The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1911-03-30
TIMELY HINTS
FOR FARMERS.
A Lesson In Intensive Farming by
r II. Forbes, Director and
Chemist of Agricultural
Experiment Station
University Of Arizona,
Ily,r1nrxy TX 100C

January 10, lyUT.
Just west of Yuma, Arizona, in the alluvial
food plain Of the Colorado, lies a little farm
of 10 acres which on May l, 1905, was virgin
bOttomand, 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. s.
Department OF Agriculture from the Old
World. The Experiment Station. Nav 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 farmer with
his living to make mean time, cannot afford
to wait for an orchard to come into bearing,
1t was planned 10 plant crops for quick re-
turns between the tree-rOWS, thus putting the
Work on feasible basis from the small farm
er's point of view. In order to economic
ground the irrigating borders were so placed
as 10 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
Nolley =. & l. Canal was obtained in the GUS
tOInaTy manner and f.. 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 i'll general, compare
lively little attention being given to vege-
tables and fruits Withal, the cost of dwelling
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-
cl dsive of maintenance, of the Government
irrigating system now under construction
will be about $3.50 an acre annually for ten
years. To meet these and other heavy items
of ex penSe in connection with the establish
menJ Of a farm in this region, intensive crops
of u more remuneratiVe character than those
now IN vogue are essential. 1t was partly
therefore, an object lesson bearing upon
these financial aspects of the general stua-
tiOr, that this cultural work was planned.
REC LAMATION OF THE GROUND.
The soil OF our tract, a warm, sandy loan
well adapted to gardening operations, was
leveled, ditched and bordered at a contract
price of Sl720 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 SG0l0; lumber for headgates cost 1887:
"a d rive we'll point and pipe, pitcher-spout
pump md a barrel, Sl3.45; a small lumber
Cwo-room house, including five and one-half
days carpenter hire, $l52.75; and brush-rOOf
shelter for horses, about $500. Only skilled
labor employed in leveling, bordering and
ditching the ground, and for part construc-
ton of Inc 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 ander cultivation and
make it habitable for q small farmer and his
family, us stated above, Therefore required a
cash outlay Of about $4,000. In addition, in