The Arizona sentinel., 1911-05-18
TIMELY HINTS
 FOR FARMERS,
R 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 a little farm of 7.2 acres which on May l, 1905, was virgin bottomland, covered with saltweed arrow 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 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, t 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 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 F. & l. Canal was obtained in the cus- tomary manner and E. 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 op- 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 yege- 1 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 1 irrigating system now under construction will be about $3.50 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 essential. It was partly, l therefore, as an object lesson bearing upon | these financial aspects of the general situa- | tion 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 1 price Of ST.. 20 an acre, considerably less than | the average for the locality, reckoning the 1 labor of men and teams at current rates. In addition, barbed wire and posts for fencing l cost $6O. 10; lumber for headgates cost $o957 i a drive well point and pipe, a pitcher-spout | pump and barrel, $l3.45; small lumber ! two-rOOm house, including five and one hall 1 days carpenter hire l52.75; and a brush rooi | shelter for horses, about $500. Only skilled 1 labor employed in levelling, bordering and 1 ditching the grund, and for part construction | of the house, is included in.the above estimates | as the chmmon labor required ordinarily would
 be, and in this case was, furnished by, the farm CT himself
 TO bring this ground under cultivation and make it habitable for small farmer and hiI family, as stat d above, 'thereJore required cash outlay of about siOo.00. sn addition, ir