278 Annual Rkport Agricultural Experiment Station 



farmer who is dependent partially or wholly upon rainfall. It has 

 also reduced the amount of storage water and stream flow for irri- 

 gation and made greater economy of water necessary. 



During the period of this report, the most notable change by 

 farmers and housewives in methods has been in the direction of 

 economy and conservation. Remarkable agricultural achievements 

 mark the period in spite of the handicap of serious labor shortage. 

 Arizona agriculture, thus put to the test under the pressure of war, 

 has achieved results which would have been impossible otherwise. 

 The doing of things in new and better ways by farmers wall bring 

 permanent good to our agriculture. 



THE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION FARMS 



A very complete description of the Experiment Station farms, 

 accompanied by maps of the properties, was published in the 

 Twenty-eighth Annual Report. Since that time various minor 

 improvements have been effected but no large developments have 

 taken place, due to the exigencies of war work and numerous 

 changes in the personnel of the Agronomy Department. Cultural 

 operations, as usual, have been pursued on the farms and are re- 

 viewed in the report of the Agronomist. 



Several of the farms w^ere inspected and reported upon by com- 

 mittees of the Board of Regents. A resume of the reports of these 

 committees follow^s : 



TEMPE cooperative date orchard 



This property was visited by Member William Scarlett during 

 the harvest season of 1918. Mr. Scarlett found that no particular 

 improvement in the w^ay of buildings had been made ; that the crop 

 of dates had been profitable ; and that the farm was becoming able 

 more and more to take care of itself. Certain experiments looking 

 largely toward the production of seed from which dates can be 

 grown were progressing. 



The conditions wdiich some time ago threatened the existence 

 of the farm and a large section of the farming community round 

 about, in the rise of the w^ater level of the valley, w^ere being cor- 

 rected by a drainage ditch and, apj^arently, that danger had largely 

 passed. The date crop appeared not to have been aft'ected. 



SALT RIVER valley FARM 



The University Experiment Farm near Mesa also was visited 

 by Mr. Scarlett. He reported that extensive experiments in the 

 growing of peas and beans for fodder and as renewers of the soil 



