The Arizona sentinel., 1910-11-17
TIMELY HINTS
 FOR FARMERS.
A Lesson in Intensive Farming Dy K H. Forbes, Director and Chemist of Agricultural
 Experiment Station
University of Arizona,

University of Arizona, January l5 1907 Just west of Yuma, Arizona, in the alluvial flood plain of the Colorado, lies @ little farm
 of 72 acres which on May l. 1905, was virgin bottomiand, covered with sa!tweed, 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 EX pertinent station, May 7, be- gan preparing the ground, and on May 20 the work Of levelling, bordering and irrgating
 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 feasible basis from the small farm
 er's point of view. In order to economize ground the irTigating 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 P. x l. Canal was obtained in the GUS tomary manner and l.. l.. Crane, himself a Yuma Valley farmer, undertook the care of what was nicknamed our play farm." l 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 leVeillng | land in this region is high, rarely falling be- 1 low twenty dOllais an acre at current prices 1 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 To meet these and other heavy iterIS 1 of ex pense ir connection with the establish
 ment of a farm in this region, intensive crops Of a 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 situa-
 tinn that this cultural work waS planned. RECLAMATION OF THE GROUND The soil of our tract, warm, sandy loam well adapted to gardening operations, was 1 levelled, ditched and bofdered at a contract l price Of Sl7.20 an acre, considerably less than | the average for the locality, reckoning the 1 labor Of men and teams at current rates. In 1 addition, barbed wire and posts for fencing cost StGlU lumber fO' EcadgatcS cost S39.57; a drive well point and pipe, a pitcher-spout pump and barrel, Si3.45; small lumber l two-room house, including five and one half days carpenter hire, SI52.75; and a brush-roof shelter for horses, about S0.C0. Only skilled labor employed in levelling, bordering and ditching the ground, and for part construc- | tion of the house, is included in the above
 estimates, as the common labor required or dinarly 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 oI about S4OO.O0 In addition, in
  the average instance must be included a team, wagon. blow, harrow, having equip
 ment shoyels 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 NatermeiOnS and SundFy vegetables
 The produce was marketed in Yuma with the exception eff toTaatoes- which, for the | largest part, were expressed to. Tucson and Bfsbee. The following statements foT the various crops are on the basis of net cash Ie- 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, irrigating water. and crates are deducted | from grtrs returns " ater costs an average
 of 50 cents for irrigation per aere fer the crops grown. The yields fir certain instances are low, due to the unimproved condition Of the
 soil, which, like desert soils in ger vial, was low in nitrogen ard organic matter Some small salty areas also affected yields locally White Bermuda onions; .t7 acres; Seed planted Sept. 27-Oet. 3, 1905. Young onions transplanted, Feb J-9, l90f. Crop matured
 about June l. Yield, 39I6 pounds of dry on- ions. Highest price received, 215c a pound; lowest price received, I.Se a pound. Entire crop marketed in Yuma.
 Cash Cash outlay. YetGrnS. | Seed d.................. g 2.8S 9 Irrigations in seed bed and
 Sirrigations in field about $50 Sacks and sundry, about. 2.5S 39iG pounds of onions at 2.r-
 iSc,..... l'~ D'..c..~.. .....,...... s.a.A l Net cash returns, not de-
 duCtlng labor. r...-....-.. 6i.5J S3.N S7321 The amount of labor expended upon this crop was large for the area, especially at the | transplanting time. One days team work in preparing the land and about 32 days, men'S | time, were required to bring it through, al 1 though the work was not heavy and could lDrs OPfn i yield was low owing to the desert and unfer- l tilized character of the soil. onions requiring | large amounts of organic matter in the soil to give good results.
 Ear.y Rose potatoes; .Sf acres: Seed pota- ! tees planted Feb. l6-I9, l906 Beginning to
 bloom April l3. Crop all harvested June l3. Yield, 26l5 pounds. Highest price, May 2l,
 31ac Bulk of crop, 2Ac. All marketed in Yuma.
 Cash Cash outlay. returns | 25O pounds seed potatoes and
 | freight on same. SO3 ! Irrigating water for SeSbania
 | used as fertilizer. 298 ! 2 irrigationS for crOp......... .M | FOrmaline for SCab, includ-
 | ing express. ........-........ l.0O
 | 26l5 pounds of potatoes at
 | S17-21 C.......---- S7O.Ul | Net cash returns, not Ge-
 l ductin9 labor. 5715
 The amount of labor required for the crop l itself was about lo working days, with team ! l E days. The Sesbania used as green manur- ing on the west half of the potato ground was given l7 irrigatiOnS Bermuda grass, lnore- | over, fiOurlShed beneath the SeSbania to such
 an extent as subsequently, to require 23 days
 labor for cleaning mp the 4J acres so fertiliZed, ! Although the larger part of the crop came , from the sesbania fertiilZed portion of the po-
 tatoeS. this method of 1nTiching the soil i proved very costly, v days mans time and 5
 days teaIn-N Ork being reQI fred to put he ses- ! bania under and afterwards get lid Of the