The Arizona sentinel., 1910-06-23
TIMELY HINTS
 FUR FARMERS.
A Lesson in Intensive Farming by K ii. Forbes, Director and Chemist of Agricultural
 Experiment Station
University of Arizona,


 Just west of Yuma, Arizona, in the alluvial flood plain of the Colorado, lies little farm of 70 acres which on May l, 1905, 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 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 leveling, bordering and irrigating the tract and tie planting of l52 palms, was completed.
 THE PLAN OF WORK.
 Recognizing, however, that a farmer with his living to make mean time, cannot ahord to wait for an orchard to come into bearing, it was planned to plant crops for quick re- turns between the trCe-rowS, thus putting the work on feasible basis from the small farm cr'S point of view. In order to ecOnOmiZe 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. lTrigating water from the Colorado Valley P. & l. Canal was obtained in the GUS tOmary manner and E.. l.. Crane, himself a Yuma Valley farmer, undertook the care or what was nicknamed our play farm. In size, 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 leYelllng | land in this region is high, rarely failing be- low twenty dollars an acre at current prices l for labor and teams. Moreover, the cost, eX- elusive of maintenance, of the Government irrgating system now under construction will be about $50 an acre annually for ten years. To meet these and other heavy items i of eX per SC in connection With the establish menU of a farm in this region, intensive crops 1 Of 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 s!tUa- tio" 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 | leveiled, ditched and bOrdered at contract price of Sl7.2I an acre, considerably less than | the average for the locality, reckoning the ! labor of men and teams at current rates. In addition, barbed wire and posts for fencing | cost S60 lU; lumber for headgateS cost S39.57; drive well point and pipe, a pitcher-spout pump and d barrel, SIS. .i5; a small lumber | two-roOm house. including five and onc-half days carpenter hire, $l52.75; and a brush-rOOf shelter for horses, about S5.00. Only skilled labor employed in levelling, 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, as stated above, therefore required a cash outlay of about S40000. In addition, in the average instance must be included a team, wagon. blow, harrow, having equip ment shovels hoes and other small tools. ! CROPS AND MARKETS.
 | The crops selected for the season of 1906 were Early Rose potatoes, White Bermuda onions. Rock yford cantaioupeS, Dwarf Cham pion and Burpee's Quarter Century tomatoes, and alfalfa, besides few hills Of watermelons and sundry vegetables.
 l The produce was marketed in Yuma With | the exception of tomatoes, which, for the | largest part, were expressed to Tucson and | Bisbse. The following statements for the various crops are on the basis of net cash le- turns to the small farmer, who with ar aver | age family Of five and a team of horses is aS- sumed to do the work required. as explained below. Items necesSitating cash outlay, as seed, irrigating water. and crates are 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 1 low, clue to the unimproved condition of the soil which, like desert soils in gerofstl, was low in nitrogen and organic matter. Some small salty areas also affected yields locally.
 White Bermuda onions; .47 acres; Seed planted Sept. 27-Oct. 3, 1905 Young onions | transplanted, Feb. 5-9, l906. Crop matured about June l. Yield, 396 pounds of dry oD- ions. Highest price received, 2sc a pound; | lowest price received, l.Sc a pound. Entire crop marketed in Yuma.
 l Cash Cash
 outlay. returns.