The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-09-26

| barren sandy lands which have been
cleared of timber in Minnesota, Wis
Consin and Michigan. But the re-
suits so far secured seem to point to
! irrigation as a possible means of re-
claiming these lands
Lessons Of the Drouth.
1.-The great drouth of 1901 led to
the beginning of experiments in irri-
cation in Missouri by the agricul-
tural department The experiments
were begun too late in the summer
of 1901 to affect the crops of that
year, but the crops irrigated in the
late summer of 1901 showed the re-
suits of the use of water on the crop
of the next season. The most no.
ttceable results were in Strawberries.
Several varieties were irrigated late
in 1901 so that the plants made a
large growth in the fall of that year.
The spring of 1902 was so wet that
irrigation was unnecessary, but the
plants irrigated the year before gave
yields varying from Isl per cent to
S14 per cent above the yields Of
the same varieties which were not
plants of the same varieties which
were not irrigated, the value of the
increased yield of some varieties be-
ing as high as $44O per acre. Aspar-
agus treated in the same way gave
increased yield of % per cent, worth
1855 per acre. The irrigation of nurs-
cry stock enabled nurserymen to put
large, healthy trees on the market in
one year. instead of carrying them
two years. These experiments in
Missouri have clearly demonstrated
the value of irrigation as an insur-
ance against drouth in the humid
parts os our country.
1T is estimated that about 100000
acres of land at present under irrl-
cation in the western United States
is lying idle solely because it con-
tains too much alkali to permit pay
ing crops being produced. Whenever
practicable, it is advisable to reclaim
land. of this character by washing
and drainage. Nevertheless. in much
of this land and that which may be
irrigated in the future the establish
ment of a proper drainage system
could not be profitably undertaken
under existing conditions. The ques-
tion is. can anything else be done
with such land?
AIkali Soil Problem.
'To answer this query the bureau
of plant industry is endeavOring 10
secure crops suitable for cultivation
in alkali soils. Other parts of the
world, where the alkali problem IS
a serious one, are being explored
with view to importing such OF
their useful plants as endure large
amount of these harmful salts. As
result, seed of resistant alfalfa mas
been obtained from Algeria and Iur-
kestan, cotton from Egypt for triai
in the warmer parts of the southWest,
and promising varieties of wheat ana
barley from various countries OF tns
Old World. Resistant fruit trees
such as the date palm and the plsV-
ache have also been imported.
1T is not proposed merely TO dls- :
tribute these things as they are re-
ceived by the department. PAM
breeding methods are being resorJeu
to i'm order to fix and, if possible. OS
careful selection increase their aiKaI I
resistant qualities Small tracts OIL
alkali land are being planted WIN s
the imported seed. and from the Des' :
individuals that survive seed IS tah-
en- for continuing the eXperlmeH.. 5
Similar breeding and selection Worh,
is in progress to secure greater aIkai
resistance in our native crops, as su-
gar beet. alfalfa. etc. In this way We
expect to breed in a few years alKaH.
resistant strains of some of the most
important field crops grown IN lne
semi-arid parts of the west.
In the United States alfalfa does
not generally stand more than one
half per cent of white alkali' in tue
upper six feet of soil. In the cases
of the Sahara desert a kind has oeen
found which thrives in soil contalnins
as much as 1 per cent of these saa.S
in the surface foot If this auaL"
can be adapted to American condf
tions and retains here it's high degree
of resistance. a large per cent OF tii7
entire 100000 acres of alkaH land az
ready mentioned could be put lnto
this crop. In the great increase III
irrigated area which is bound to ocilie
in the near future this work VIII pc
come still greater in Importance
when alkali has to be contended viii
and drainage is not practicable