Specific Marketing Problems — Daiuy Products 25 



alfalfa seed chalcis fly has been an important factor in reducing yields 

 of seed in the Buckeye District in past years. During some seasons 

 the damage is relatively small. In other years from one-third to one- 

 half the crop has been destroyed. The seed is of fair quality and is 

 usually clean. Practically all of the crop is sold to a few local buyers 

 who re-sell the seed in other parts of the Valley and also do some 

 shipping to outside points. The high prices paid for alfalfa hay in 

 191 7 resulted in a relatively small quantity of seed being produced, but 

 should conditions be reversed another season, seed would doubtless 

 again become an important feature of alfalfa production in the Buckeye 

 Valley. Most of the alfalfa seed is sold immediately after harvesting. 

 It has been found that at this time there is little active competition 

 from other districts and prices have usually been more satisfactory 

 than those prevailing a few months later. There is no adequate pro- 

 vision for the storage of alfalfa seed. Some seed doubtless could be 

 stored on the farm, but few farms have proper storages for this com- 

 modity. It does not appear, however, that this is a serious problem, 

 because the producers are anxious to sell their seed immediately. 



Dairy Products The dairy industry is one of the most important 

 forms of specialized agriculture in the Salt River Valley. The natural 

 adaptation of the Valley to the production of alfalfa, the large grain 

 yields which can be secured and the possibility of growing large quan- 

 tities of practically all desirable dairy feeds, coupled with mild winters 

 prevailing in this section, make the Salt River Valley an excellent dis- 

 trict for dairying. The national census for 1910 credited Maricopa 

 County with 12,660 dairy cows out of a total of 28,862 in the entire 

 State of Arizona. The same authority states that in 1909 2,357,753 

 gallons of milk, 22,004 gallons of cream, 626,583 pounds butterfat 

 were sold. The annual report of the United States Reclamation 

 Service states that in 191 6 there were 48,628 dairy cattle on the Salt 

 River Project alone, while the same authority states that in 1917 this 

 total had risen to 50,975 head. In addition to stock on the Project 

 proper, there is probably one-half as much again in other parts of the 

 Valley. It should be understood, however, that not all of these were 

 milking cows at the time the report was issued. The approximate 

 number of milking cows in the entire Valley in 191 7 was probably 

 about 50,000. 



Most of the dairy herds of the Valley are of Holstein-Friesian 

 stock. Practically all other standard breeds of dairy cows are repre- 

 sented, however. The 1917 project report of the Reclamation Service 



