Graham guardian., 1918-09-27
CONDITION REPORT
OF G|LA VALLEY
Continued from Page One)

Continued from Page One)
striker, just when he needs them
most. In too many instances,
labor, with the privilege of look
ing for better things, leaves his
employer to the bad, necessarily
hampering production.
Immediate Acreage and Crop
Situation
Aided by our Farm Advisor,
with whom the writer travels
and works considerable, we here
by present the following, which
brings us down to date with our
report:
Wheat
This last year there were about
5000 acres of wheat planted.
We are expecting an even great
er acreage for the 1919 crop.
The 1917 crop of wheat was
about fifteen hundred acres less
than the acreage harvested in
1918. Very little grain of any
kind has deem planted as yet,
due to the extreme shortage of
water and the early season of
the year. Yields were about the
same as last year, but less than
the average.
Barley
The barley acreage was about
the same as usual, with yields
slightly better than in 1917, but
less than the average.
Alfalfa
Alfalfa will show about a 10
per cent increase in acreage over
the 1880 acres harvested in
1917. The yield will show a con-
siderable decrease, due to the
lack of irrigation water. 1t will
not be more than 80 per cent of
a full crop.
Corn
Not quite so great an acreage
was planted to corn, probably
not over $500 acres, a decrease
Of about 12a per cent over last
year. Shortage Of water has
caused some of this to be aband-
oned and much of the rest will
be reduced in yield. The many
silos in the valley will give this
drouthy corn good value where
it would be practically worthless
otherwise.
Beans
Quite an increase in the bean
acreage is noted in the irrigated
areas, the increase in some local.
tiles being practically 80 per cent.
The farmers are becoming better
acquainted with bean growing
and seem to like to grow them.
The yield promises to exceed that
of last year since the best grow
ers irrigate only once after the
beans are planted and this irri-
cation happened to come when
there was plenty of water. If
frost holds off well, the weld
will be large.
Cotton
Miscellaneous crops are about
the same. The cotton growing
area has been widely extended
through the efforts of the county
agent, and increases for this
crop are promised next year.
Extension
For the 1917 crops there was
quite an expansion of the agri-
cultural areas by the utilization
of the waste land and the addi-
tion of new land not formerly
under irrigation bitches. No such
expansion has taken place this
year, apparently because of the
scarcity of labor. This condition
is gradually growing worse, as
the farmer-boys are taken out of
the valley. This fall there will
be quite large areas of land that
will not be planted to grain be-
cause of the scarcity of labor.
AS suggested before, there was
some new work done by one of
the canals, in placing better head
gates this last spring, but at the
present time all such work has
entirely ceased and one of the.
canals has had difficulty in get
ting help to repair the ditch to
bring water to the land. This
last spring there was some heavy
canal construction work under
taken, but great difficulty was
experienced in getting it COM
pleted, because of the shortage |