6 CIRCULAR NO. 124, BUREAU OP PLANT INDUSTRY. 



right season and properly cared for. For mstance, potatoes, cabbage, 

 lettuce, radishes, and carrots are i)lanted during the autunni months, 

 while such vegetables as tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, and melons 

 are planted after danger from spring frosts is over. 



THE KIND OF CROPS NEEDED. 



Present conditions mdicate that the Yuma Project must develop 

 along the line of producing crop products which are sufficiently high 

 priced to bear the cost of long shipment to consuming markets. It 

 is not probable that the local consumption of crop products will ever 

 be a factor of large importance. The natural conditions of climate, 

 soil, and water supply are such as to favor a very large production 

 per acre. The imi)ortant thing now is to determine which of the 

 many possible crops promise to give the largest returns and to select 

 those which provide for the most suitable utilization of the farm 

 labor and at the same time provide for suitable crop rotation. 



It is not to be expected that unless a large development of five- 

 stock industries takes place there will long continue a satisfactory 

 market for alfalfa hay. The alfalfa seed crop, however, should re- 

 main a profitable one unless some serious disease or insect pest ap- 

 pears. But alfaha production, whether for hay or seed, is more 

 profitable when the land is occasionally cleaned up by the produc- 

 tion of some cuhivated crop. This is particularly true where, as 

 at Yuma, the alfalfa fields are quickly invaded by Bermuda grass 

 and high production of hay can be expected only during the first 

 few years. Wliile it is true that a fair seed crop may be obtained 

 from alfalfa fields which are badly infested with Bermuda grass, it is 

 inadvisable to allow such fields to remain, because of the increased 

 cost of subjugating the Bermuda soil and fitting the land again for 



other crops. 



CROPS SUITABLE TO THE REGION. 



Of crops suitable for rotation with alfalfa there might be mentioned 

 Indian corn, milo, beans, wheat, barley, and cotton. While such 

 crops as corn, milo, beans, wheat, and barley are all relatively low 

 priced, the climate is such that the small grains can be grown during 

 the winter months and followed by corn, milo, or beans, firing two 

 crops from the same land in one year. Cotton, on the other hand, 

 occupies the land during practically the entire season, but if the 

 proper variety is used the net returns should be larger than for 

 the grain crops mentioned. Cotton is particularly well adapted to 

 rotation with alfalfa because of the high production possible on alfalfa 



sod. 



Cotton is especially useful in subjugating land infested wath Ber- 

 muda grass and Johnson grass. It requires comparatively fittle 



[Cir. 124] 



