The Arizona sentinel., 1911-05-25
TIMELY HINTS
 FOR FARMERS.
A Lesson in Intensive Farming by R Ii. Forbes, Director and Chemist of Agricultural
 Experiment Station
University of Arizona,

January l5, 1907.
 Just west of Yuma, Arizona, in the alluvial of 7.2 acres which on May l, 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. s. Department of Agriculture from the Old World. The Experiment station, May 2, be- gan preparing the ground, and on May 90 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 mean time, 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 feasible basis from the small farm CTS point of view. In order to econOmiZe ground the iTTigating 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 GUS tomary manner and k. l.. Crane, himself a Yuma Valley farmer, undertook the care of what was nicknamed our play farIn."
 Iu 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 levelling lana 1n LnlS region IS nlRl, Far6Iy ldlllnS D0- low twenty dollars an acre at current prices fer labor and teams. Moreover the cost, ex- elusive of maintenance, of the Government irrigating system now under construction W be about S3.50 an acre annually for ten years. To meet these and other heavy items of ex xpense in connection with the establish menJ of a farm in this region, intensive crops of & 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- Ciou that this cultural work was planned. RECLAMATION OF THE GROUND. The soil of our tract, a warm, sandy foam we'll adapted to gardening operations, was ieVelled, ditched and bOrdered at a contract price of Sl7.20 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 $60lO; lumber for headgates cost S39.57; a drive well point and pipe, a pitcher-spout pump and a barrel, Sl3.45; small lumber l twO-roOm house. including five and One-hall days carpenter hire, 152.75; and bruSh-rooi shelter for horses, about $500. Only skilled labor employed in levelling, bordering and ditching the grund, and for part construction of the house, is included in;the above estimate as the chmmon labor required ordinarily would i be- and in this case was, furnished by the farm | CT himself
 To bring this ground under cultivation and make it habitable for a small farmer and hlS | family. es stat d above thereJore required g ] cash outlay of about Sf00.00. sn addition ir