350 Pomona College Journal op Economic Botany. 



old aspara^is he netted $600. In all, he made 40 acres of productive land 

 carry 15 acres of unproductive grapes and net $4600, after hiring all labor, 

 including a manager. 



Four and forty-three hundredths acres of Yellow Bermudas produced 

 1500 crates of No. 1 onions that netted 63c a crate of 50 pounds. They 

 brought from 90c to $2 gross, averaging $1.13 per crate. 



Cantaloupes will produce 350 crates to the acre. Fifteen tons of water- 

 melons are considered a good crop. 



An acre of asparagus in Imperial Valley netted $150 on the January 

 and February markets. Eighty-six hundredths of an acre, at Yuma, three- 

 fourths of which were yearling plants, the rest being 2-year-olds, produced 

 for the May market $200 worth of shoots at an average price of 10c a 

 pound. 



In the Imperial are 10,000 acres of cotton this summer. The crop 

 brings from 8c to 15c a pound. At Coachella, cotton was not picked be- 

 cause the market price was only 8c. Short staple cotton is grown mostly 

 now, but the opinion is that the long staple is the coming crop for the 

 valley. 



FUNDAMENTAL AGRICULTITIE 



After all is said and done, it remains a fact that here, feed is the ba.sis of 

 agriculture. One resident has truly said, "Alfalfa will make the homes." 

 Without it all else would be impossible. Alfalfa is cut from five to eight times 

 a year, and produces from five to twelve tons per acre, per annum. By 

 proper management, it should be made to produce, regularly, ten tons to 

 the acre. This is the most staple crop of the valley. 



Kaffir corn and milo maize are both grown for their seed, the latter pro- 

 ducing somewhat the greater tonnage. Milo maize will sometimes make 

 two crops to the season, producing from one to two tons of seed to the 

 acre, each crop. This seed sells at about $20 a ton and is used for poultry 

 and stock food. Indian corn is grown some, but does not produce as well as 

 the Egyptian corn. 



The fattening of cattle and hogs, in alfalfa pastures, and the dairy and 

 poultry industries, are all profitable, and are sure to grow with the country 

 and become basic factors in the wealth of the community. 



Alfalfa and stock fattening are the foundation upon which the homes 

 are to be built. Next in importance comes the culture of dates, perhaps the 

 best of the horticultural possibilities. After dates, figs will be given recog- 

 nition, then citrus culture, and so on down the list of fruits, vegetables, and 

 grains. The horticultural possibilities of these desert lands have been, as yet, 

 only partially explored. What may lie beyond is at present merely a 

 dream of the idealist, but a dream which modern scientific methods will 

 cause to come true. 



