The Arizona sentinel., 1909-09-16
TIMELY HINTS
FOR FARMERS.
A Lesson In Intensive Farming by
K III. Forbes, Director and
Chemist of Agricultural
Experiment Station
University of Arizona,
.Ia1luarH IuOF

~,
January l5 1907.
Just west of Yuma, Arizona. in tlIe aIiuviaI
food plain of the Colorado, lies little farm
OF 10 acres which on May !, 1905, was virgin
brush and creOsOte bushes. The original
purpose of The tract was for planting selected
varieties Of date palms 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 dwelling, bordering and irrigating
the tract and the planting OF i52 palms, was
completed
THE PLAN oF WORK.
Recognizing, however, tBat farmer with
his living TO make meantime, cannot afford
TO wait for an orchard to come into bearing
1t was planned to plant crops for quick re-
turns between the tree-roYS, thus putting the
work on Il feasible basis from the small farm
eT'S point of view. In order to economizc
ground the irIigating 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 j. q !. Canal was obtained in the Gus
tomary manner, and f.. l.. Crane, himself Il
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 compare
lively little attention Being given to vege-
tables and fruits. Wifhai, the cost OF levelling
!and in this region is high, rarely falling be-
low twenty dollars an acre at current prices
for labor and teams. Moreover, tile cost, cx-
elusive of maintenance, of the Government
irrigating system now under constructors
will be about $3.50 sn acre annually for ten
years. To meet these and other heavy items
of pense in connection with the establish
ment of Il fartn iii this region, intensive crops
OF more reTnunerative 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.
The sol! of our tract, a warm, sandy loan
well adapted to gardening operations was
levclled, ditched and boldered at contract
rrice OF Sl7 ~ an acre, considerably less than
the Average for the locality, reckoning the
labor of men and teams at current r,ttes. In
addition, barbed wire and posts for fencing
cost SGOl0 lumber for headgates cost s39.57;
drive well point and pipe, a pitcher-spout
pamp and 4 barrel, $i3.45; small lumber
two-room house, including five and One-half
days carpenter hire Si52.15; and u brush-roof
shelter for horses. about 800. Only skilled
labor employed in levelling, bordering and
ditching the ground, and for part cOnsiruc-s
ton of the house, is included in the above
estimates, as the common labor required or
dinariy would be, and in this case was, fur
nished by the farmer himself
To bring this ground under cultivation and
make IL habitable for q small farmer and his
family, as stated above, therefore required a
cash outlay Of about $4,000. In addition, in
the average instance must be included a
team, wagon. pEow, harrow, haying equip
ment shovels hoes and other small tools.
CHOPS AND MARKETS. ~.
TIE crops selected for the season OF 1906
were Early Rose potatoes, White bermuda
onions. Rockyford cantaioupes, Dwarf Cham
piOn and Burpee's Quarter Cen tury tomatoes
and alfalfa, besides Il few hills OF waternlelonS
and SuHdry vegetables.
The produce WIS 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 To the small farmer, who with ar aver
age family of five and a team OF horses Is as
summed to do the work required. as explained
below. Items ncccssitating cash outlay, as
seed, irrisating water. and crates are deducted
from gross returns Water costs an average
of 80 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 geE-yd, was
low in nitrogen and organic matter. So:He
small salty areas also affected yields locally. |
White Bermuda onions; 81 acres; Seed |
planted Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 1905. Young onions |
transplanted, Feb. 80, fGB. Crop Inaturcd |
about June I. Yield, 39lS pounds or dry on
ions. Highest price received, 2L@c n pound: |
lowest price received, | &c u pound. Entire
crop marketed in Yuma.
Cash Cash
outlay. returns.
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