Arizona republican., 1917-01-15
THE YUMA RECLAMATION FIX TREATMENT STATION Review of Annual Report for 1915
 Py M Eap,ie

=.
 The Yuma Reclamation Project Ex- pertinent Station is sometimes con fused with the Yuma Experiment Sta tion.. The last named station is op- erated by the College Of Agriculture as q branch of the Arizona EXpcriment station. The Yuma Reclamation Pro ject Station is across the river from Yuma at Pard, California, and is about seven miles from the town of Yuma The annual report of this station which is q government station. is pub lished by the Rureau Of Plant indus- try Washington, D. C. The report is q pamphlet of 27 pages of interesting and instructive matter relating ta the work which has been done in experi- menting and growing the l.299 spe- cies, varieties or strains of seeds and plants which have been tested during the past three years. Mir. R. F. Blair farm superintendent. is the author of the report. To my mind this Is an ideal report. written in plain English. SO that farmer not familiar with technical or scientific terms can readily understand it.
 The farm consists of l50 acres of ir- rigable land. SO divided as to make pos sibie the growing of a large number of different plants on small plots The report begins with a statement regard ing weather and climatic eolfdiIions and the differences in tcniucrature rainfall and frost free period are so slight that practically all the data re- ported On will apply with>equal force to Salt River Valley conditions or to the Casa Grandc Valley X summary of the crop yields and an inventory of the livestock of the Yuma Reclamation project Is included in tn, report. The value Of the crops raised on the pro- ject in 1915 exceeds the value of the crops of 1s1i by SlG4. BIS or 25 per cont. Cotton shows the highest average re- turn to the acre. with alfalfa second. The acreage devoted 10 the production of alfalfa seed was 6.f4s acres. an in- crease of 1000 acres over the previous year Livestock increased in uumierfi to only a normal degree, hut poultry made n marked increase.
 Coming hack tn the work of the F,.- pertinent Station, Me find under tho head Of crop experiments. cotton lead ing ihe list and as this crop through ont the Yuma project has made the ! greatest returns to the acre it is log Ieal that if should have first place in i the report. The Durango variety if thc only kind with which any experiments ! have been conducted as this .s iao leading variety for the Yuma Valley. ' The best planting time has been found to be during the first three weeks of April. Yields nf one hale to the acre { have been produced from cotton planted as late as May la. but from ninniingS made early h Jiily oUiv one i third Of bale was produced. The es- periments of 1915 have cunfirined Inc ] results of previous years that kcepine ! the water off after the fruit has hegmn Ef 1 not only reduces the y!el1 hui iniurea ' tho fIhrc Some losses incidental tn ir- ' rigaiinn are bound tu occlr and lt is stated that could these lc~ses he ! avoided there world he saving of an ! additional one-fifth haie to inc acre | Thcse losses are such as osctr from an l irriga iion to bring un seed whi h i failed to germinaic with the moisture 1 in the soil. and which results in ladly 1 incrusted soil Flooding young cotton sometimes means 9 loss. and also the laie fall irrigation which results in wctting the lower pollS. lat which fl omitted would mean reduced cron l sieid. AS previously stated these losScs seem unavoidable. iui In calling attention to them. the inference is that tho careful farmer Will SD plan his op- "iaiions as to keep such losses at n minimum.
 Alfalfa
 nunifer of different varieties oi alfalfa from foreign countries are be- ing experimented with but results will not be available for another season Peruvian alfalfa produced the largest yield of air-dry hay and lost less wat CT from field cured hay than any other ! variety tested
 Considerable work has been done ir ' h.s nr f.1 ductiou Yields from field which was nasturcd nntil late and then al- lowed to make seed was compared witl 9 similar field. the first crop iron i which was cut for hay both seed crop. maturing and being harvested at ih' same time. Practically nci difference in results was noted although man. farmers in the Yuma Valley are of thu opinion that late pasturing is the bet ter method. Tripping the flowers t' induce a heavier setting of seed did no result in any apparent increase. ob servations of the damage done hv thu information of particular value
 Gram Sorghums
 Experiments were conducted to leari nf the practicabilitv of growing sor ghum from the stumps of the pfeviou years crop. Stumps covered over win ter lilicd badly. only 50 per cent grow ing the succeeding year. The mortal fly was supposed to have been due | decomposition. Unprotected stump. which were not subjected to a lowe temperatprc than 95 degrees above ger nearly all lived. Growing sorghur from the stnmps did not prove practi cabie for the reason that too man stalks were produced by each plan and tho hende Vcee small md riupne unevenly. Although 314 strains m varieties of grain sorghum were trie out. none were found superior to th best known varieties commonly growi LDwarf milo has apparently given tn heaviest yield of grain under differer conditions and different times of plant ing. Red hafir is recommended fd silage White milo has produced spler did yields but 1t has been found thf some strains produce but poor yield and growers are cautioned again.
 buying seed from unknown sources.
 Sudan Grass
 X new usc for Sudan grass. which
 far as know has not been tried oi
 anywhere else Is worthy of being tri'
 out pretty extensively. The follow1r
 is quoted direct from the hpllctin.
 "It ,is in the regions of limited moi
 ,ure supply that the greatest value h.
 heen attached to sudan fra,ss as a h:
 plant. It can. however be nsed to f
 Ian important place in the gcner
 scheme. cf alfalfa nroduction where {
 stand of alfalfa has become poor
 wherc a mixed hay is desired. If s
 dan grass is seeded during carly An
 in an alfalfa field. it will he fuur1 th
 the next following crop nf hay will
 eh'nfv alfaifa. while the later cro