Imperial Valley press., 1917-03-20
NELSON TELLS
CONCERNING
y ALLEY
CROPS
Information Director Ex.
plains Merits of Lands in
Famous Imperial Valley.

Imperial valley, IHe dSrlculCufal
wonderland which will be visited by
the Times excursion party leaving
Los Angeles the 3Oth inst, is in the
midst of the greatest farming pros
perity Of its history, according to A.
NJ. Nelson, secretary of the Imperial
County Farm Bureau. He says new
and increased interest in the valley
has prompted the board of supervi-
sors of Imperial county to establish
Ar official information bureau in Los
Angeles, which he will open in a
downtown location this week, says the
Los Angeles Times.
"This is a ranchers' year and farm
ssuffs everywhere are bringing high
prices" said Mr.. Nelson yesterday at
the Hayward hotel. "But the produc-
tivity for which the valley is famous
has given the Imperial ranchers a
margin of profit that approaches a
klondike percentage. 1t is hard to
believe, but in the valley today are
scores of tracts where the net returns
from years crops equal or exceed
the selling price of the land.
"a few weeks ago Japanese
named Morio, renting land mile
ard half west of Brawley, was paid
$4,000 spot cash for twenty acres of
lettuce in the field-$4OO an acre.
Just across the road is 65 acres of
the same quality of soil, which, l
am told, can be purchased for $135
ar acre. The Stanley brothers, liv-
irg three miles northeast of Braw-
ley, the other day sold forty-three
acres for $4,000, but they refused
$4,000 for a fifteen acre crop of let
tuce upon it. Four years out of the
last seven the net returns of their
property have been equal to the SELL
ing price.
"There are authenticated stories of
similar profits in other crops, also.
Harry Clark of Calipatria leased an
eighty to w. H. Best, a valley pio-
Ineer. The land was raw and, on the
provision that Mr.. Best level and
crop the land, a nominal rental of 81
an acre a year was charged in the
lease. Mr.. Best planted cotton and
this winter, the second crop year, Mr..
Clark, after inspecting the stand and
the bolls which had been set, made
Mr.. Best this offer:
"'Turn your crop into the gin for
men and I'll give you deed outright
tc the property"
"Mr. Best refused. A few days
ago he was out with several ranch
els in a machine. One of them men,
toned he had made $4,000 in two
years. After he left, another men,
her of the party, B. X. Sing, said:
"'That's nothing. l made $4,000
this year alone
"That's the way it goes. He had
some 600 acres in milo maize in No.
5 water district. Grain men gen.
orally made big money last year. The
Imperial Valley plan is to follow bar
ley with milo maize the same year,
getting an added revenue from pas
ture of young barley or milo stalks,
or both. l know of one rancher who
made 500 net from milo and pastur-
age alone, which is remarkably high
return from grain land.
"Grain prices are expected to re-
main high. Milo is bringing $42 a
ton and valley ranchers are offered
$1.75 for barley, May delivery, which
is about double the normal opening
price. The supply of barley in Cali
fornia on the LIST inst. was but half
that of the same date year ago."
Prospects for continued high prices
for cotton, Mr. Nelson said, will lead
to an increase of the valley acreage
tc 125,0O0. The cantaloupe acreage
Of 1875 is an American record for
|; Jingle county.