The Arizona sentinel., 1909-06-03
HINTS
 FOR FARMERS,
A Lesson in intensive Farming by R H. Forbes, Director end Chemist of Agricultural
 Experiment Station
University of A riZOna, ,lalluarV I5 lGl7

january 10, ISJ-
 Jast west of Yuma, Arizona, in the alluval food plain Of the Colorado, lies a little farm Of 72 acres winch on May l, 1905, was virgin ! bottOniland, covered with SaitWeed, arrow
 brush and creosote bushes The original purpose of the tract was for planting selected val ietlpS Of date palms imported ivy the U. S. Department of Agriculture from the Old World. The Experiment station, May 2, be- gan preparing the ground, and on May p the
 work of dwelling, bordering and irrigating
 the tract and the pianting of l52 palms. was completed.
 THE FRAN CT WORK.
 Recognizing, however, that farmer with his living to make meantime cannot afford 10 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 a 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 BOWS 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. irrigating water from the Colorado Valley r. C ]. Canal was obtained in the eas- tODl1Ty manner, and E. l.. Crane, himself a | Yuma Valley farmer, &ndert0ok the care of
 what was nicknamed cur ''play farm"
 In size, as well as in the Intensive character Cf the work planned, this "farm'' is the op- posite of the average holdings of this locality. The prevailing crops Of the region are alfalfa, corr. barley, and for3ges in general, c0mpara- lively little attention being given to regc- [ land in t!iiS region is high, rarely falling be- low twenty dollars an acre at current prices fof~labOr and teams. Moreover, the cost, ex- elusive of maintenance, of the GOvern.IIcnt t irTfgatfng 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 a farm in this region, intensive crops Of a more ren9unerative character than those
 now in vogue, are essential. It was partly, therefore, as an object lesson bearing upon thpSQ financial 1SyfsfptS of QpOprAl Gi ton, that this cultural work was planned. RECLAMATION OF THE GROUND
 well adapted to gardening operations, was leVeleh. ditched and bOIGered at d contract
 price Of El7. .29 an acre, considerably less than the ai craze for the locality, reckoning the labor of men and teams at current rates in addition, harb3d wire and posts for fencing cCst SG0.l0; lumber fo,' headgates cost %j9 5: a drive well point and pipe, u pitchcr-spollt
 pump and a barrel, $l3 45; g small lumber two-Toon house, including five and one haif days carpenter hire, Sl52.75; and a brush roof shelter for horses, about $300. Only skilled lai'or employed in levclling, bordering and ditchGg tie ground, and for part construc- tiOn of the borse, is included in the above estimates, as the common labor required or. dinaTily would bo, and in this case was, fur niShed by the farmer himself.
 To bring this ground under cultivation and make 1t habitable for a small farmer and his family, as stated above, therefore required a cash outlay of about S400t0 {n addition. in the average instance must be included! q team, wagon blow, harrow, having ctuipI ment shovels hoes and other snail tools.