Arizona republican., 1908-04-01
THE TWENTY-FIVE ACRE RANCH

How much land do want? That is one of the first question asked by the prospective settler who expects tO | make his living from the soil. It all depends on what line of agriculture he wants t0 follow. If a big stock farm, the more land, the better, as in any country, or at least 160 acres. the government limit for one owner. If for grain. the same may be said though many have made money on smaller holdings. But intensive farm ing of crops requiring more tilling and less acreage has been. is now and will be more than ever. the natural evolution. For general farming in diversified way at least a living has been made on so small a tract as five acres and here is the experience of one man who finds twenty-five acres an abundance of room for operations. great enough to assure him compe
 tence if not affluence. If devoted to orchards and small fruits. still less land is required and in the latter five or ten acres is g profitable holding. Read about Mir. Clement. The story is inspiring
 P S. Clement lives on the Christy road two and a half miles west of Six Points or between three and four miles from town Mir. and Mrs. Clement came here and bought their twenty five acre farm five years ago. They did not come for their health but for the very laudable purpose of making money and they have made off their little acreage an average of 5000 a year net. and they have been living as comfortable farmers should live all this time. This it should be renem- bered too has been under conditions that were not ideal in respect of irri- gation water, for the irrigation sys- tenn is not even yet perfected and will not be for a year or. two. Neverthe- less from very strenuous times five years ago it has changed very much for the better and wi,i continue to inn prove until the completion of the res ervoir when the conditions will be as nearly ideal as can be conceived in these days to be practicable. Now is the time to locate before the idealitv of conditions advances the value of land to a price that, may be embarras- sing to those with a small amount of money who want to. own their own farm homes. .A-.
 Of the twenty-five acres in the Clement holding. twenty four are planted to alfalfa. The other acre is devoted to buildings. yards. etc. This year Mir. Clement cut from his acreage twenty-four tons of hay each cutting or ton to the acre. and of course had several cuttings as all the alfalfa farmers do have. He also keeps on his farm sixteen cows and three horses. the alfalfa of course furnishing their pasture also These cows have aver age him $50 per month during the summer He has also raised fifteen calves that are a nice increase to his herd. One hundred and fifty hens are found in his poultry yard that have averaged him three dozen eggs per day and the eggs have averaged him forty cents per dozen the year round. That looks like a big price for eggs and it is. but Mir Clement has used a little judgment with his fowls and has kept them for profit and not merely as an ornament. He has given them whatever attention they needed and has sold his eggs to regular GUS toners who wanted dependable sup ply. people who, would pay the price the year round whether the egg mar ket was twenty cents a dozen or sixty cents a dozen.
 Mir Clements verdict after five years of practical experiment is that twenty-five acres is about the right size for one man to farm. Had he bought the farm on credit at $1O0 per acre. he would now have had it paid for twice over from his net profits.