The Arizona sentinel., 1907-04-24
TIMELY HINTS
 FOR FARMERS, A Lesson In Intensive Farming by R. ii. Forbes, Director and Chemist of Agricultural
 Experiment Station.
University of Arizona, January Ia. INI7.

January 10, lHUI.
 Just west of Yuma, Arizona, in the alluvial flood d-pain of the Colorado lies little farm of 7.2 acres which on May l, 1905, was virgin bottomland, covered with Saltweed, arrow brush and creOSOte bushes. The original purpose of the tract was for planting selected varieties of date palms imported by the U. S. Department of Agriculture from the Old World. The Experiment station, May Z, be- gan preparing the ground, and on May 2O the work of levelling, bordering and irrgating the tract and the planting of l52 palms, was completed.
 THE PLAN OF WORK.
 Recognizing, however, that a farmer with his living to make meantime, cannot afford to wait for an orchard to come into bearing, 1t was planned to plant crops for quick re- turns between the tree-rowS, thus putting the work on a feasible basis from the small farm CTS point of view. In order 10 ecOnomiZe ground the irrigating borders were so placed as to coincide with the rows Of palms, thus utilizing space otherwise usually wasted. The tract was divided by the borders into lands, for the most part One-half an acre in size. lrrigating water from the Colorado Valley r. & l. Canal was obtained in the GUS tomary manner, and F.. l.. Crane, himself a Yuma Valley farmer, undertook the care of what was nicknamed our play farm' In size, as well as in the intensive character of the work planned, this farm" is the Op- pOste of the average holdings of this locality. The prevailing crops of the region are alfalfa, corn, barley, and forages in general, compara- lively little attention being given to vege- tables and fruits. Withal, the cost of levelling land in this region is high, rarely falling be- low twenty dollars an acre at current prices for labor and teams. Moreover, the cost, eX- elusive of maintenance, of the Government irIigating 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 ment of a farm in this region, intensive crops of a more remunerative 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 Ioam we'll adapted to gardening operations, was lgvelled, ditched and boIdered at contract price Of $l7.2O an acre, considerably less than the aN craze for the locality, reckoning the labor of men and teams at current rates. In addition, barbed wire and posts for fencing cost S6O.l0; lumber for headgates cost S39.57; drive well point and pipe, pitcher-SpOut pump and a barrel, SEAS; small lumber two-room house, including five and one half days carpenter hire, Sl52.75; and @ bruSh-rOOf shelter for horses, about S5 co. Only skilled labor employed in levelling, bordering and ditching the ground, and for part cOnstruc- ton of the house, is included in the above estimates, as the common labor required or dinarily would be, and in this case was, fur niShed by the farmer himself.
 To bring this ground under cultivation and make it habitabe for small farmer and his family, as stated above, therefore required a cash outlay of about S100.00. In addition, in the average instance must be included a team, wagon. blow, harrow, having equip ment, shoVeIs hoes and other small tools.
 CROPS AND MARKETS.
 The crops selected for the season of 1866 were Early Rose potatoes, White Bermuda onions, ROckyford cantaioupes, Dwarf Cham piOn and Burpee'S Quarter Century tomatoes, and alfalfa, besides a few hills of watermelons and sundry vegetables.
 The produce was marketed in Yuma with the exception of tomatoes, which, for the largest part, were expressed to Tucson and Bsbee. The following statements for the various crops are on the basis Of net cash le- turns to the small farmer, who with al. aver age family of five and team of horses Is as sumed to do the work required. as explained below. Items neceSsitating cash outlay, as seed, irrigating water, and crates arc deducted 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 unimprOved condition Of the soil, which, like desert soils in general, was low in nitrogen and organic matter. Some small salty areas also affected yields locally.
 White Bermuda onions; 1T acres; Seed planted Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 1905. Young onions transplanted, Feb 5-9 l906. Crop matured about June l. Yield, 3GIG pounds of dry on- ions. Highest price received, 2Ac q pound: lowest price received, lSc pound. Entire crop marketed in Yuma.
 Cash Cash
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