The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1910-05-05
TIMELY HINTS
FOR FARMERS.
A Lesson i'm Intensive Farming by
r III. Forbes, Director and
Chemist of Agricultural
Experiment Station
University of Arizona,
InA L. l0N-


Just west OF Yuma. Arizona, in the alluvial
food plain of the Colorado, lies little farm
OF 40 acres which on May |, 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. :.
department Of Agriculture from the Old
World. The Experiment station, May z, be-
gan preparing the ground, and on May ~ the
work of levelling, bordering and irrigating
the tract and the planting of l52 palms, was
completed.
THE PLAN OF WORK.
Recognizing, however, that 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 trpe-rows, thus putting the
work OH feasible basis from the small farm
er's point Of view. In order to economic
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 T. q ]. Canal was obtained i'll the Gus
tomary manner and K. b. Crane, himself
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
poste 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
II
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 $3.50 an acre annually for ten
years. 10 meet these and other heavy items
ofeXpepse in connection with the establish
ment of a, farm in this region, intensive crops
Of more remuneratiXe 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-
this 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 contract
price OF ST. 20 an acre, considerably less than
the az erage for the locality, reckoning the
labor of men and teams at current rates. In
addition, barbed wire and posts for fencing
cost SG0.lO; lumber foI headgateS cost S39. 81;
a drive well point and pipe, pitchers pout
pump and Il barrel, Sl345; a small lumber
two-room house, including five and one half
DAYS carpenter hire, Sl52 75 and brush-roof
shelter for horses, about $780, Only skilled
labor employed in dwelling, 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 10y the farmer himself
To bring this ground under cultivation and
make it habitablp for small farmer and his
family, as stated above, therefore required a
cash outlay of about SI00.00. In addition, in
the average instance Elust be included q
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 81 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
iSisbee. The following statements for the
various crops are Oh the basis OF net cash re-
turns 10 the small farmer, who with ar aver
age family of five and a team of horses is as
Sumcd to do The work required. as explained
below. Items neceSSi Eating cash outlay, as
seed, irriga: ing water. and crates are deducted
from gross returns. Water costs an average
Of % cents for irrigation per acre for the crops
grown The yields in certain instances are
low. Cue to the unimprovtd condition of the
soil, which, like desert soils in geI;1ial, was
low in nitrogen and organic matter. Some
small salty areas also affected yields locally.
White Bermuda onions; Al acres; Seed
planted Sept. 27-Oct. 8, 1905. Young onions
transplanted, Feb. SO, 1905. Crop matured
about June !. Yield 1916 pounds of dry on
ions. Highest price received, 2%c q pound:
lowest price received, l.Sc a pound. Entire
crop mark eted in Yuma.
Cash Cash
outlay