The Arizona sentinel., 1908-02-12
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.

University of Arizona,
 January l5, 1907.
 Just west Of Yuma, Arizona, in the alluvial flood plain of the Colorado, lies a little farm of 7.2 acres which on May l, l905 was virgin bOttOmland, covered with saltweed, arrow brush and cTeoSote 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 ?, be, gan preparing the ground, and on May 20 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, 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 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 F. & l. Canal was obtained in the GUS tomary manner, and k. 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- posite of the average holdings of this locality. The prevailing crops of the region are alfalfa, y, 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 irrigating system now under construction will be about S3.5O an acre annually for ten years. To meet these and other heavy items of expense in connection with the establish menJ of a farm in this region, intensive crops of more remunerative character than those 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, ditched and boIdered at a contract price of Sl7.2U an acre, considerably less than the average for the locality, reckoning the labor of men and teams st current rates. In barbed wire and posts for fencing cost S60lO; lumber for headgates cost S3957; a drive well point and pipe, a pitcher-spOut pump and a barrel, Sl3.i5; a small lumber two-room house, including five and One-half days carpenter hire, Sl52.75; and brush-roof shelter for horses, about S5.00 Only skilled labor employed in levelling, bordering and the ground, and for part conStruc- tien of the house, is included in the above as the common labor required or dinarily would be, and in this case was, fur nishcd by the farmer himself.
 To bring this ground under cultivation and make it habitable for a small farmer and his family, as stated above, therefore required cash outlay of about S400-00. In addition, in the average instance must be included team, wagon. blow, harrow, having equip ment, Shovels hoes and other small tools.
 CROPS AND MARKETS. |, The crops selected for the season of 1906 were Early Rose potatoes, White Bermuda onions Rock yford cantaioupeS, Dwarf Cham pion and Burpee's Quarter Century tomatoes, and alfalfa, besides a few hills of waterneons and Sundry vegetables.
 The produce was marketed in Yuma with the exception of tomatoes which, for the largest part, were expressed tO. Tucson and EiSbee. The following statements for the turns to the small farmer, who with ar aver age family of five and a team of horses is aS- stunned to do the work required. as explained below. Items neceSSItatlng cash outlay, as seed. irrigating water. and crates are deducted from gross returns. Water costs an average of 30 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 ger-Ial, 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. g. 1905. Young onions Feb. 5-9, l90G. Crop matured about June l. Yield, 396 pounds of dry on- ions. Highest price received, 2Hc pound; lowest price received, 1.Sc q pound. Entire crop marketed in Yuma.
 Cash Cash
 outlay. returns. Seed ed.........-........ ........ 2.SS 9 Irrigations in seed bed and
 Sirrigations in field, about $50 Sacks and Sundry, about. 2.56 39l6 pounds of onions at 20
 l.Sc...... .................... S73.A Net cash returns, not de-
 ductlng labor. .............. 6i30
 S73.2i S73.2i The amount of labor expended upon this crop was large for the area, especially at the time. One days team work in preparing the land and about 32 days, men's time, were required to bring it through, al- though the work was not heavy and could have been largely performed by boys. The yield was low owing to the desert and unfer- tilized character of the soil, onions requiring large amounts of organic matter in the soil to give good results.
 Early Rose potatoes; .Si acres: Seed pota- bloom April l3 Crop all harvested June l3 Yield, 2Gl5 pounds Highest price, May 2l, 'lac. Bulk of crop, 2Ac. All marketed in Yuma.
 Cash Cash
 outlay. returns ,50 pounds seed potatoes and
 freight on same e............ s S.03 Irrigating water for sesbania
 used as fertilizer. 2.98 irrigations for crop. .A Formaline for scab, includ- ing express. ................ 100 1915 pounds of potatoes at SIa-o54c. S7O.UO Net cash returns, not de- 6nctinU II