The Arizona sentinel., 1909-10-28
TIMELY HINTS
FOR FARMERS,
A Lesson in Intensive Farming by
K 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
flood plain OF the Colorado, lies little farm
or 10 acres which on May !, 1906, was virgin
bOttomland, covered with saitweed arrow
brush and creoSote bushes Tne original
purpose of the tract was for planting selected
varieties OF date palms imported by the U. y.
Department OF Agriculture from the Old
World. The Experiment station, May 2, be-
gan preparing the ground, and on May 20 the
work OF levelling, bordering and irrigating
the tract and the planting OF l52 palms, was
completed.
THE PLAN OF WORK.
Recognizing, however, that farmer with
| his living TO make mean time, cannot afford
| to wait for an orchard to come into bearing,
/ 1t 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
| ers point of view. In order to econOniZe
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
size. lrrigating water from the Colorado
Valley p. & l. Canal was obtained In the Gus
Yuma Valley farmer, undertook the care of
what was nicknamed our play farm"
In size, as well as III, the intensive character
OF the work planned, this FARM Is the OPP
pOsite of the average holdings OF this locality.
| The prevailing crops OF the region are alfalfa,
corn. barley, and fOrageS in general, compare
/ lively little attention being given to vege-
tables and fruits. Withal, the cost of leveling
! 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 so 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 u more remunerative character than those
| now in vogue, are essential. 1t was partly,
therefore, as an object lesson bearing upon
! these financial aspects of the general situa-
| ton, that this cultural work was planned.
RECLAMATION OF THE GROUND. 4
TheNsoil OF our tract, a warm, sandy loam
well adapted to gardening operations, was
! levelled, ditched and bordered at Il contract
! price OF Sl7Al an acre, considerably less than
i the average for the locality reckoning the
! labor OF men and teams at current rates. In
cost $50. 10; lumber for headgateS cost S39.57;
/ q drive well point and pipe, "a pitcher-spout
pump and barrel, Sl3.io; a small lumber
, two-room house. including five and one. half
days carpenter hire, Sl52. Is; and q 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 small farmer and his
! family, rs stated above, therefore required q
cash outlay of about Si0O00 In addition, in
the average instance must be included a
! team, wagon. plow, harrow, haying equip
ment shovels hoes and other small tools.