Arizona republican., 1903-12-05

efforts to improve the character of this
distribution however, the secretary
states that the work does not accom-
plsh the ends for which the law was
originally framed. Over 40 million
pa ckets of miscellaneous vegetable and
flower seeds are distributed on con-
gressional orders, and while these are
the best the market affords. the large
quantity required necessitates that the
seed be standard sorts only. The
secretary believes that no practical OBJ
ject is to be gained in distributing this
kind of seed. and declares it would
seem wise to limit the work entirely
to the distribution of seeds. plants. ETC.,
of new and rare sorts. The plant breed
ing work of the department will af-
ford increased opportunities OF secur-
ing valuable seed.
Alfalfa seed secured by the depart
ment explorer in Algeria and some re-
ceived from Turkestan has been plant
ed under the personal supervision of
department experts in an effort to Sc
adapted to the alkan parts of the arid
southwest. Highly satisfactory work
is reported in the case of rice and flax
and several new lines of work in seed
and plant introduction are reported.
Nearly one-third of the area OF the
United States has insufficient rainfall,
and in spite of the extension of irriga-
ticn enormous areas must remain in
their present arid or semi-arid condi-
ton, and the bureau OF plant industry
is occupying itself with the future of
these regions. 1t is believed that by
intelligent management the grazing
capacity of these lands can be increas-
ed. The department is endeavoring to
secure plants that will grow in very
dry soils and at the same time yield
crops prcfitatly marketable.
During the last year the bureau of |
soils has been engaged in making al
kali reclamation demonstrations in the |
arid west. Referring to an extensive |
experiment located near Salt Lake |
City, where an area of $4,000 acres Is |
because OF an excess of |
alkali, a tract of forty acres was Sc
cured and the work of reclamation, in |
cooperation with the Utah experiment
station, was undertaken. AT the be-
ginning this tract was found to contain
more than 21a per cent of salt. or a
total of $3.50 tons in four feet OF soil.
Ttvrp- irdc Of ho |
been removed by the simple method of
and flooding. 1t is be-
ieved that the entire area will be SUI
iciently sweetened by the end Of the
present season to permit growing a
shallow crop. The value of aikali lands
At Salt Lake City is but IS per acre, as
against 500 and $3.50 an acre for lands
lot affected. The cost of installing the
lrainage system was about Si6 an
acre An experiment was also under
aiken near Fresno, Cal, where an ex-
,ess of aIkali caused a depreciation in
ands aggregating not less than one
million dollars. The work here has
1eeh as successful as at Salt Lake
,een successfully installed at Yakima,
Wash. The department will establish
tx of these demonstration experiments
II parts Of the west where loss from
llkali has been great.
Careful studies are being carried for
ward in the range area with a view TO
the now exhausted range
rom the depreciation of stock.
square miles of typical
'ange land in Arizona have been put
inder fence for this purpose. 1t has
,een demonstrated in Washington that
mountain ranges may be restocked
With grasses by using seed.
Forest investiga tons in 1893 were
arried on in the following states:
Texas. Missouri, California,
ohio, Iowa, Michigan and Montana.
Insects harmful to trees in the east,
outh and west were studied in co-ope-
alton between the bureau of forestry
md the divisions of ethnology. 1t
las been estimated that insects every
'ear destroy 100 million dollars worth
# timber.
Plans for tree planting were made
or sixty-eight applicants in twenty
line states. These plans involved the
Examination of over 10000 acres of
and. Tree planting continues on the
dismal River forest reserve of Ne
raska and the San Gabriel forest re-
erve of California.