The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-12-22
Irrigation Lands Alkalixsd.

Maurice Watel, writing from Paris,
France, to Bradstreet's. says:
read in your journal that the west
ern irrigated lands become alkalized
by over-irrigation. Really all lands
become alkalized by irrigation wher-
ever rain is scarce. In Egypt the same
thing occurs as In the western United
States, and people are obliged. from
time to time, to wash the soil. Dur
ing those years the fields to be washed
are not cultivated, and they are wa
tered very heavily. The water used
for washing Is carried away toward
the Nile by drainage mean the wa
ter which has penetrated the vege-
table layer and exhausted the alkall
in the same. In one word, in coun-
try of deserts the system Of irrigation
always has as counterpart system
OF drainage.
This system Of drainage has the f0l-
lowing object:
First-To permit the washing Of the
soil when 1t is necessary. (Remedy).
Second-To carry away the water Of
irrigation, which, after 1t penetrates
the vegetable layer, can take from the
subsoil the salts contained therein and
bring them to the surface by capillar.
ity preventive measure.)
- u
Oleomargarine Laws-Federal Statute.
In the cases of the United States vs.
Wilkins, and the United States VS..
Butler, lately decided by the federal
Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third
circuit, the defendants were convicted
Of violating the laws regulating the
sale Of oleomargarine by removing in
ternal-revenue stamps and other dis
tinguishing marks from number OF
packages Of oleomargarine. The stat
ute prohibited the removal or deface-
ment Of marks or brands on the oleo-
margarine, and regulations adopted by
the treasury department fixed the d.
mansions of the letters and figures in
the brand. The court held that the
regulations adopted by the executive
officers Of the government had the
force of law, and that the Indictment,
in setting forth the allegations men
toned above, alleged the commission
of statutory crime.
The time is coming when every farm
will be an experiment station. We
will then not have to depend on the
data gathered in few situations in
each state, but will have thousands OF
scientific experiments upon which to
base conclusions. The work of max
ing the farms experiment stations is
going on with ever increasing rapidity.
The number Of students In our agri-
cultural colleges is increasing from
year to year and the future must see
a very much larger proportion going
back to the farms than in the past.
The application of science to our farms
means the saving Of our farms, for II
will stop the exhaustion of the soils
and will turn the tide in the other di-
rection. The farms will be smaller,
and the farm population larger. We
have seen for many years q great
movement Of the rural populations to-
wards the cities. The re-establishment
of the fertility of our farms and In
creased opportunities on them viii at
least stop the tide that has been nov
ing towards our cities. This Will be
done in very natural manner. The
profits of farming will be increased
and thus more mef will be glad to &C.
cupy farms and will be able to make
living on smaller areas.
The size ola flock must be regulated
by the accommodations. II man had
his entire time to devote to the care
Of his poultry and was skilled in the
care Of them 1t is possible that a flock.
of almost any size might be handled
with advantage. "a ~
caulifiower was developed from the.
cabbage by checking the terminal
flower bud and producing mass Of
succulent. edible flowers.
= pays TO feed bonemeal.