to the farm­ers of that section; of cold, of gleet, of snow, of rain, of water drenching the land, of everything to interfere with the comfort of man and retard the spring work and take the enjoyment out of life and disturb the peace of mind. The whole trouble is weather. These news items place the injury to vegetable growth and owner, the discomfort at home, in field and office, all to weather, to the cold, the frost, toe rain and the Snow. We of Las Vegas cannot even grasp such a situation in our minds. Our weather is delightful and has been ever since we knew’ anything about Las Ve­gas wea'her. It is warm, sunny, and, if we but listen, fruit and vegetables are maturing so rapidly we can almost hear them grow. We can see them grow from day to day as they advance toward ma­tured perfection. Think of it—you of the frost and cold! Peaches and apri­cots are as large as almonds and English walnuts, respectively; alfalfa is three feet high and so deep and thick it is a mat of woven green, ready for cutting— in some instances has been cut; barley headed out in March and last week the stalks of barley on the Clark-Ronnow ranch stood five feet high by actual measurement; the cottonwood posts planted in February are all in leaf and sending out branches that will make good shade another year; gardens are yielding fresh vegetables. Think of all this, you of the frost and cold ! Here, the story of frost and snow are as “a tale that is told,” for in the 30 years of which there is record of the cli­mate of this valley there has never been a killing frost and but two or three snows, even in mid-winter. The climate here is truly favored and we who live here should be more appreciative of this fact. Then the wonderful fertility of the soil and the beauty of the country! If the country at large, with its many men who are longing to “get back to the farm,” but realized the possibilities of this valley, rimmed by mountains, there would not be an acre of the public do­main untaken in Las Vegas valley by the first day of June. But ranches are being developed all over this valley and new wells are coming in every little while. Other wells are being contracted for, and as there has never been a fail­ure to get water it is but a question of time, and short time, until the wealth of the products grown in this valley will be as great as and will rank as peers with those grown in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. This is the heart that is left of “the Great American Des­ert,” and with the artesian wells here the desert is fast becoming an oasis of great value. When we read of the weather in other parts of this land we look about us at the perfection of growth because of the climate in our home valley, and we re­alize that any attempt to tell strangers about our favored land is useless, so we await the coming of others who, like us, come, remain a few days, find condi­tions so delightful, then stay and make a home here. This is destined to be a valley of homes. We who are now here see the beginnings of ranches, town and city, and from the very nature of the conditions it is but a short time to wait from seeing the planting of this valley until the harvest is here. All who live here, look about you. It is desert. Drill a well, plant a seed and thp desert is gone. This is a valley of plenty, a valley of homes, a valley where all will be in good circumstances; for with the mild climate and the fertility of soil it is in the nature of things that it cannot be otherwise. —From the Las Vegas Age, April 30, 1910.