Arizona citizen., 1873-04-19
OUR FARMING INTEREST.

l
 the condition of affairs in Arizona,
 that the fsrmers have generally sui
 fered more privations and made less
 money than any other class of citi-
 zens. There are several causes that
 have led to this condition of affairs,
 some of which we believe may be
 avoided in the future. Insecurity of
 life and property from the hostile
 Apaches and frequent losses in con-
 sequence thereof: have been the great
 est draw wbacks. Many have lost their
 lives, and but few have escaped with
 out from year to year losing DOT
 tion or all of their earnings. The
 present year opened with brighter
 prospects than any previous one, with
 the prospect of comparative security 1; deserted fields Were re-occupied, and
 new settlements were started; the rains came in plenty and the prospects for
 & fruitful season were never better.
 Just at this time, when all seems so
 bright, a difficulty arises which for
 the present, seems quite as disastrous as the ravages of the Apaches. Bids are invited for the supply of the army
 with grain, (which Is almost our only
 market, ] and in the scramble to get the contracts, the price of grain has been
 reduced to less than the actual cost of raising it. Farmers are generally in debt and sooner or later will be con- pelled to sell for what they can get, and the contractor will surely not pey a price that will result in a loss to himself, if he can help 1t, and from present appearances there will be more grain produced than can be con- sumed While this state of affairs shows unmistakably the productive ness of Arizona, this very fact brings with it temporary loss and poverty to our farmers, and the only remedy we can see in the future, rests with the farmer himself. It should be the study of every farmer to see how much he can raise on his own farm for home consumption, and how far he can get along without buying There are but few farmers who do not purchase nearly all their meat milk, butter and cheese are very sell dom found at farm house and even chickens and eggs are not plenty Ask why they do not keep cows, and make their own meat, and the reply generally Is that the Indians prevent 1t. This has been and Is now in many places valid excuse for not allowing stock to run at large, but it is far better economy to constantly feed these animals from the products of the farm than do without them, and purchase meat and butter at ruinously high prices. It is not a fair exchange to sell barley and corn at two cents and purchase bacon at fifty cents, and butter at a dollar a pound, and yet such are the trades our farmers are called upon to make. We need not tell them they are get ting the worst of the bargain and that this system of business will never make them prosperous. We were in- formed by P. R. Brady on the Gila, 3 few days ago, that last year he sowed two acres of Alfalfa, which, during the summer and fall, he cut six times, and from this two acres he fed four COWS. fo1r oxen, two horses and a number of hogs. What he did with this land can be done with land n every valley of Arizona. He also showed us sugar that he had made with rude press, of good quality and sufficient quantity for his use. In this warm climate vegetables can |