Imperial press and farmer., 1902-06-14
Imperial Experimental Farm Work.

Diego Union, that the experiment sta tion established by the California De- velopment Company at Calexico is do- ing splendid work for the valley. D. Nicoll, who is in charge of the farm, has already demonstrated several points which are of great value to the valley, and is now working out other problems.
 The most important point thus far worked out is regarding sugar beets, of which there are two acres with two varieties of as beautiful a growth as one could ask. The tops now almost cover the ground, having most vigor ous appearance, while the beets are now from two and a half to three inches in diameter. As the beet does not want to get too large, MT. NicOll has written to the OXnards for advice regarding further irrigation. The beets were sown Feb 13, considerably later than was necessary, and will thus hot be a fair test of the length of the sea- son here, but they are expected to demonstrate the adaptability of the soil to beet-grOwing. Of course it will not be until the beets are ripe and have been subjected to tests at the OX- nard factory that the percentage of sugar can be determined. But while yet green, the beets are very sweet and old beet-growers who have exam ined them speak highly in their praise
 The sugar-cane cuttings recently re- ceived from Hawaii have been planted, and they, too, will receive careful at. tention to ascertain the adaptability of the country to the production of cane sugar Tests in other parts of Califor- nia have never been successful, for all though the cane grows vigorously, it does not develop sugar value. This may be due to one of two causes; lack of humidity or lack of sufficient time to mature. Sugar cane requires not so much extreme heat as duration of the warm season. In Hawaii, where it is never hot or cold, it requires twenty months to mature crop. In LOuisi- ana, with six or seven months of warm weather, the crop is not usually fully matured, the tops of the stocks failing to ripen. In Imperial we have the longest summer heat in the United States, exceeding that or other DOT tions Of California by about twelve weeks, and Louisiana by about seven or eight weeks. It is not believed that great humidity is essential to the production of sugar, but if it should prove to be, this is not a sugar-cane country. Otherwise, there is reason to believe that cane will do splendidly here, maturing even better than Tn Louisiana.
 Upon the tests of sugar beets and sugar cane, great deal depends for though there are many cultures which are known to thrive here, there is probably no other culture which would develop the valley on solid basis so rapidly as those producing sugar, giv- ing employment to great army of men on the farms and another army in the factories.
 Another culture which MT. Nicoll is devoting considerable attention to, and one which is making a splendid show ing in the first stages of the test, is Egyptian cotton. famous and especially valuable for it's long fiber. There are plats of two varieties of this cotton, each of an acre. and while the plants are now but from four to six inches in height, they are growing rapidly and vigorously with every indication that they will prove success. As this long-f1ber cotton cannot be grown in the humid south, and as we cannot and do not desire to grow here the common and improbable cotton of the old south, there is possibility of building up here an independent line of business which will warrant the