The Arizona sentinel., 1907-06-05
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. INl7.

Jdnuafy 10, l1Uf.
 Just west of Yuma, Arizona, in the alluvia 1iOOd-plain Of the Colorado, lies a little farm of 7.2 acres which on May l, 1905, was virgin bottOmland, covered with saltweed, arrow l brush and creosote bushes. The origina purpose of the tract was for planting selected varieties of date palms imported by the U. < Department of Agriculture from the OlC World. The Experiment station, May 2 be gan preparing the ground, and on May 20 tn, work of levelling, bordering and irrigatin. | the tract and the planting of l52 palms, wa! completed.
 THE PLAN OF WORK.
 Recognizing, however that a farmer witt l his living to make meantime, cannot atforC to wait for an orchard to come into bearing | it was planned to plant crops for quick re | turns between the tree-rowS, thus putting the work on feasible basis from the small farm CTS point of view. In order to economic ground the rrigating 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. lrri&ating water from the Colorado 1 Valley r. & l. Canal was obtained in the GUS tOmary manner, and r.. l.. Crane, himself a Yuma Valley farmer, undertook the care o1 what was nicknamed our play farm.' In size as well as in the intensive character of the work planned, this farm" is the Op- pOsite of the average holdings of this locality. The prevailing crops of the region arc alfalfa corn, barley, and fOrages in general, com ra- lively little attention being given to vege-  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 rTigating system now under construction will be about $50 an acre annually for ten years. To meet these and other heavy items Of expense in connection with the establish ment of q 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 fnn iaI elm. If hot cit tiOn, that this cultural work was planned.
 RECLAMATION OF THE GRJUND.
 The soil of our tract, a warm, sandy loam well adapted to gardening operations, was Ievelled, ditched aud boidered at a contract price of SlT 2U an acre, considerably less than the average Tor the locality, reckoning the labor Of men and teams at current rates. In addition, barbed wire and posts for fencing cost $60.lu; lumber for headgates cost S3J.57 drive we'll point and pipe, q pitcher-Spout pump and a barrel, Sl3 45; a small lumber two-room house, including five and one half days carpenter hire, Sl52.75; and a brush-rOof shelter for horses, about $500. Only skilled labor employed in leveling, 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 habitable for a small farmer and his i3HllIy, dS Sttlteu tDONe, IIeTSlOTe required cash outlay of about SlC0.d0. In addition, in the average instance must be included a team, wagon, blow, harrow, having equip ment, shoYels hoes and other small tools.
 CROPS AND MARKETS.
 The crops selected for the season of 1906 were Early Rose potatoes, White Bermuda onions. ROckyCor can ntaioupes, Dwarf Cham pion and Burpce'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 BisbCc. The following statements for the various crops are on the basis or net cash le- turns to the small farmer, who with at aver- age family Of five and a team of horses is aS- stunned to do the work required as explained below. Items neceSSitating cash outlay, as seed, irrigatng water. and crates are deducted from gross returns. Water costs an average of 5O cents for irrigation per acre for the crops grown. The yields in certain instances are soil, which, like desert soils in gec-lill, was small salty areas also affected yields locally White Bermuda onions; .47 acres; Seed planted Sept. 27-Oct. g. 1905. Young onions Feb. 5-9, I90G. Crop matured about June l. Yield, 396 pounds of dry on- ions. Highest price received, 2%c pounds; lowest price received, l.Sc pound. Entire crop marketed in Yuma.
 Cash Cash
 outlay. returns. SPcG 2SS
 ? IrrigatiOnS in seed bed and