The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-02
Alkali Soils in the Valley of the
Yellowstone.
A SURVEY Is BEING MADE
The Conditions Are Particularly Simple
and the Danger Can Be Avoided
by Certain Methods Within
the Power OF Owners.
Washington Bureau of the Standard,
No. I145 G Street N. w.

ney, chief of the soils division in the
report to the secretary on the alkali
soils of the Yellowstone valley. This
report is full of interest, owing to the
serious trouble threatened at several
points in Montana from the rise of al
kali in the soils. When the country was
first opened UP there was no suggestion
of this kind of trouble, but, after 10 or
IL years of irrigation, it has begun to
assume alarming proportions.
Prof. Whitney reports that in All
gust 1897. he was driven over large
part of the Billings valley by several
gentlemen interested in the matter. The
| conditions seemed so very important
that he sent back to Washington for an
equipment for the electrical determine
ton Of the salt content of the soils,
and returned to Billings when notified
that this had arrived. The brief exam
nation satisfied Whitney that further
Investigations would give results OF
very great practical value by showing
the farmers just what the conditions
were in the soil; what they had to fear
if existing methods were continued;
what they had to guard against to pre-
would have to contend with in reclaim
ing some of the already abandoned
lands.
Last spring Thomas H. Means. an
assistant in the soils division, was sent
out to Billings to make a more detailed
investigation. He was charged to col
lect data as to the general distribution
of the salts with reference to the topog
raphy of the land and the position of
the irrigating ditch, and to make such
a detailed examination of a small area
that an underground map could be con-
structed, showing the amount and dis
tribution of the alka1i salts under the
surface. The results of this inves tiga-
tion appear of so much practical value
that arrangements are being made ITO
continue the work and to make an un
derground survey of the entire valley.
1t is estimated that in six months time
and at an expense not exceeding S1,2Ou,
sum utterly insignificant in proper
ton to the great value of the probable
| results OF such an expedition, the nee
essary data could be collected from
Billings eastward to Miles City or pos
sibly Glendiye and suitable under
ground maps prepared. with view to
preventing such serious calamities as
have overtaken some of these lands in
opening up new districts and for the
reclamation of abandoned irrigated
lands in the Yellowstone valley.
In his letter transmitting his report
to the secretary Prof Whitney says:
II sincerely trust that arrangements
may be consummated for the compile
ton of this survey. 1t must not appear
to those unacquainted with the sub
ject that the rise of alkali and the dis
astrous effects following the application
of irrigation waters is peculiar to the
Yellowstone valley. These are prob
I,
arid regions the world over and wher-
ever irrigation is practiced. The Yei-
lowstone valley was really selected TO
start the alkali work of the division
because there the problem is so simple
and the conditions can be so easily
controlled. All of the irrigation dis
tricts of the country contain more or
less alkali and are eubject to the evil
effects of over-irrigation, and the COM
munity is to be congratulated where
the conditions are so simple and SO
easily controlled as in the Yellowstone
valley"
The report proceeds to say that the
Yellowstone valley in Montana is APP
proXimately 400 miles in length, but the
area which has been especially consid
cred in these Investigations is that part
between Billings and Glendive, a dis
tance of about $50 miles. All of the
detailed work was done in the immedi-
ate vicinity of Billings. The valley at
this point is about six miles in width.
Irrigation has been practiced for IL or
Is years. The water for the main ditch
supplying the valley at this point is
taken out of the river nearly 10 miles
above the town of Billings.
Many theories have been advanced
by the landowners as to the source of
the alkali and as to the conditions I'M
der the surface" says Prof. Whitney.
1.-The belief is widespread that the alkali
flats could probably be reclaimed by
flooding the surface during a dry sea-
son and washing the crust off. Our
preliminary Investigations showed them
plainly that the crust contained only
small proportion of the alkaM and con-
WINGED them that this method would not
be efficient. They are beginning t.
realize that the less water they use the
safer.
There is generally little system in
the application of water to the land.
Very few of the planters know how
much they use, and none Of them pre-
tend to know how much they need. The
water is applied when the surface ap-
pears dry, and it is then applied in
such excess that much of it can not
evaporate and can not seep down
through the suhsoil before the surface
again dries out and a further heavy APP
pllcdtlol oI Wdlei IS applied ny lloou-
ing. The planters do not realize fn-
deed, how can they, not seeing the con-
ditions under the surface) that the wa
ter is accommodating there, and although
it may not be rising rapidly enough to
injure themselves, it may be seeping
down and gradually inundating their
unfortunate neighbors on lower levels.
IF these investigations do no more
than to show the full results of over
irrigation and the necessity of intelli-
gent and careful application of water
to the soil and the importance of I'M
derdrainage, where the alkali cannot be
otherwise controlled or removed, the
authors will be well repaid.
Proper irrigation in an arid region
furnishes an ideal condition of crop pro-
duction. In practice, however the
method of applying water to the land
is extremely crude. and there is really
little cause to wonder that much harm
has been done through over-irrigation
and it is no wonder that very serious
trouble has occurred through the rise