The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-05-09
COMPILING DATA FOR MAPS
Experts Making soundings and Tests
to Ascertain components
Of Valleys Surface. -

the two young gentlemen are who
for the past five or six days have
daily appeared along the roads and in
the farms and what the nature cd
their mission is that causes them to
so intently examine the soil and al
interals take samples and carefully
wrap them up and label them.
For the benefit Of those whose
modesty has prevented them from
asking questions of the strangers The
Gazette will say that they are Messrs.
G. A. Jensen and N. P. Neil of the
bureau of soils, department of agri-
culture. The object of their pres
enc is for the purpose of making
what is technically known as a soil
map. When completed this map will
show the various classifications of
the soil between this city and Park
City, at which place they expect to
close their seasons work, as they are
under orders to proceed to North Da-
kota by about July 1 and make sim
liar maps of some of the farming re-
gions in that state.
By borings and with the assistance
of IN electrical appliance they are
enabled to locate the various salkali
patches to use a colloquialism, and
by means of tests ascertain the per
centage of alkali contained in the
soil to a depth of six feet, although
their soundings go further, but no
record is made of the amount of salts
below that depth. Solutions are made
of the samples taken and by leans
of electrolysis the total Of all salts
in the ground is ascertained. Chemi-
cal analyses are also made for the
purpose of learning the exact amount,
of carbonates, bicarbonates, chlorides
and sulphates carried by the soil
Samples of soil and water are TAX
en by them and sent to the depart
ment at Washington where complete
chemical and mechanical analyses
are made. The samples of water are
obtained both from the surface and
under ground sources and r exam
lined with a view to establishing the
relative amounts of minerals they
hold in solution. The chemical
analyses of the soil are for the pur-
pose of ascertaining the amount of
salts they contain, while the mechan-
ical analyses are to enable proper
classification to be made of the soil
as regards it's nature as to fineness,
etc. u- 49,.
The gentlemen are also making in
vestigations in order to derive definite
information concerning the presence
of black alkali, n of the most in
furious and deleterious salts the
earth contains. so far as it's effects on
vegetation are concerned. They say
that, fortunately for the settlers. so
far they have found only slight traces
of this mineral and are satisfied that
it exists here in quantities so small
as not to be harmful.
In their work they carry a map of
the part of the valley in which they
are employed and as fast as their in
vestigations proceed they mark the
places where the various salts are
to be found. When completed the
map. or maps, for it is understood
there are to be a series of them. will
show the exact nature of the soil of
the section examined. enablin" i to
be told at a glance where alkali and
the other salts exist. also, their ner-
centage and the distance to the under
ground water and it's characteristics.
Everything calculated to increase the
store of knowledge pertaining to the
soil will be brought out for the bene-
fit and information of the settler and
department under whose supervision
the survey is being made. Some of
the work. such as the electrical anal
Uses, is done in the field, but much of
it is performed at Washington, par.
ticularly the chemical and mechani.
Cdl ANALYSES.
What Messrs. Jensen and Neil are
doing is but a continuation. in am.
plified form, of what was done here
in the spring of 1898 by Professors
Whitney and Means, who, it will be
remembered, made a partial and hur-
ried examination of the soil in this
part OF the Yellowstone valley. The
results of their Investigations were
embodied in a publication issued by
the agricultural department. The
work they began is now being com
pleted in detail.
As to the ultimate object of the
survey. tts purpose is twofold; pri-
MARTY It is calculated to increase to
the highest degree possible the knowl-