The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1909-08-19
TIMELY HINTS
FOR FARMERS.
A Lesson In Intensive Farming by
r II. Forbes, Director and
Chemist of Agricultural
Experiment Station
University Of Arizona,
January IS, 1907.

University Of Arizona,
January IS, 1907.
Just west of Yuma, Arizona. In the alluvial
f1ood-plain OF the Colorado, lies IL little farm
OF ID acres which on May ], 1885, 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 e. X
Department of Agriculture from the Old
World. The Experiment station, MAY g be-
gan preparing the ground, and on May 20 the
WORK OF leveiiihg bordering and lrrigating
the tract and the planting of l52 palms, was
completed.
TIE 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 farfft-
er's point of view In order to ccononiize
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 wafer from the Colorado
Valley =. & l. CaUsl was obtained in the Gus
tomary manner, and +. l.. Crane, himself r.
fun;a valley. farmer, undertook the care of
what was hicitnanIed our play farm"
In size, as we'll 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,
lively little attention being given to vege-
tables and fruits. Withal, the cost of levclling
land in this region is high, rarely FILLING be-
low twenty dollars an acre at current prices
for labor and teams. Moreover, the cost, eX-
elusive OF maintenance, of the Govern ment
irrigatinS system now under construction
will be about s.. 80 an acre annually for ten
years. To meet these and other heavy items
Of expense in connection with the establish
Iuent of q farm in this region, intensive crops
of " more reff1unerative character than those
in essential II yyu rt
therefore, as an object lesson bearing upon
these financial aspects of the general situa-
zion, that this cultural work was planned.
RECLAMATION OF THE GROUND.
The soil OF our tract, a warm, sandy loan
well adapted to gardening operations, was
leveled, ditchcd and bordered at contract
price OF Sl7.M an acre, considerably less than
the average for Che locality, reckoning the
labor OF MEN and teams at current rates. n
addition. barbed wire and posts for fencing
drive well point 1na pipe, a pltcher-spOnt
pump and & barrel, sfs.45; small lumber
two-room house, Including five and one hall
days carpenter hire, sib2.7o: and brush-rOOf
shelter for horses abont $500 Only Skilled
laiIUr employed in lerelling, bordering and
ditching the ground. and for part construc-
tlou Of the house, is Included in the above
estimates, as the common labor required or
diHarily would be, and ib this case was, fttt-
nished Ivy the farmer himself.
To bring thissground under cultivation GiId
make IL hahdtable for small farmer and his
family, as stated above, therefore required
cash outlay Of about $4,000. In addition, III
the average instance nInst be included q
team, wagon plOw, harrow, haying ouuip-
fnent sh0vcts hoes and other snail toJis.
CRors AND MARKErs.
The crops selected for the season of 1905
were Eafy hose potatoes, White Eermuda
onions. RoeaHford CsHt,siouIc;, Dwarf Cham-
pion and BURGESS Quarter Century tomatoes,
and alfalfa, besides Il fcH hills of water;neivns
and Sundry vegetables
The produce was marketed in Yuma with
the exception of Tomatoes, which, for the
largest part, were expressed TO Tucson and
Bisbee. The following statements for tIIe
various crops are OH the basis Of net cash re-
turns to the small farfEer, who with GE over
age fftmily of five and IL team Of horses is as
stunned to do the work required. IS explained
below. Items ncCeSsitatlng cash outlay, ats
from gross returns. Water costs All average
of 70 cents fOrirrigatfon per acre for the crops
grown. The yields In certain INSTANCES are
low, due to the uniTnproved condition of the
soil, which, like desert soils in ceEuial, was
low iD nitrogen and organic matter. Some
small safty areas also affected Yields locally
While Bermuda onionsi ~ acres; Seed
planted Sept. 27-Oct. ), I9tE. Young onions
tTanHpianted, Feb. So lltE. Crop inatured
about June l. Yield @DlG pounds Of dry oii-
ions Highest price received, 2He pound;
lowest Price received, l.Sc pound. Entire
crop marketed i'll fuiBa.
outlay. returns,
Seed .................. e-,,.... s 2Es
2 fTrigatOns in seed bed and
birriSatiOf,s in field, about $50
Sacks and sundry, aIOtt... 2.5S
1916 pounds of Onions at 2.5-
1.Ec...... OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. S7S.2i
Net cash returns, rot de-
dneting labor ...r.......... $3.50
S73.2f s7S,2;
The amount OF labor expended lpOr, This
crop was large for the area, especially at ftfe
tTanSpantihg time. One days team work in
preparing the land and about 80 days, mens
time, were required to bring 1t through, al
though the work was not heavy and could
have been largely performed by boys. TEc
yield was low owing to the desert and unfer-
sifized character of the soil. onions re9uirins
large amounts of organic matter ta ttre soil TO
give good results.
Ear.y Rose potatoes; 81 acres: Seed pota-
toes planted Feb. 1913, 1905 Beginning 10
bloom April IL. Crop all harvested June r3.
Yield, 26l5 pottTds. Highest price, May ~,
&c. Bulk of crop, 2Ac. All marketed in
Yuma.
Cash Cash
outlay returns
250 pouh fs seed potatoes and