BULLETIN 210. IMPERIAL VALLEY SETTLERS' CROP MANUAL. 193 



has been experienced in drying them. In other seasons it has been 

 so dry that some varieties, such as the White Adriatic, have been 

 reported as drying on the trees before fully mature. 



There are no known serious pests of the fig in Imperial Valley. 

 The large green beetle, known as the "Fig E ter" (Allorhina muta- 

 bilis} which is so destructive in the Salt River Valley of Arizona, has 

 not yet gained a foothold. 



FLAX. 



Flax has only been grown in a small experimental way and very 

 little is known as to its possibilities. Being a crop which is better 

 suited to the north it is quite sensitive to the summer heat and should 

 be planted in October and harvested for seed or fibre in the spring. 



GOOSEBEEKY. 



It is very doubtful if gooseberries can be grown in the Imperial 

 Valley with profit, as they are not at all suited to the climatic con- 

 ditions. 



GRAINS. 



Barley is the principal grain crop of the valley. It is better 

 adapted to a warm climate than any of the other grains, although 

 the hot weather rather than the cold is the limiting factor in its 

 growth. The yield varies from 8 to 25 sacks per acre, averaging from 

 12 to 15 sacks per acre. It is grown for grain, for winter pasture, 

 and for hay, the usual practice being to pasture the field in the late 

 fall and winter (not later than February) and to then let it go to 

 grain or hay. In this way it forms a valuable green feed when alfalfa 

 is practically dormant. It is often planted in the alfalfa in the fall 

 to furnish a supplementary winter feed. A good discing before plant- 

 ing the barley will insure a good stand and help the alfalfa. It is 

 not considered very profitable when grown for grain alone, on a small 

 scale, although it is planted on most of the raw land as the first crop, 

 as it gives quick returns and can be planted before the land is per- 

 fectly or permanently leveled. As the valley settles iip the barley 

 fields will give way to more intensively cultivated and more profitable 

 crops unless grown in a two-crop rotation. 



Barley will not sprout during the very hot weather in summer, 

 when the temperature remains above 110 degrees F. during the day, 

 even when the proper moisture conditions are supplied. The seed is 

 sown any time after the middle of September to the middle of Febru- 

 ary. If winter pasture TS desired the seed is usually planted about 

 the first of October. When grain alone is wanted the barley is usually 



