Arizona republican., 1899-05-27

part of March An interesting exper iment was made: A test of the sol
 was taken in the middle of April ant
 another in the middle Of June, show ing that Over four-fifths of the m0Is ture was reserved in that lapse 0
 time. Sixteen feet beneath the sur l face the moisture was profuse, grad
 ually lessening lower down until tht
 natural current of water was reached
 at a depth of thirty-four feet Th'
 ground was traversed in every direc,
 tion by lateral roots, which gave of
 perpendicular roots extending below
 the depth of greatest moisture Unti
 now the two feet of soil on the sur i face has not changed as to moisture Since the winter irrigation the or chard has been cultivated frequently
 and so long as the surface remains soft and is not permitted to bake, il acts as screen to the moisture, pre- venting it, by capillary agencies from rieing from the gronud, and al- though the trees have not been water
 ed since thsy fOiated, no more thrifty
 and verdent orchard, and no more
 prolific trees, are in this valley
 It $ thought that alfalfa, whose
 roots ordinarily extend twenty feet
 below the surface, may be grown sim
 ila1ly. Of course the soil can not be
 cultivated, but ny . persistent method
 of winter irrigation t is likley that
 the alfalfa will stand the dry spell
 Without much Inconvenience. MT McClatchie's scheme, which he applies to almost every growth on the farm, Is to -rrigate through closely laid fur rows He has tired this on two stands of alfalfa with success. the advantage being that the. ground IS less liable to bake. So it is likely that al falfa lands may be irrigated Ike or chards. This would be marked ad- vantage because water then would be used mostly, when there is plenty in the canals.
 Aside from those mentioned, the most important experiments are with grain. There IS 3 species of beardless' barley, which grows prcfusely. The best shows an average of three and three quarter tons to the acre. and the bar ley is harvested two weeks earlier than any other variety here. The wheat patch is divided into seventeen varieties. A noticeable species is the seven headed variety which apparent ly yields extraordinarily. The stalk stands over six feet in height. A hardy Variety, almost two woody for hay, is kind imported from France. u also yields well and has a large kernel, but most important is the fact that it stands well, an advantage in heading.
 If the, result of the tomato planting is satisfactory, there is no reason why this valley should not support 1annery4 The drawback hitherto has been the hot season, which stops the temporarily, but il this is overcome, and the indications are favorable, there are few places where -Cnato culture would be more sue sessful
 Peopls. have long thought that sugar 0eets could be made to grow here but most Of the tests have been unsatis- factory. Mir. MoClatchie has prepared l pamphlet which is being circulated throughout the country. As a result here are prominent men of this val ey and elsewhere whc are now con the erection of a sugar re- inery. MT. McClatchie showed the re- porter a field of eleven plats Cf sugar )eets, each plat undergoing q different | reatment The plant is thoroughly i ,daDted to this region and requires lit le water.
 The only imported dates in this val | ey and probably the only thrifty ones | n the country, are annually bearing | heavy crop. The favor of the fruit | s conceded to he equal, if not superior. | o the imported date and it is likely | hat the orchard which will soon be | ,lanted near Peterson's Siding. which i 5 more favorably located, will pro .uce better than the local date.
 There are many surprises in store or anyone who cares to visit the eX- erimental station There are many .ow who are ayailing themselves Of Il opportunity to profit by the ex- and the results of the tests re beginning. to influence scien- fife farming in Salt River valley