Omaha daily bee., 1899-06-25
SUGAR FROM ALAALI SOIL
Beets Successfully Raised on Soil Considered
Useless.
RESULTS OF A TeN-ACRE EXPERIMENT
Profitable Tips for Farmers In the
Arid decentralization Essential
to Success-Pcrccntage of
Alkali Salts.

Sugar beets, 1t was thought for long
time, could not be grown profitably on
soils containing much alkali. The great
interest awakened, however, in the sugar
beet question and particularly in the west,
where irrigation has proven such a sue
cess with this crop, has led to experiments
with growing beets in soils containing more
or less alkali.
Although the sugar beet industry is just
beginning to be established in this coun-
try and we have millions of acres of land
whose adaptability to the growth of the
beet is unquestioned, it Is nevertheless i'm
portant to ascertain the possibilities Of sue
cessful sugar-beet culture on alkali soils
inasmuch as the proximity OF such soils to
beet sugar factories may make them espe-
cially desirable as beet fields. The existence
of these conditions in southern California,
near the large sugar beet factory at Chino,
and the fact that the beet fields there were
rapidly extended with but little regard to
the presence of alkali, without seriously in
juring the quality OF the beet, induced the
California experiment station to make a
study of the effect of different kinds and
, amounts OF alkali in the soil on the growth
and quality of sugar beets
The investigation was made on ten acre
field located on the border OF tract OF
alkali land. The tract contained occasional
small alkali spots, which, however. did not
seem 10 interfere with it's natural growth
of wild grasses and sunfowers. This soil
was first planted to various grasses and
legumes, but as none of these gave promise
of crop, the greater part OF the tract was
again plowed and planted to sugar beets'
They Grew Well.
'"These came up quickly, though with a
somewhat thin stand, right among the alkali
| effiorescences, and continued to grow with
out let or hindrance" The alkall salts did
not seem to affect the beets, although they
| had proved injurious to the grasses and
legumes Different portions OF the tract
| had different amounts and qualities OF alkali
salts and to deduce definite conclusions re-
garding the tolerance OF the plants for the
several mixtures OF salts the tract was di-
vided into plats fifty feet square which was
| Investigated separately.
| It is concluded from the results obtained
that without question sugar beets OF good
! quality can be grown on soil containing as
much as 1000 pounds of alkali salts per
! acre to the depth of three feet, provided the
| average percentage OF common salt is not
over 0.04 per cent or 1900 pounds pei
| acre.
To find out whether the sugar beet can be
| proftably grown on alkali lands II is recon-
/ mended to those interested in such lands 70
ascertain the total amount OF salts in the
upper three or four feet of soil. This NAV
be accomplished by taking an average sam
pie of the soil to that depth by means OF a
post-hole auger and having the amount OF
soluble salts contained in 1t determined. a
considerable portion of the salts present II
tho first three or four feet Of the soil may
come to the surface under cultivation anc
irrigation and may give the soil the appear
ance OF being too heavily impregnated witt
alkali 10 grow beets; but, these expert
ments indicate. the feasibility Of successful!