The Arizona sentinel., 1910-11-24
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TIMELY HINTS
 FOR FARMERS.
A Lesson In intensive Farming by R II. Forbes, Director and Chemist of Agricultural
 Experiment Station
University of Arizona, .IanuarV i5- 19(I7-

January l5, 1907.
 Just west of Yuma, Arizona, in the alluvial 6ood-plain of the Colorado, lies a little farm of 7.2 acres which on May 1, 1905, was virgin bottomland covered with saitweed, arrow brush and creosote bushes. The original purpose of tine 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 levelling, bordering and irrigating the tract and the planting of l52 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 a 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 one-half an acre in size lrrigating water from the Colorado Valley F. X l. 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 Harm" 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, com para lively little attention being given to vege- tables and fruits. Withal, the cost of leVelllng 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 tine Government irrigating system now under construction will bc about $50 an acre annually for ten years. To meet these and other heavy items of expense in connection with the establish ment of a farm in this region, intensive crops of a more remunerative character than those now in vogue, are essen tial. It was partly, therefore, as an object lesson bearing upon these financial aspects of the general situa- to" that this cultural work was planned.
 RECLAMATION OF THE GROUND.
 The soil of our tract, a warm, sandy loam well adapted to gardening operations, was levelled, ditched and bordered at a contract price of Sl7.2o 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 S6O.lO; lumber for headgates cost $39.57; pump and g barrel, $l3.45; small lumber two-roOm house, including five and one half days carpenter hire, Sl52.75; and a brush-roof shelter for horses, about $5.0O. 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 1t habitable for a small farmer and his family, as stated above, therefore required a cash outlay Of about S4C0.00. 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. Rockyford cantaioupes, Dwarf Cham pion and Burpee's Quarter Century tomatoes, and alfalfa, besides a few hills of watermelons and SuDdry 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 aE aver age family of five and a team of horses is aS- stunned to do the work required. as explained below. Items neceSSitating cash outlay, as seed, irrigaIing 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, clue to the unimproved condition of the soil, which, like desert soils in geE.Issl, was low in nitrogen and organic matter. Some small salty areas also affected yields locally. White Bermuda onions; 1T acres; Seed planted Sept 27-Oet. 3, 1905. Young onions transplanted, Feb. 5-9, l906. Crop matured about June I. Yield, 39i6 pounds of dry on ions. Highest price received, 2l.c pound: lowest price received, l-Sc. pound. Entire crop marketed in Yuma.
 Cash Cash