262 J;uij,i;ti.\ 89 



reasonable to suppose from the character of the soil that a con- 

 siderable number of truck crops could be profitably handled, and 

 probably peanuts and certain of the vetches could be made to yield 

 moderate crops. 



There is no question but that Sudan grass sufficiently irrigated 

 would return large yields of hay, or would supply a considerable 

 amount of pasture. Many of the common varieties of sorghum 

 can also be grown to advantage. 



An engineer's report on this Mesa project, issued some months 

 ago, indicates that it probably would cost in the neighborhood of 

 ip/.OO per acre foot to deliver irrigating water to this land. Con- 

 sidering the fact that this land is comparatively porous and open, 

 and the climate dry and hot, it will doubtless require large amounts 

 of irrigation to give relativelv satisfactorv results with common 



Fig. 20. — Cotton on Yuma Mesa on land under second year's cultivation. 



held crops. It is very questionable whether any of the field crops 

 previously mentioned can be made profitable from the market 

 standpoint. They can, however, be grown by the farmer who is 

 living upon his land and developing a citrus orchard. Properly 

 handled they will be sufficiently productive to enable him to live 

 upon his own farm without being forced to buy expensive feeds 

 through the local markets, and by the use of these crops and the 

 use of alfalfa and various beans and pea crops, the farmer will be 

 able gradually to improve the fertility and the texture of the Mesa 

 soils. 



In proof of the above statement, examination of the older por- 

 tion of the Blaisdell Orchard shows that the sandy Mesa soil has 

 Ijeen so thoroly changed by irrigation, deposits of silt, and the 



