L ARIZONA AGRICULTURIST I I ! I I I VOLUME III

An Agricultural Program for Central and Southern Arizona

Item Type Article

Authors Marsh, Chester L.

Publisher College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ)

Journal Arizona Agriculturist

Download date 29/09/2021 19:39:23

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/302933 � ...... ' •• •• •• ••• ··.··., ••••• 0 ••••• . ( £ ! T l ARIZONA AGRICULTURIST I i ! i i i VOLUME III. OCTOBER, 1925 NUMBER 1 f i i

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AN AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ARIZONA

By CHESTER L. MARSH, '25 1\. One Crop System Has Never Proven Successful. Then, Why Should We Continue To Practice It Here.

is your planting pro WHATgram for the coming year? If you are one of the major ity, it is probably a simple one, con sisting perhaps of seventy-nine acres of cotton and one acre of house past ure; or seventy-nine acres of alfalfa and one acre of house and barn; or maybe it is just forty acres of lettuce. Of course, not all farmers are using such a cropping system, but these can almost truthfully be called typical cropping plans for the Salt River Val ley. While a one-crop farm has a good many advantages, it has by far a greater number of disadvantages. It is true, that for short time renters, A FIELD OF HEGARI WHICH SHOWS THAT SOIL FERTILITY HAS NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN. or owners who are on their own place for the first year, and perhaps under some other that special conditions, time Agronomist at the University of ing near cities and the various orchard some one crop may be the most profit Arizona, Mr. H. C. Heard, former industries made possible by commer able. It is true in the equally that, County Agricultural Agent of Mari cial fertilizers may be considered ex the long run, one-crop system is not copa County, Mr. C. J. Wood, foreman ceptions.) the most profitable for the land own of the Salt River Valley State Ex 3. The agricultural history of the ers or time those having long leases. periment Farm, and others, drew up a United States does show that the At the case in New least such is the tentative Agricultural program for farming communities that have been States and the Central England States the Salt River Valley, and submitted most prosperous and the individuals are to true They finding it be in the it to the farmers. These men men that have been most prosperous have South and it is and Northwest, only tioned above have made a special study been those communities or those in a question of a few years until it will of the existing conditions in the Val dividuals that have had from two to be known to be true for our soil here, ley, and are in a position to make five important sources of income. is more fertile or our econ scarcely a program which is worthy of the 4. A prosperous agricultural com omic conditions different from greatly most careful consideration. Because munity has for its foundation a home those of the above mentioned sections the report is from such good authority, owning people. all of which have had to come to crop because it is so concise and well stated, 5. If an agricultural people are per rotation. and because it is as good today as it manently to retain possesion of their When alfalfa hay is selling for fif was in 1920, it is given below in full. homes, they must so balance their teen dollars a ton and everyone is talk TENTATIVE A G RIC U LT URAL agriculture as to provide: ing seventy-five cent cotton, it is use PROGRAM FOR THE SALT (1) Food for the farmer and his less to suggest crop rotation, in fact RIVER VALLEY. family. (Garden products, poultry and it is dangerous, for many would think In submitting this program we wish poultry products, milk, and butter.) you crazy and you would be an out first to call attention to the following (2) Rough feed for the livestock of cast in a farming community. Dur facts and principles: the farm. ing the slump of 1920, (which was 1. The agricultural history of the (3) Livestock sufficient in numbers more disasterous than necessary, due world shows that there never has been to utilize the by-products of the cash to the fact that the whole Valley was a permanent profitable agriculture crops of the farm and the rough crops practically dependent upon cotton) based on a one crop system. grown on portions of the farm that farmers were willing to listen to any 2. The Agricultural history of the cannot be used to produce cash crops. thing that sounded half reasonable. world fails to show a single perman (4) A cash income by producing Taking advantage of this opportune ent profitable system of agriculture on some crops or products readily sold time to introduce a system of crop a large scale that did not include the and converted into cash; and rotation, Mr. G. E. Thompson, at that handling of livestock. (Truck farm- (Continued on Page 14) pAGE FOURTEEN ARIZONA AGRICULTURIST OCTOBER, 1925

AN AGRICULTURAL PROGRAM ping system that not less than twenty (Signed) G. E. Professor of FOR ARIZONA five percent nor more than fifty per THOMPSON, cent of his farm shall be seeded and Agronomy, University of Arizona. Continued from 3 page kept in Hairy Peruvian alfalfa; that H. C. HEARD, County Agricultural (5) For the permanent fertility of not more than thirty percent of his Agent, Maricopa County. their land. land shall regularly be planted to C. J. WOOD, Foreman Salt River To successfully do these things State Farm. pure Pima cotton; that not less than Valley Experiment farmers must diversify and rotate And others. twenty nor more than forty percent their crops, and more than that-they Did the farmers of the Salt River be planted to grain crops of some kind. must "balance their farming opera Early Baart wheat should be at least Valley accept this plan? Did they tions." a portion of this crop if plantings can give it a fair trial? In the farm balancing operations, be made before January 1st, if forced They certainly began to, and even we believe that, year after year, each to plant after this date, barley should those who never saw the program be farmer should (a) carry approximate be given the preference over wheat; gan to practice some of the ideas it the same number of acres in each ly that, if not otherwise provided fer, advocates. Much land was returned crop; (b) grow reasonable acreage of grain sorghums, corn, or other for to alfalfa, dairying operations increas one or more cash crops; (c) provide age should be planted immediately fol ed, more grain was sown and there enough rough feeds so that nothing lowing the small grains; and that suf was a general move towards crop ro but concentrates need be purchased in ficient livestock should be kept to tation. Why? Because, they found caring for the farm livestock; (d) pro utilize the feed provided by this plan. it was not wise to labor and use ex vide for growing some soil-building The introduction of new crops may, pensive equipment for four or five or soil-improving crops; and (e) so in course of time, make it ad visable months a year, then spend the other arrange the farm operations that the to vary the percentage of cropa indi seven or eight months feeding hay year's labor and the year's income cated; but farmers are warned against purchased at a high cost, to work will be as evenly distributed as possi the planting on a large scale of new, horses and drive around in big cars, ble. untried, or unproven crops or (!l'OPS only to learn at the end of the year the facts and Recognizing principles with which they are personally up that they had made, perhaps several above enumerated, and warning familiar. thousand dollars less than nothing. the of a sudden against dangers The committee recommends as of Some learned a lesson here they will change in our agricultural system, we not soon who special importance the organizat.ion of forget. Others can't believe that, as rapidly as is consist resist the to take a chance associations of farmers temptation ent with farm each cooperative good management, are again playing the cotton game too farmer of the Salt River should for the purpose of marketing their Valley strongly for their own safety. Sup so his business and and other arrange his crop crops products. pose a farmer does make good for the next six or seven on cotton III years alone. Will he have saved enough during this time to carry him through an expensive period of reclaiming his 11II1I11I11I11II1I1I1II1II11I1I1I1I11I11I11I1;1I�1I;1I;1I;1II;1I1;lIl1l1l1l1l1l11l11ll1nlilill"III "":i depleted soil? And who can tell but what cotton will be an excellent price o Marana during the time he is trying to rebuild 3 his soil. Why wouldn't it be better to plant only a reasonable portion of Stores his land to cotton each year, thus illim inating the necessity of the slow and o Cortaro costly process of soil rebuilding later on, and also being sure of getting his share of good cotton prices, that are just as likely to exist ten years from now as they are today. � ! Think it over. Reread the above Agricultural program, consider its numerous phases, and with a little reasoning see if you wouldn't rather practice the stable form of Agricul Located ture it advocates, which has been the making of all successful farming sec For Your tions, rather than following the specu lative, booming type that is almost Convenience o Tucson sure to break one if he stays with it Farmers' Supplies-General Merchandise for any length of time. NOTE: The writer acknowledges MERCANTILE co. the aid of Mr. C. J. Wood, Foreman PIM.A of the Salt River Valley State Experi Successors to the Store Army ment Farm, and wishes to thank him for to use the Tenta MARANA TUCSON CORTARO permission above tive Agricultural Progarm, and for �.IIIIIIIIIIIIIII"1II11l1111111111111111111111111111111J11111111111111111111I1111I11111111111111U1111111J11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111I11ii? other valuable suggestions.