The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1899-05-05
ii AlkAll LANDS.
Prevention md Cure of Injury From
Irrigation.

1~'reVeutuOu VuU SVFe w INJURY Erosh
Irrigation.
The Investigations Of the department
of agriculture into tho alkali lands la
the Yellowstone valley are reported in
bulletin 80 as pointing clearly to the
natural methods of preventing injury
from irrigation oTd retaining the
lands when once la injury has occul.
red, There is H. question that the in
Jury IL due to the translGcRtiOn and To-
cal accumulation Of the salts which
were formerly well distributed in the
soils of the valley, Al!;a!i has Eoen
troublesome in the region mentioned
only after eight or ten years OF irri8a-
zion, The trouble IL always preceded ny
an accumulation OF sooFagc waters,
followed ia II few years by the alka!i
incrustations on tie surface Of the
land, This evidently points to the neces-
sity of great care in the application Of
water in the methods of irrigation,
This care must be exercised not only
for the land which il irrigated, hut for
the adjoining lands On lower levels,
While a man can overirrigate a sandy
tract with practical IMMUNITY to him
self he ~ likely to swamp his neighbor
on Il lower level,
Where the drainage has been done or
where the conditions are SO imminent
that ultimate ruin can be foreseen the
logical method Of reclamation is in pro.
viding adequate systems of drainage to
carry off the excess OF water and the
accumulated salts. This is expensive,
but 1t IL the only thing in this case to
hasten tho slow processes OF nature,
which are entirely inuueqnate in the
present methods of irrigation and Of
culture,
1t has been pointed out that there are
some crops which Il stand much larger
percentages of alkali than others, 1t il
quite possible that other valuable cror'
can be found or can be bred which will
stand large quantities OF alkali, but 1t
Ia unfortunate, indeed, for a locality
like the Yellowstone valley, which was
originally free from alkali, to accept
such conditions resulting from their in
judicious methods of irrigation and try
to find crops which will thrive upon
lands which have been unnecessarily
injured.
It must not be assumed, however.
that a thorough system OF un%derdrain-
ago relieves ono from exercising care
and Judgment in applying water to the
land. There il less immediate danger OF
running the land, to be sure, but there
are two things to be considered-name-
~, that an excessive use Of water means
just so much loss to irrigation and so
much less land which can he brought
under the ditch, and also that in the re-
moval OF these salts by the flow Of the
seepnge waters out through the drainage
system large quantities of really valu-
able plant food nre likely to be removed
from the soil. The very accumulation
Of these soluble salts Is due to the arid
conditions of the climate. The great
fertility CT the soil results from the ac-
emulation of these salts, and IL we in
troduce artificial drainage, which will
tax the RESOURCES Of the soil, We may
remove in the course Of a generation, or
ever in less time than this, theaccumu.
lated results Of the changes OF vast geo
logic ages in the disintegrarion Of rocks.
BY overiIrigation and undertakings
we may remove in a few years the very
conditions which contribute ~ tive
wealth Of the country in the fertility OF
the soil.
The report of Investigations concludes
with the statement that the conditions
in the Yellowstone valley are particu'
larly simple. The locality IL fortunate
in having no great excess Of alkali in
the soils previous to irrigation, as &C.
ours over large areas in adjoining states.
But the matter published Is, neverthe.
less, of practical interest all through the
states Of the far west as the principles
applicable in the case under discussion
are applicable in general to alkali lands
throughout the country.
4 Farm Convenience.
The sketch, from Ohio Farmer, shows
q box mounted on two poles as runners,