, 1899-01-13


nitrogen to the soil by the roots, COM
bined with blowing under the rank
growth of tops to improve the soil
tilth and add humus, it is believed will
make the land more productive.
Sugar beets thrive we'll upon soils
strongly impregnated with alkali salts.
1t is claimed that excess of chlorides
in the soil upon which beets are grown,
serious interference with the crystal
ization of the sugar in the process of
manufacture. This would give no
trouble here as only small of
chlorides are present and the sui
pilates do not have the same effect.
AS yet we have no sugar factories,
but the beets are invaluable as stock
food. Where fattening stock or mich
cows are to be fed during the winter,
it will pay to raise sugar beets to mix
with other food. The beets may be
raised upon the alkali part of the farm,
but in order to produce large yields
the land should be fortified the same
as any other soil upon which beets are
to be grown.
In 1897 and 1898 we grew sugar beets
upon soil practically free from alkali,
and upon soil containing sc much al
kali that ordinary crops would not
grow. The composition of the alkali
as shown by analysis made by Mr..
Fairfield in the spring of 1897 was So
dunn and potassium chlorides 14.39 per
cent, sodium sulphate 5O.16 per cent,
Magnesium Sulphate, 20.03 per cent,
and Calcium Sulphate 1911 per cent.
The soil was not fortified in either case
and the yield was much larger on the
alkali soil. In 1897 the beets were an
alyzed Dy the United States department
of agriculture, showing a large per cent
of sugar and high purity. The re-
suits are given in the following table:
SUGAR BEETS AT LARAMIE.
Yield sugariu
Year. Kind of Land, per acre, Beet Pur:.
Pounds. Perc't. itSt
1897. Without alkali 11,643 1910 Ss.2
Strong alkali 14,4S6 1871 ISL
1898. Without alkali $685. So. F..
strong alkali 1852 lis 80.
RECLAMATION OF ALKALI SOILS.
The old saying that IAN QUO of pre-
vention is worth a pound of cure is in
place here. While it may be impossi-
BILE to prevent the accumulation and
rise of alkali on certain portions of the
farm, by taking the matter in hand
early the time of land becoming unpro-
ductive may often be almost indefinite
ly postponed. The low ground where
1T is expected alkali will first come to
the surface should be kept in some
crop, as alfalfa. which will shade the
ground the greater part OF the time,
or planted to such crops as can be thor
oughly cultivated to loosen the sur
face. and prevent evaporation. The only
experiments we have made in reclaim
ing have been by open ditch draining
at Sheridan. In the summer of 1895
$50 rods of open ditch were dug to drain
about ten acres of the northwest corner
of the farm. The soil Of the farm is
underlaid with hardpan and the leach
ings of alkali from the higher land fol-
lowed along this hardpan to the lowest
| part, where the salus came to the sur
face. A pant of the time the water level
was as high as, or above the surface Of
the ground, and so much alkali col
lected there that even weeds which or
dinarily thrive in the presence Of such
salts would not grow. In 1896, 12O rods
of additional ditch. two feet deep, was
dug. The following extracts from the
annual reports of Superintendent Lewis
since 1895 indicate with what success
the bitches have added in retaining
the land.
Extract from report of 1895: Our
$50 rods of ditch made during the sum-
mer will, l think. prove a great benefit
to the alkali land. The water does not
stand on the surface as 1t did"
Report Of 1896: Have made 100
rods of ditch, connecting with ditch
made during 1895, which is doing much
good in retaining the alkali land"
Report OF 1891: Il consider our ex-
pertinent with drain bitches has done
and will do a great amount OF good in
raoloip,ipa tho land land that has