The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1899-04-26
EFFECTS OF ALKALi.
Cereals Appear q Surer Crop Than
Legumes on Alkali Soil.

cereals Appear q SureF Crop Vhon
Legumes on AlkaH Soil.
As part of preliminary work in the
study Of the alkai problem at the Utah
station. the effect Of various qualities of
alkali on the termination of the seeds
of different plants was tested during
the summer of 1897 The results have
not yet Teen published but attention
is called to the experiment in the last
annual report of the station Stating
the conditions H. brief. it may be said
that on each of 81 shallow tin plates a
small quantity Of sand was placed in
which so kernels Of wheat were plant
ed All Of the plates but one were treat
ed with either sodium sulphate. sodium
carbonate or sodium chloride solution,
so as to give the sand varying percent
ages of alkai This process was repeat
ed exactly with each Of seven other
kinds of seeds-viz, oats, rye, barley.
lucern. peas. red clover and white clo-
ver. 1t appeared that white alkali lie
less injurious than either sodium car
Donate or chloride. but in every case.
except one (rye in white alkali). per
cent Of alkali is absolutely fatal to ger
mination In the case of the white and
the red clovers. though. the white aka
Ii is shown to be as injurious as the
black. Although the carbonate must be
conceded to be the most injurious Of the
three compounds tested. the chloride
stands pretty close to it in injurious
effects and in one or two instances ex-
ceeds it The most conspicuous Of these
is the case Of white clover. in which the
ill effects of the chloride are consider
ably more marked than of the carbon.
ate. In every case except one (rye in
the chloride) so per cent Of either
the carbonate or the chloride proved
fatal to termination.
In power to withstand the evil effects
| of alkalis the cereals appear to sur
pass the legumes. although peas are
pretty nearly as hardy as the cereals.
and in black alkai peas are stronger
than either wheat or oats In germinat-
ing power in alkai soil these four CO.
reals stand in about this relation Oats,
wheat, rye and barley oats being weak
est and barley strongest. Rye stands
very near barley. though, in power to
resist the injurious effects of alkai
This relation holds for all three com.
pounds tested The relative power OF
the legumes to resist effects of different
alkalis varies slightly In black alkali
they stand in this relation Lucern.
white clover red clover, peas. lucern
being weakest and peas strongest In
the sodium sulphate and the chloride
the relation is the same as in the black
alkali except that the lucern and the
white clover change places. Moreover.
lucern appears to be able to withstand
the effects of the large amounts Of sodi'
um sulphate better than red clover, al
though with a small amount of the sui
phate the red clover appears to be the
stronger
A fact that is probably worthy Of
mention is that, even in soil free from
alkali. lucern. white clover and rec
clover exhibit much smaller power o.
} termination than either of the othe1
five kinds of seeds tested The results O
this preliminary experiment point t
the conclusion that the cereals would b.
much surer crop on alkali soil thai
the legumes would be-