The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-10-31
Jordan Flats May Yet Become a
Garden Spot.
EXPERTS COMPLETE WORK
SAY $50 SQUARE MILES CAN BE
RECLAIMED.
System of Irrigation and Drainage
Proposed By the Soil Experts
Will Send Their Report to Con-
gress, and an Appropriation May
Be Made to Garry On the Work.

Soil Expert F. d. Gardner of the
United States geological survey, who
has been making extensive and ex-
haustive surveys of the waste lands
west of the city. completed his task
yesterday and viii leave for Washing
ton at once to finish the laboratory
part of the work. Mr. Gardner has
been in this neighborhood since the 1st
of last July prosecuting the field ex
periments, and as soon as the labora-
tory tests are completed the whole will
be submitted to the department of ag
riculture and by them presented to the
congress at its next session, with the
hope that it will take such action as
will ultimately terminate in the re-
claiming of the entire region for agri-
cultural purposes
The section surveyed includes all
that territory that is bounded in a gem
eral way by the Great Salt lake on the
north, the Jordan river on the east, the
Utah & Salt Lake canal on the south,
and the Utah G, Salt Lake canal and
Great Salt lake on the west; approx
mating in the neighborhood of $50
square miles. The results of the sur
vey show that about three-fourthS of
the entire area of $50 square miles is
capable of being reclaimed. The ire
deemable land is usually situated close
to the lake, and is OF a heavy clayey
texture: it can be used, however, as a
drainage outlet for the higher and
better lands. If the lake should con-
tinue to recede there is some POSSIBLE
ity of retaining the lands that now
lie contiguous to its shores.
Glasses of Soil.
The texture of the soil that is ca
pable of being redeemed is divided into
two classes, the surface-foot being
either a sandy loan or a medium loan,
about equally divided. In a general
way the sandy loan is preferable be-
cause the salts are more easily washed
out, and the nature of the soil is such
that it acts as natural drain. The
predominating salt is sodium chloride,
or the common salt of commerce, and
it presents a. very complex nature as
regards quantity, varying from satura-
ton at the lake to traces on the high
lands. Sodium carbonates and bicar-
Donates occur but not regularly dis
| tributed; in some places there are large
deposits, and in others scarcely a. trace.
| All these salts are soluble in water and
| capable of being washed out and
drained off by the natural draws" or
| low clayey strips that extend back into
| the high lands. like the fingers of a
hand, from the edge of the lake.
Inc results OIL the DOrlnSS 10 a
depth OF six feet that have been made
at stated intervals by Mr.. Gardner and
his associates. show that the salts ex-
tend down into the ground for a con-
siderable depth. to within one or two
feet of the water table which is the
level of standing water in the ground.
This water varies in level from the
surface to a depth of ten feet. These
salts can also be washed out by a thor
ough system of irrigation; by flooding
the lands with fresh water and provid-
ing them with underground drains to
carry off the water and sediment. The
work shows that soils of lighter tex
ture can be reclaimed by placing drains,
! having a slight pitch towards the lake
and low lands, at distance of 200 feet
from each other, while the heavier
soils can be reclaimed by placing the
drains about 100 feet apart. The per-
centage of salts in the ground varies
from about five-hundredths of l per
! cent to per cent. Soils containing
more than one-half of l per cent of
salts are useless for agricultural pur-
poses. The results Of this investiga-
ton will be embodied in a special re-
port got out in book form, and given
to the public gratis as soon as con-
sress passes upon them, some time dur
| ing March, 1900.