The Arizona sentinel., 1910-04-14
TIMELY HINTS
FOR FARMERS.
A Lesson i'm Intensive Farming nv
K II. Forbes, Director and
Chemist of Agricultural
Experiment Station
University of Arizona,
January Is, 1907.

just west Of Yuma, Arizona, in the alluvial
hood-plain OF the Colorado, lies a little farm
or ~ acres which on May /, 1905, was virgin
pott0mland, 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. =.
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 I52 palms. was
completed.
THE PLAN OF WORK.
recognizing, however, that farmer with
DIS living 10 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-rowS, thus putting the
work on a feasible basis from the small farm
er'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: lrrigating water from the Colorado
valley r. q 1. canal was obtained in the Gus
tomary manner and K. 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 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 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 construction
will be about $50 an acre annually for ten
years. 10 meet these and other heavy items
of expense in connection with the establish
ment OF q farm in this region, intensive crops
or q 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.
The soil of our tract, a warm, sandy loan
well adapted to gardening operations, was
levelled, ditched and bordered at q contract
price OF Sl7.AD an acre, considerably less than
the average Tor the locality, reckoning the
labor Of men and teams at current rates. In
addition, barbed wire and posts for fencing
cost S60. 10; lumber for headgates cost S3957;
drive well point and pipe, pitcher-spout
pump and a barrel, Sl3.45; a small lumber
two-rOOm house, including five and one half
days carpenter hire, 1852. rs; and brush-roOf
shelter for horses, about $500 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 a small farmer and his
family, as stated above, therefore required a
the average instance must be included a
team, wagon. pillow, harrow, haying equip
ment shovels hoes and other small tools.
CROPS AND MARKETS.
The crops selected for the season OF 1905
were Early Rose potatoes, White Bermuda
onions. ROckyfOrd cantaioupes, Dwarf Cham
piOn and Burpee's Quarter Century tomatoes,
and alfalfa, besides few hills of watermelons
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 to the small farmer, who with an 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
low, Cue to the unimproved condition of the
soil, which, like desert soils in geEoIal, was
low in nitrogen and organic matter. Some
small salty areas also affected yields locally.
White Bermuda onions;- Al acres; Seed
planted Sept N-Oct. 8, 1905. Young onions
transplanted, Feb. SO, 1905. Crop matured
about June !. Yield, 1916 pounds OF dry OH
ions. Highest price received, 2Hc a pound;
lowest price received, l.Sc pound. Entire
crop marketed in Yuma.