The Arizona sentinel., 1909-07-08
TIMELY HINTS
 FOR FARMERS, A Lesson in Intensive Farming by R Ii. Forbes, Director and Chemist of Agricultural Experiment Station
University of Arizona,
 .Ianuary.l5! 1907. |.

January.l5, 1907. Just west of Yuma, Arizona, In the alluyial fiOod-plain of the Colorado, lies little farm Of 7.2 acres which on May 1, l905, was virgin bottomand, covered with satweed, arrow brush and creOSUte bushes. The original purpose Of the tract was for planting selected varieties of date palnfs imported by the U. .. Department of Agriculture from the Old World. The Experiment station, May 2, be- gan preparing the ground, and on May 20 the work Of leveIling, bordering and irrigating the tract and the planting Of lj2 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 er's 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 lands, for the most part One-half an acre i'll size. lrrigating water from the. Colorado Valley F. < l. Canal was obtained in the GUS | tOmary manner. and F. 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, corn, barley, and forages in general, compara- 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 Aconstruction will be about S3.50 an acre annually for ten years. To meet these and other heavy items of expense in connection with the establish ment of farm in this region, intensive crops of a more remunerative character than those now in vogue, are essential. It was partly, therefore, as an object lesson bearing upon these financial aspects of the general situH- ton, that this cultural work was planned.
 RECLAMATION OF THE GROUND
 The soil of our tract warm sandy loam well adapted to gardening operations, was levelled, ditched and bordered at a contract price Of Sl7.20 an acre, considerably less than tue average for the locality, reckoning the labor of men and teams at current rates. In addition, barbed wire and posts for fencing cost Sb0l0; lumber fOr headgatcs cost S3957; drive well point and pipe, pitcher-spout pump and d barrel Sl3.45; small lumber two-room house, including i've and one half days carpenter hire, $l52.75; and a brush-roof shelter for horses. about $500 Only skilled labor employed in levelling, bordering and ditching the ground, and for part construc- tinn 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 a small farmer and his family, as stated above, therefore required cash outlay of about Si0O0O In addition in the average instance must be included a team, wagon. blow, harrow, having equip ment shoveis hoes and other small tools.
 CROPS AND MARKETS.
 The crops selected for the season of 1906 were Early Rose potatoes, White Bermuda onions. Rock yfOru cantaiOupeS, Dwarf Cham pion and Burpee's Quarter Century tomatoes, and alfalfa, besides a few hills of watermeions 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 the various crops are on the basis of net cash re- turns 10 the small farmer, who with an aver age family of five and a team of horses is ;tS- stunned to do the work required. as explained below. Items necesSitatng cash outlay, as seed, irrigating water. and crates arc deducted from gross returns. Water costs an average of 50 cents for irrigation per acre for the crops grown. The yields in certain instances are low, clue to the uHimproved condition Of the soil, which, like desert soils in ger -ral, was low in nitrogen and organic matter. Some small salty areas also affected yields locally.
 White Bermuda onions; 1T acres; Seed planted Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 1905. Young onions transplanted, Feb. 5-9, I90i. Crop matured about June I. Yield, 39I6 pounds of dry on- ions. Highest price received, 2Tc a pound; lowest price received, l.Sc q pound. Entire crop marketed in Yuma