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THE IMPERIAL PRESS
VOL. 11l
Published at the center of the greatest irrigated territory in America, in the Keart of the Colorado desert, San Diego county, Southern Cali ornia 67feet below the level of the sea Under pres
ent canals, 200,000 acres: under irrigation system when completed, 400,000 acres. Adjacent to irrigated land in Arizona and land to be irr gated by the National Government from the same
grand Colorado river which will make a combined body of more than a million irrigated acres. k
GRAPES, DATES AND GOATS
Pacific Rural Press Advises a Calexico
Farmer
"To the Editor: — Would you advise
t,' nse of resultant vines here? - It
•Seems that in many parts of the State it
: is impossible to grow a vineyard except
on resistant^ r^tJ^pThe climate here
(Colorado desert^lm|>erial Settlements)
ia dry. 'It rains about once or twice a
year, but there is plenty of water for ir
rigation. • ■ -There is no fog,- 1 and very sel
d in any dew. Th • soil in many places
is a fin ■ sandy soil, but contains no
sharp or coarse/sand, and when very
wet is almost quicksand. In other
places it is heavier, but contains consid
erable grit mixed with silt. How many
varieties of seedless grapes are there
:in:l what are their characteristics, size
* of fruit, color, yield; size and appear
ance of bunches? ; Where can I obtain
dab s of the "Rhars" or "Dtglet Noor"
varieties? I want 'the seeds for plant
ing, but do not know of any dealer to
w..oui i can send. Would the Angora
ij .at do well here?— H. C, Calexico.".
; .. We should not , undertake to start
with resistant stocks in your district,
: except perhaps to put in a few to see
'how they grow in I , case you need the
facts later. The soils you mention are
among those least favorable for the phil
loxera and in which its spread will be
very slow, even if your soil temperature
slits it, which is a question. At all
; events, you are far away from the phil
loxera now to make it necessary only to
be sure that the cuttings which you use
to 'mart your vineyard come from a re
gion where the \ insect does not exist.
i\>u can undoubtedly get them ■ from
Palm Springs or indio and be safe. The
seedless grapes commonly known are
• the Sultana, Tlxo'i.ipson Seedless and
the .» into and Black Corinth. The List
two have nut became popular, though
introduced decades ago. Tilt first . two
are the ones to try. They are both
strong growing vines needing long prun
ing and producing very large quantities
<>i white (or light ' yellow) grapes of
a.iKiil size, thin skin, delicious flavor,
suitable for table, \jt raisins ami lor
wine, ilie buncoes are long and loose.
, The dates you mention are 1 those , com
mended by Dr. Swingle', of the United
states Depaitiiu-ut of Agriculture, and
-are most liKely -to succeed in yjur dis
trict. We believe that seed' dates were
introduced oy the Department and will
.; be included' in tue offering of seeds by
the University ot California, which will
; bj liiin.Kiiic .i a'o'.iit iJjceinoei'l. Khars
ddtwS are now Oeiiijj marketed from Ari
zona. You can get information from
Prof. A. J. McClatchie, of Phoenix.
_ v^e cannot tell juat how the Angora
goat woUid do iv your country, but the
fact that tiiey do well in Nevada is pre
sumptive evidence of their success witii
you. They should certainly be given
— Pacific Rural Press. /-.
[Probably the Press ought not venture
to uiffcr wit; i so authritative a paper as
the Pacific Rural Press, but in its advo
cacy of the Muscat as the best grape for
this region, it has the support of good
authorities. /Thompson's seedless is a
late, sour o rape, and Wuile it is some- ,
'•Water is King -Here is its Kingdom."
IMPERIAL, CAL., SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 1903.
times eaten, it is not popular as a table '
grape, while the Muscat is the most pop- !
ular raisin grape and one of the best of
table. The chief advantage of this val
ley in the production of grapes is the
early time of ripening, that they may
be shipped for table use, ami a sour, late
grape certainly does not meet the
peculiar need of this valley. — Editok
Press. 1
WONDERFUL DEVELOPMENT
Hundr d fld" *d 1 ~ - A-
Now Doing Tn ngs
The Press must fail completely in giv- i
ing to outsiders an idea of the wondei ful
strides the va'ley is making just now.
Said one farmer:
"Last winter I had in 80 acres of my
quarter section. This year I have it all
in. Last year there were KiO acres of
other crops within a mile of my farm.
This year ever}' acre within a mile of
my place will be in crop."
Such are the reports of development
coming in from every quarter of land
under Water Companies Nos. 1, 4, 5, 7
and 8. The estimate, heretofore made,
that 100,000 acres will be in crop this
winter will probably be too small, and
the yield of threshed grain from this
planting may easily run to nearer two
million than one million sacks, to say
nothing of grain hay.
While untold hundreds of horses and
nmles have been imported during the
last ninety days, there is not a team to
be hired for any purpose, and contract
ors are sending out of the valley to hire
teams for their work.
This is the condition tiiat was ex
pected, but it goes further than was ex
pected, and no one can get a compre
hensive idea of the development work
in progress.
WAY DOWN SOUTH
Possible Delay in Railroad Building
Proves Greatly Jis: ppointing
The possibility that the railroad will
not be built from Imperial through
Heber to Calexico this winter, because
of difficulty in completing the rights of
way, is proving very disappointing in
the southern end of the valley, where
thousands of acres of laud are ready for
crops. Farmers are hesitating whether
to put in grain or not, for tYar the ex-
pense of hauling the crop to Imperial
for shipmenrwill wipe out all profit.
The prospects f»r Heber and Cah-xico
were wry bright as 10..* as it was be-
lieved the road would be built this Win-
ter, and projects were on for crowding
Heber forward with greater energy than
has been displayed with the older towns
of the valley. Of course it is yet possi-
ble that something may be done in this
line this winter if the condemnation
proceeding can make rapid headway in
the courts. But the uncertainty of the
future is disconcerting to all interests. I
Calexieo, even without the railroad,
.., , ,
is doing a good business, iar better tlian
;
ever before, and while the south end of '
the valley is disappointed, idleness is
nowhere in UVUicUUO. ,
COST OF CORN
Some More Definite Information Re= j
garding a Local Product
The Pacific Rural Press says editor
ially: "Recurring to the subject <>f sor
ghum varieties like Egyptian corn and
Kaffir corn as a substitute for maize in
pig feeding, as mentioned on the first
page of this issue, it is interesting to
add that the Press of Imperial, San
Diego county, where immense areas of
desert land are being reclaimed by irri
gation from the Colorado river, speaks
of a contract made in that valley to grow
Egyptian corn for 25 cents which re
sulted in profit enough to pay the cost
of the land. The actual cost of this corn
there is said to be about 10 or 12 cents a
bushel, probably, and it is equal to
Indian corn as cattle feed. But in the
Middle West cattle feeders figure on
paying 50 cents a bushel for corn, and
expect to make money out of cattle with
feed at that figure. There ought to be
great profit in beef with home-grown
corn at 10 cents, if in the Middle West
the feeders can afford to pay 50 cents.
We did not suppose that Egyptian corn
could be grown at any such figure, but
its chief requirements are heat and
water and the I-inperial country has
enough of both to do almost anything.
Still we should be surprised to hear that
even such a country was not using East
ern pork products."
Of course the Rural Press guessed
right, for Eastern pork products are for I
sale everywhere in California. But that !
is of the present, in a country not yet i
thoroughly acquainted with itself, and!
it is h"p*'d the time will yet come when
Imperial will have its own meat pack
ing houses.
But the question of the cost of corn
production opens an interesting line of
study, and the Pivss !:as gathered some
(K finite data along that line.
For all of the work and expense of
leveling the wild land, constructing
ditches and borders, putting in the seed
and irrigating, up to the time the rip
ened crops stood ready to harvest on 320
acres, all the work being done contract,
Chaplin Brothers expended $2158, or
$(>.74 an acre. There are oarts of the
field which will run from 80 to 100
bushels of corn (Kaffir) to the acre, but
50 bushels is the amount believed to be
dependable at all times by the careful
farmer. With that yield, not counting
interest on the investment nor the bene
fit of having the wild land brought
under subjection, the cost of the corn
would be 13.4 cents a busi.el, leaving a
net profit of $3.80 an acre, which is less
than Chaplin Brothers have made with
their big crop, above the improvement
of their land.
Taking leveled land with irrigation
system completed, the putting in of
crop can be contracted on the following
basis of expense: Disking, (>0 cents;
planting, 50 cents ; cost of seed, lOcents ;
irrigating labor (for 320 acres, one man
four months and another two months at
$<>5), $1.50 an acre; two acre feet of
water, $1 an acre; total expense per
acre, $3.70; cost of corn per bushel, 7.4
cents. Adding interest at rate of 8 per
cent on $25 value of land, the total cost
t
of the corn with a yield of 50 bushels
per acre would he 11.4 cents a bushel.
If sold at 25 cents a bushel, the profit
per acre above interest and all expenses
would be $<>.80.
But here is where the clincher comes :
Feeders in the Middle West are buying
corn for 50 cents a bushel for fattening
stock, expecting to make a profit. Fat
tening feed is as valuable lieiv as else
where, and if its economic value is 50
cents a bushel, the man who feeds it to
his own stock gi ts a profit of 38.6 cents
a bushel, or $19. 3'J an acre, above inter
est. And if farming land is a srood in
vestment on a basis of 8 per cent profit
above all expenses, the land of Imper-'
ial valley, on this showing, hasecononiic
value of $266.25 an acre, or more than
ten times its present market value,
simply to grow fattening feed for hogs.
BRING ON YOUR COWS
Gradually the Dairy Industry is Cirow-
ing Toward Big Proportions
Last week the Press contained two
advertisements of cows which were
being brought in for sale. This week
the paper announces the arrival of Dr.
Fuller with a herd of 22 head of cows
with which to start a dairy. Scores of
farmers are figuring on the same line,
and one by one they are preparing to
engage in the new line of production.
The Press has no interest in the Im
perial creamery beyond the interest
which every citizen of the valley has,
but because it is believed that herein
; lies the greatest opp >ttunity for the
j town and for the country, the Press is
inclined to continue to urge the farmers
to build up the dairy business just as
possible.
It is the testini >ny of many persons
that a good dairy herd will net the
owner $8 a head for tin cream alone,
leaving the skimniilk to be fed to small
stock, and thus further increase the
profit.
Even for the small fanner, with ten
acres of pasture, there is more money in
the dairy business thus conducted than
the average man can earn, while the
man with a quarter section of land
fairly well stocked will have a much
better revenue than the average busi
ness man.
And the beauty of the dairy business
is that twice each month the dairyman
draws down his earnings in hard cash.
There is no long delay waiting for har
vest. And in this country, where there
is an abundance of pasture the year
around, there is but a small part of the
expense attendant on the dairy indus
try in countries with less favorable
climate.
Dr. W. T. IleftVrnan, formerly ol
Yuma but now residing at Imperial,
having large interests there, is in the
city on business. Dr. Heffernan is now
recognized as one of the shrewdest busi
ness men in Southern California, and
his many friends in Yuma will be
pleased to know that he is enjoying
that measure of prosperity to which
his energy and integrity are entitled.
The doctor is one of the leading direct
ors of the Imperial canal system, com
prising the most extensive irrigation
works in the west. — Yuma Sentinel.
NO. 31
