The Arizona sentinel., 1910-09-29
TIMELY HINTS
 FOR FARMERS.
K Ii. Forbes, Director and Chemist of Agricultural
 Experiment Station
University of Arizona,
 ln,.r, n IVY lGff-


 Just west of Yuma, Arizona, in the allUvial | flood plain of the Colorado, lies a little farm Of 7.2 acres which on May l, 1855, was virgin | bottOmand, covered with saltwccd, arrow 1 brush and creosote bushes. The original purpose of the tract was for planting selected varieties of date palms imported by the U. S. 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 l52 palms, was | completed.
 THE PAAN OF WORK
 Recognizing, however, that a farmer with his living to make meantime, cannot afford | to wait for an orchard to come into bearing l Ii was planned to plant crops for quick re- turns between the trCc-rOWS, thus putting the work on feasible basis from the small farm CTS point of view. In order to CconomiZe 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 oEe-half an acre in size. lrrigating water from the Colorado Valley F. x l. Canal was obtained in the GUS tOmary manner and E. l.. Crane, himself a Yuma Valley farmer, undertook the care of what was nicknancd 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 leVcllmg 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 bc about $50 an acre annually for ten years. To meet these and other heavy itenis Of xpcnSe in connection with the cStGDIish- menJ of a farm in this region, intensive crops of a more romunCTativc character than those now in vogue, are essential. ItfXds partly therefore, as an object leSSoneiuearjng uuon these financial aspects of Qd, general s:tua- tion that this cultural work was planned
 RkCLAMATIoS~2F THE GROUND. The soil ot erf tract, a warm, sandy loam well adapted to gardening operations, was leVeUe9, dltched and bOIdered at a contract prfcc of Sl7.2i an acre, considerably less than the aN craze for the locality, reckoning the labor of men and teams at current rates. In addition, barbed wire and posts for fencing cost S6G.l0; lumber fO" headgateS cost $39.57; q drive well point and pipe, a pitchcr-spOut pumr and q barrel, Sl5.i5; small lumber lwo-Toom house, including five and one half days carpenter hire, Si52.75; and a brush-roOf | shelter for horses about $500. Only skilled labor employed Ill leVelllng, 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 hahitable for small farmer and his family, as stated above, therefore required cash outlay of about S400O. In addition, in the average instance must be included l team, wagon. blow, harrow, having equip ment ShOvelS hoes and other small tools. CROPS AND MARKETS.
 The crops selected for the season of i9GG were Early Rose potatoes, Whlte Bermuda onions. Rock yford cantaioupes Dwarf Cham pion and BGrpCe's Quarter Century tomatoes, and alfalfa, besides a few hills of watermelons and SuEdIy vegetables.
 The produce was marketed in Yuma with the exception of tomatoes, which, for the largest P&rt, were expressed to Tucson and Bisbse. The following statements for the v2rioas crops are OG the basis of net cash Ie- turns tO the sln3ll farmer, WhO with aE aver age family Of five and a team of horses is as- stunned to do tIe work required. as explained beEow. Items neceSsitating cash outlay, as seed, irrlsati ing water. GT q crates are deducted from gross returns. Water costs an average of 50 ceDSs for irrigation per acre for the crops grown. Tlse yields in certain instances arc low, cue tO the unimproyed condition of the soil, whieh, like desert soils in geEoisI, was tow in nitrogen and organic matter. Some small salty areas also affected yields locally
 White ESYYnltti9s onions; AT acres; Seed planted Sept. 2 Get. 3, fA01. Young onions transpfssnte4, Fes. 5-9, I9Ji. Crop Natured aoout June 5. Yield, 3alG pounds Of dry on ions. Highest price received, 2Isc a pound: lowest price received, ISc a pound. Entire crop mark kcted i2 EGlns.
 Cash Cash
 laS-