The Arizona sentinel., 1911-06-15
TIMELY HINTS
 FOR FARMERS.
A Lesson in Intensive Farming by R ii. Forbes, Director and Chemist of Agricultural
 Experiment Station
University of Arizona, .Ianuarv h l41-

January h, l90:.
 Just west Of Yuma. Arizona, in the alluvial flood plain of the Colorado, lies a little farm Of 7.2 acres which on May 1, I9O5, was virgin bottomlsnd, 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. $. 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 farmer with his living to make meantime, cannot afford to wait for an orchard to come into bearing, 1t was planned to plant crops for quick re- turns between the tree-r0wS, thus putting the work on 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
 
 tomary manner and E. l.. Crane, himself s 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 ill general, cOmpara- lively little attention being given to yege- tables and fruits. Withal, the cost of leyelling land in this region is high, rarely falling be- l 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 S3.5O 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 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- tior that this cultural work was planned. RECLAMATION OF THE GROUND. | The soil of our tract, warm, sandy loam we'll adapted to gardening operations, was levelIed. ditched and bordered at a contract price of $l7. 20 an acre, considerably less than the average for the locality, reckoning tho labor of men and teams at current rates. h | addition, barbed wire and posts for fencins cost s6O.lO; lumber for headgates cost $S9.57 a drive we'll point and pipe. a pitcherspou pump and barrel, Sl3.45; small lumber two-room house, including five and one hal days carpenter hire, l5275; and q brush roo shelter for horses, about s5.00. Only skilled labor employed in levelling bordering anC ditching the grund, and for part construction of the house, is included in the above estimate as the chmmon labor required ordinarily woul' be, and in this case was, furnished by the farm fer himself
 TO bring this ground under cultivation ant make it habitable for small farmer and 1 family, as stat d above, therefore required caSh outlay of about s4OO.OO. In addition, o the average instance must be included team, wagon. blow, harrow, having equip ment shovels hoes and other small tools. CROPS AND MARKETS.
 were Early Rose potatoes, White Bermud onions, Rockyford cantaiOupes, Dwarf Cham pion and Burpee's Quarter Century tomatoes ana dIdildf OoSlQeS d tcW niliS Oi WAVeEiuelOtl and sundry vegetables. The produce was marketed in Yuma wit the exception Of tomatoes, which, for tn largest part, were expressed to Tucson an' Bisbee. The following statements for tn various crops are on the basis of net cash re turns to the small farmer, who with an aver age family of five and team of horses is as stunned to do the work required, as explaine' below. Items necessitating cash outlay, a seed. irrigating water, and crates are deducte from gross returns. Water costs an averag Of 90 cents for irrigation per acre for the crop grown. The yields in certain instances ar low, due to the unimproved condition of tn soil, which, like desert soils in geEolal. wa low in nitrogen and organic matter. Som small salty areas also affected yields locally
 White Bermuda onions; AT acres; See planted Sept N-Oct. 3, l905 Young onion , transplanted, Feb. 5-9, l90d. Crop mature about June l. Yield, 39t6 pounds of dry or ions. Highest price received, 2hc a pound , lowest price received, l.sc a pound. Entir crop marketed in Yuma.
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