The Arizona sentinel., 1907-05-22

TIMELY HINTS
 FOR FARMERS.
A Lesson in Intensive Farming by R. Ii. Forbes, Director and Chemist of Agricultural
 Experiment. Station.
University of Arizona, January l5, 1907.

| / January b, l"91.
 Just west of Yuma Arizona, in the aIluvial | food plain of the Colorado, lies little farm | Of 72 acres which on May l, 1905, waS virgin UOttOlnlHnd, covered with Saltwccd, arrow brush afId crcoSOte bushes. The original | purpose of the tract was for planting selected l varieties of date palms imported by the T.. S. ! Department of Agriculture from the Old | World. The Experiment station, May Z, be- gan preparing the ground, and on May 20 the work of levcling, bordering and irrigating the tract and the planting of l02 palms, was completed.
 THE PLAN OF WORK.
 | Recognizing, however, that a farmer with his living to make meantime, cannot afford ! tO wait for all orchard to come into bearing, ! it was planned Ia plant crops for quick re- turns between the tree-rows thus putting the | woTK on a feasible basis from the small farm 1 CTS point of view. In order 10 economi2e ground the iTTigating borders were placed as to coincide with the rows Of palms, thus | utilizing space otherwise usually wasted The tract was divided by the borders into i hands, for the most part one-half an acre in size. lrTigating water from the Colorado Valley |. 6 l. Canal was obtained in the GUS tOmary manner, and k. l.. Crane, himself Yuma Valley farmer, undertook the care of what was nicknalned our play farm"
 In size, as well as in the intensive character of the work planned, this farm" is the op- poStc of tho average holdings of this locality. The prevailing crops of the region are alfalfa, cOTn- barley, and fOragcs in general, cOmpara- lively little attention being given to vege- tables and fruits. Withal, he cost of levelling land in this region is high, rarely falling be- low twenty dOllalS an acre at current prices for labor and teams. Moreover, the cost, eX- elusive of maintenance, of the Government irrigating system now under construction will be about S3.50 an acre annually for ten years. To meet these and other heavy items of eXperse in connection with the establish menL of a farm in this region, intensive crops of a more rcmuncrative character than those now in vogue, are essential. It was partly therefore as an object lesson bearing upon these financial aspects of the general situa- tiOn, that this cultural work was planned.
 RECLAMATION OF THE GROUND.
 The soil Of our tract, a warm, sandy loam well adapted to gardening operations, was levelled, ditchcd and bOrdered at a contract price of SlT 2u an acre. considerably less than the aN craze for the locality, reckoning the labor Of men and teams at current rates. In addition, Earbed wire and posts for fencing cost S60. lU; lumber for headgatcs cost S39.57; a drive wei point and pipe pitcher-Spopt pump and barrel, Sl3.45; a small lumber two-roOm house, including five and one half days carpenter hire, $l52.75; and a brush-roof shelter for horses, about S2 S. Only skilled IaIoF employed fn levelling, bordering and ditching the ground, and for part conStFuc- tiOn of the house, tS included in the above estimates, as the common labor required or dinarily would be, and in this case was, fur nished by tbe farmer himself To bring this ground under cultivation and mako it ha0iiablc fey a small farmer and his family, as stated above, therefore required 8 cash outlay of about Sl00tD In addition, in the average instance must be included a team, wagon. blow, harrow, having equip l ment, ShpVelS hoes and other small tools.
 CHOPS AND MARKETS. The crops selected for the season of l9C6 1 were Early Rose potatoes, While Bermuda onions, kOckgtOrti eantaioapes, Dwarf Cham ! pon and BurpGe's Quarter Century tomatoes, | and alfalfa, besides a few hills of watcrmelons l and Sundry vegetables. The produce TaS marketed in Yuma with | the exception of tomatoes, which, tOF the | largest part, were expressed t0 Tucson and | BiSbee. The following statements for the 1 various crops are on tie basis Of net cash le- turns to the small farmer, who with ar. aver age family of i've and Q team of horses Is aS- stunned to do the work required. as explained | below. IteIpS HeeeSsitating cash outlay, as seed, irrigaiing water, and crates are deducted 1 from gross returns. Water costs an average Of 50 cents for Irrigation per acre for the crops grown. The yields in certain instances are low, due to the unimpTovcd condition Of tSe | soil, which, like desert soils in geroidl, was low in nitrogen and organic matter. Some small salty areas also affected yields locally. | White Bermuda onions; .47 acres; Seed planted Sept. 27-Oct. 5, 1905. Young onions Feb 5-9 1S0. Crop Ilatured about Jane !. Yield, 3@I6 pounds of dry on- ions. Highest price received, 21sc a poend: l lowest price received, ISc pound. Entire ! crop marketed in Yuma.
 Cash Cash
 outlay. returns.