, 1899-01-13
A[KAL| NOTES
BY PROFESSOR b. C. BUFFUM OF
THE AGRICULTURAL EN-
PERTINENT STATION.
Series of Experiments Tried on Alkali
Resisting Plants-Method of Free
ing the Soil from Alkali-Causes of
Destruction of Fertile Lands by
Alkali.

tNAcA ~ ""l III NV ll'Ih Ntlt vi
lined in Bulletin No. 80 of this sta
ton. While it cannot be said thai any
of this work has been completed, some
results have been obtained which are
of interest. The productive area of the
Station Farm is continually being en-
croached upon by the rise of alkali
salts on the lower parts of the land. AT
the same time the greatest care has
been exercised in our irrigation. 1t
cannot be laid to over-irrigation, or the
careless handling of the water used.
We know of no way to effectually pre-
vent the accumulation of alkali salts
upon low lands which have no drain
age outlet. 1t is possible to irrigate
land which has considerable slope with
out allowing any appreciable amount
the land is level, some of the water
finds its way through the soil or sub
soil down the slope, carrying a quanti-
ty of the soluble salts with 1t. If there
is good drainage the salts are washed
out of the soil into streams and car
ried off. Where there is no outlet of
this kind a reservoir if formed IN which
the salts accumulate lust as water col
lects in a lake bod. As more of the
salts are washed down from the high
err ground the accumulation increases
and more lard is added to the unpro-
ductive alkali waste.
Where the process of teaching has
not begun the salts naturally occur,
distributed through the soil in COM
paratively small quantities. Small
either acting directly as plant food or
indirectly aiding in the process of plant
nutrition. The fact that the soluable
portion of our soils has not been leach
ed out and carried away by excessive
rainfall accounts for such lands being
almost if not quite as rich and lasting
as the soils along the Nile, which re-
ceive an annual supply of teachings and
sediment from the headwaters of that
stream. However, when our lands are
brought under irrigation and cultiva-
ton there seems to be NJ way of keep
ing the soluble salts scattered through
through the soil as they were origin
ally. When water is applied they move
downward. By the ~precolation of
water through the soil, the salts are
cumulating where the water accumu
lates. When the water evaporates from
the surface the salts in solution are left
behind and more water coming up from
below continually adds its freight of
salts, leaving them where they can do
the most damage to crops. This simple
principle of the movements of alkali
salts in the soil along with the water
furnishes the key to any preventative
treatment which must be along one of
the following lines:
l Irrigation with water free from
salts.
2. Preventing seepage.
3. Draining the water from below.
4. Cultivating or treating the sur
face in such a way as to prevent evap-
grafton, which brings the salt to the
surface.
Over irrigation and the lack of most
intelligent and thoughtful management
brings about rapid and widespread
destruction to the most fertile lands.
Good natural or artificial drainage will
enable the farmer who properly crops,
cultivates, and irrigates his land to pre-
rent any damage from alkali, provid-
ing the water with which he irrigates
does not bring large amounts of salts
to his soil. But there are places with
out good natural drainage where ar
tifcial drainage will be too expensive
for years to come and where alkali is
accommodating more or less rapidly. As
yet the farmer has no market for his
crop of salts and unless he can SO
ITedI Iue ltlu Iudl II VIII piiN5 SoH
return he is better off without the use
less acres upon which the taxes are the
same as upon the rest of the farm.
All this discussion leads up to the
point | wish to make. Although we
may know of no easy of cheap method
of retaining such lands so all crops
will thrive upon them We may make
them productive by introducing plants
which will grow in presence OF large
amounts of alkali salta
Professor Hilgard has accomplished
a great deal in introducing alkal re-
sisting plants to cultivation in Cali
fornia. We have been experimenting
with such plants for some time and are
now able to report upon a few OF them.
We have found very few useful plants
which will grow where the soil con-
tains so much alkali that an incrusta-
Ition is formed on the surface. In
c~rustations Of our ordinary white alkali
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