Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1897-04-01
ANALYSIS OF STATE SOILS.
Different Results in Different
Parts of the State From
Special Tests.
Results Of Experiments Car
ried On by State Agri.
cultural College.
Burning Straw a Bad Practice
Destroys the Humus
in the Soil.

Bulletin No. "a Of the sgrioult ural
college 10 IN regard to the physical and
chemical properties Of soil Of North Ds-
kota. samples Of which were secured
from different parts Of the state. Tho
work Of Investigation 10 yet incomplete,
but the results 90 fer obtained are given
publicity. The soils were grouped &C.
cording to geographical distribution over
the state as follows: Red, James, Shey-
enne and Mouse river valleys, Devils
Lake region, north central counties in.
Guiding the Turtle mountains, Wells
county and west Of the Missouri river
(st Dlcklnson.)
The soil is q drift or alluvial loan,
from slx inches TO three feet IN depth,
black to greyish brown in color, but
differing considerably in the different
parts of the state both in chemical and
physical properties. Successful agricul-
ture, however, is more Influenced by
climatic conditions than by any differ
epce in the chemical properties Of the
soil.
Ths3bulletin says study of the physi-
cal properties Of the soil Is often OF as
much value as the chemical analysls,
and sieves OF various degrees Of fneness
were used IN separating the soil. The
larger the percentage Of fine soil, other
things being equal, that passes through
sieve with, say, 100 meshes to the
square inch, the greater the amount of
available plant food. OF "A samples of
virgin or cultivated soil it is found that
the average is AZ. ~ per cent. The larg-
est percentage ls found in the Mouse
river country where 78-or over three
quarters of the soil-passes such sieve.
The James River valley comes next with
60 per cent, followed close by Wells
county with 60 per cent. Dickinson
shows ~ per cent, one and halt per
cent more than the Red River valley and
ard three per cent more than the Turtle
mountain region. The cosrsest. but not
necessarily the poorest, soil, ss far 40 the
physical properties are concerned, is to
be found in the Devils Lake region
where but little more than one-qusrter-- =
%. 8 per cent-passes the sieve. Sisse-
ton reservation comes next with 30 per
cent and Sheyenne exceeds it with SO
per cent.
The James River valley heads the list
in regard to the physical properties of
the sui bsoiI, six samples of which we're
taken IN the state. In this valley the
percentage is 5S per cent, Turtle Mts. 81;
Sbeyenne, 33; Devils Lake, 81 and Dick
lnson, % per cent. The subsoils in the
Red River valley were not tested, so far
as the bulletin shows.
The soils Of North Dakota having the
finest physical propertles are found out
side Of the Red River valley and in the
so.called seml-humid belt. These soils
are exceeding retentive OF moisture as is
shown by their capacity to hold water.
Thus the soil Of the James River valley
is given the highest percentage, 84115.
The average of IA soils is 73 per cent.
This valley exceeds the average by II
per cent, Devils Lake by five per cent
and Dickinson four. All the others fall
below the average. Because Of this
water capacity the comparatively small
annual rainfall suffices to produce good
yield OF crops. Probably the better in
crease Ct wheat observed after bare sum.
mer fallow is not due SO much to resting
the land or making available plant food,
as TO conserving the moisture, storing it
up so that a large supply Is available for
the growing crop the following year.
Experiments at the farm in 1895 confirm
this. But this bare summer fallow is at
the expense of heavy loss Of humus and
available plant food from the soil. Fall
blowing gives better conditions for stor-
ing up the fall and winter moisture.
One Of the important constituents OF
the soils Of North Dakota is the humus,
the partially deoayed organic matter of
the soil, the amount dependant manly
on the character Of the growth on the
land and methods of cultivation. In this
humus ls the nitrogen mostly found end
the available mineral salts. phosphstes,
potash, etc., to serve az immediate plant
food. The humus also modifies the con-
dltion Of the soil, making sandy coil
more compact and retentive Of moisture
while IN clay soll 1t makes the ground
porous, less compact, ensures better
drainage and better absorbant Of the
suns heat. The virgin coil particularly
IN the valley region Of the state, was
very rich IN humus, but continuous