The copper era., 1907-08-15
BIG PROFITS IN ALFALFA.
What An Intelligent and Energetic
Farmer Has Done in the Salt River
Valley in Producing Hay.

The alfalfa business is overdone
here says one. The land is too high
now and alfalfa will not return inter
est on the money invested. The peo-
pie will have to go to raising some
thing else if they buy land at present
prices. Let's see if that fellow is
correct. Price Brown came here six
teen years ago from Pennsylvania
with practically nothing in his pocket
and no opening for him but ranch
work. After he saw how the situa-
tion was framed up, and getting few
ideas about irrigation and farming in
this country, he decided to make
venture anyway. He bought 160
acres south of Tempe for $50 an acre
on credit, finding man who would
give him five years time in which to
pay for it. He planted little except
alfalfa and lived as economically as
he could and in two years his ranch
was paid for. He has continued to
raise alfalfa ever since and now says
he will never stop raising that until
he gets all the money he wants.
This is what he has done this year:
To date he has baled from his early
crops Gel tons. He sold a consider
able quantity of this at S7.75 ton.
That is where he made u mistake
and kept himself from making all
the money he wanted in one year,
tor hay is now worth S12 and will be
higher-a little later. Mr.. Brown has
refused S12 for the rest of his crop.
He has sold the crop now standing
for an even 81 900, and says that he
will certainly get $1,000 more for the
crops that will follow later. Alto
gether he says he will get So, 100 off
his ranch this year and his operating
expenses will be So, 900, leaving good
profit. But Mr. Brown knows his
business. While other people plant
alfalfa and go away and leave it, he
is on hand to ''raise it," He vets it
when it needs water, and harrows and
loosens the soil in the spring so it
will take water better, and otherwise
attends to the business of raising
alfalfa.
''But he only paid $50 an acre for
his land" says the knocker. Very
true, but suppose he had bought the
land this spring and paid 5000 an
acre for it, his net revenue would
still be over Is per cent, which is
| hA1 da- ie
getting, or suppose the farmer had
bought last spring at 5000 per acre
cash, the revenue would have beer
five per cent. net on the investment
This last feature is not referred to Sc
much for the benefit of the man who
wants to farm as for the investor
down east who is looking for goot
things, has more money than hi
knows what to do with and refuses tt
come out to Arizona and put it tt
work. The point made is that ht
can't do worse than to stay back il
New York where he is now, and if ht
has any money at all, say up in the
thousands, he can do at least twice Of
three times as we'll with it in thi
valley and besides the returns Spoken
of his land will double in value from
present prices in a very few years
adding another 100 per cent. to hi
investment. The farmer who onl,
wants 100 acres or so and is willing t.
get out and work and hustle, and wit
only has $4,000 or $4,000 to start will
will make still more than the capital
list in proportion to the size of his in
vestment and he ought tO.-Republi
can.