Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1894-10-19
ALKALI SOILS.
Newspaper Bulletin No. 1871

applied almost indiscriminately to all
soils containing an unusual amount Of
soluble mineral salt, whose presence
is FIRE IN ;ntly ma lie appar mt by the
%etferve seen ,e' or appearing on the
surface of Il white powder or crust,
soluble in water. Tnis "alkai' be.
come more apparent Ill dry we 1.-the:
following uHon rains or irrigation.
LATER in the season it may become
impe :tepsi lie from intermiXture will
dust. The first rain or irrigation dis
eolve' the encruStatiOn and carries it
parity mo the drains, thence away,
but III ,5t.y back i'll % the soils, whence
it ri rs again ut the recurrence of dry
we lthe:. The immediate source of
this al Iai' is Il III lily to be found in
the soil water, which, rising from be-
low and rvdporlting ut the surface
deposits thee whatever OF dissolved
matters it may have in solution.
Such water when reached by dig
ging is by no means always percepti-
bly, salty or aiFal' ne. and the same is
mostly true o. the 81 j few inches
beneath the surface. For. rs the soil
acting like wick, draws up the soil
water and aii' VS. il to evaEoratc at
the surface, it is there, OF course, that
all the dis solved matters accumulate,
until the solution becomes so strong as
to mjurc or kill vegetation. The in
jury is usually found to be most Sc
we're just at or near the crown of the
root where the stem energies from
the soil.
One obvious and practically inn
portant conclus ion to be drawn from
the above cons liberation is, that the
more water evaporates from the sur
face of the soil within given season
the more alkali salt will be brought
to the surface. Hence, within Ger.
tain limits a cro al er rainfall will bring
up greater amount of alkali, or sur
face irrigation will produce the same
effect. al ways providing that the rain
fall does not - so far as to wash
portion Of the salts beyond the
reach of surface evaporation, into
lower strata. from which springs or
seepages will carry them into the coun
try drainage. The measure of the
rainfall or the amount of irrigation
water that will accomplish one or the
other of these opposite results de-
ponds, in large measure upon the
nature of She soil rs we'll as the I'M
DERIVING strata. 1t is far more diff
cult to get the soluble salts out of a
clay soil than out of a sandy soil, and
the moisture and accompanying ealts
will keep rising through the former
and from greater depths and for a
greater length OF time after the cessa-
ton Of rain or irrigation.
1t is the intention of the Station to
study the characteristics of the alkali
soils Of Nevada, and to this end we
would ask the ranchers over the State
to send us samples OF the encrusta-
ton appearing on the surface, and
also of the unleIl! ing soil for depth
OF six inches. and sample Of the
subFoil to depth OF say two feet. In
taking the sample of the encrustation
pr, as. get ii as free as possible from
adhering soIl.
=, We are willing to give our time to
th's work. and simply ask Of those
interested that the samples be taken,
plainly marked with name Of con-
signor, place, and date which NAV he
OF use, such as extent OF irrigation.
what crops are injured or what will
grow in soil, cct.
A ready response will be fully ap
preciated.
NATHANIEL T.. WILSON,
Station Chemist