The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1911-04-06
TIMELY HINTS
FOR FARMERS.
A Lesson In Intensive Farming by
r II. Forbes, Director and
Chemist of Agricultural
Experiment Station
University OF Arizona,

January Is, 1907.
Just west of Yuma, Arizona, in the alluvial
fOOd-plain of the Colorado, lies a little farm
Of 10 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. s.
Department of Agriculture from the Old
World. The Elk pertinent 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
bis 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 Jree-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 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. lrrlgatlng water from the Colorado
Valley =. & 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 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 levelling
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
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 farm in this region, intensive crops
| OF more remunerative 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-
tior, that this cultural work was 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 a contract
price OF $l7.2O 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 S60l0; lumber for headgates cost $685.
a drive well point and pipe, a pitcher-spout
pump and a barrel, Sl345; n small lumber
two-room house, including five and one-h half
days carpenter hire, Sl5275; and bruSh-roof
shelf ter for horses. about $500 Only skilled
labor employed in levelling, bordering and
ditching the ground, and for part conStruc-
tlon of the house, is included in the above
estimates, as the common labor required
dinarily 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, rs stated above, therefore required
cash outlay OF about $4,000. In addition, in