The herald., 1897-11-18
THE SOIL OF THE WEST
SURPRISES THE GOVERNMENT
EXPERTS
No Reason Is Known Why the Desert
Region Should Resist Drought
So Successfully


sion of soils of the agricultural depart
ment, which was established couple
of years ago, is conducting some of the
most interesting experiments of the
department. Prof. Milton Whitney, who
is in charge of the division, is engaged
at present in the investigation of the
climatic conditions of moisture and tenn
perature in their relation to the local
distribution of crops.
The investigation of the western soils,
made with the aid of the weather bu-
reau, which covers Lower California. the
San Joaquin valley and the great Pa
louise district, comprising the wheat
growing districts of California, Wash
ington and Montana, the Yellowstone
valley, the red River valley and also the
Mojave deserts, have developed some
most astounding facts and some which
the department OF agriculture is not yet
able to explain. =! M
Prof. Whitney says that the history OF
these soils will make the most remark
able chapter in the history of the
worlds agriculture. although these
soils, excepting the Red River and des-
ert districts mentioned, have from one
to one-h the RAINFALL received by the
territory east of the Mississippi river
(that is, from seven to twenty inches)
they seldom, if ever, suffer from
drought. Moreover, practically all the
rainfall they do receive comes in the
fall and winter seasons. Only slight
fraction falls during the Summer months
when the crops are growing. Yet the
crops do not suffer. An investigation OF
these far western soils has shown that
they are largely made up Of the disin-
tegration of the original basaltic rocn
and that there is little difference be-
tween the soils and sub-soils, a differ
ence very marked in the east. They
have a remarkable power of absorption
of moisture and do not readily lose 1t by
evaporation. although the humidity of
the atmosphere during the growing sea-
son is much lower than in the east.
Thus, the crops, by subsisting on the
winter rains, can stand long periods Of
drought In the San Joaquin valley, the
great grape growing region of Califor-
mia. the annual rainfall is but seven
inches. and from May to September,
only about six -tenths of an inch falls;
yet the vines flourish throughout the
season. 1t is true, they are irrigated ~
canals. but the moisture is absorbed ana
transmitted by the soil. There is 40
surface application Of water.
In Southern California the winter rain
fall is about sixteen inches. the summer
rainfall less than one inch, and without
irrigation tobacco and other crops grow
luxuriantly. AT Chino, in this district,
sugar beets, which require a great
amount of moisture, grow famously.
The surface soil dries out in summer,
which seems to protect the soil under
meath. In the district about Merced,
Walla Walla, Bozsman in Pullman,
termed the Palouse district the annual
rainfall varies from ten to twenty
inches, in which from one to ten inches
| falls during the season of the growing
| crops, yet, owing to the wonderful power
of the soil to retain water and supply
it to the crops, a drouth of months is
less injurious there than one of the
same number of weeks In the east, where
the annual rainfall is about forty inches
In the Mojave and Nevada deserts the
annual rainfall averages about five
| inches, but beneath the alkali crusts the
| soil is always moist, fact which the
scientists have as yet been unable tt
explain. In fact. little is known of the
power of soils to hold water. AS, arte-
sian wells show water in all these dis
tricts from forty to 200 feet below the
surface, it is considered possible thai
there is q slow and continuous move
ment of water upward from the artesiar
sources, which are beyond the influences
| of local climate This iS eSDeciallV he
| lieved to be true of the desert districts
| where the moisture of the soil cannot
be explained on the theory that the sol
could retain it's moisture from the insig-
nificant rainfall. BY placing electrode:
in the soil in all these places at variou:
depths from few inches to twenty-five
feet, it is believed that in the future tht
direction and intensity of what nigh
be termed the water waves Of the eartf
can be accurately determined.