Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-09-17
OTHER EXPERIMENTS.

1--WE are carrying on another series of
experiments In Wisconsin which may
prove OF great value to the sandy areas
around the great lakes. although this has
not yet been demonstrated, These lands
retain so little moisture that all attempts
TO farm them have failed. The expert
ments have Included the use of bbth
manure and water, Manure alone proved
of little use, as there was not water
enough TO make the plant food available.
Water alone produced good results, but
the application of both gave the best re-
suits. The cost OF irrigation on the eX-
perlmental farm was $40 per acre, and
the net gain from irrigation IN 1901 was;
Potatoes, $50 per acre; corn, 81 per acre.
watermelons. s5S per acre. muskmelons,
81 per acre, From these experiments IL
seems that with special crops irrigation
of these sandy lands Is profitable. but
with corn the increase In yield Is not
enough to justify the expense OF securing
a water supply These experiments are
being continud as they have not covered
a long enough period nor a wide enough
sions as to the possibility Of retaining
large areas of the barren sandy lands
which have been cleared OF timber In
Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. But
the results so far secured seem to point
to irrigation as possible means OF re-
claiming these lands
WHAT STARTED EXPERIMENTS.
THE great drought of 1901 led to the be-
ginning Of experiments In irrigation In
Missouri by the agricultural 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 1891 showed the results Of
the use Of water on the crops Of the next
season. The most noticeable results were
In strawberries. Several varieties were
irrigated late I'm 1901 so that the plants
made a large growth In the fall OF that
year. The spring Of 1862 was 80 wet that
irrigation was unnecessary, but the plants
irrigated the year before gave yields vary
Ing from l5l per cent to SA per cent above
the yields OF plants OF the same varieties
which were not irrigated, the value OF the
increased yild OF some varieties being as
high as $50 per acre. Asparagus treated
In the same way gave Increased Yield Of
90 per cent yield, worth 1895 per acre
The Irrigation of nursery stock enabled
nurselymon TO put large healthy trees on
the market In one year instead OF carry
ing them two years. These experiments
In Missouri have clearly demonstrated
the value Of irrigation as an Insurance
against drought In the humid parts Of our
country.
ALKALINE LANDS.
TT Is estimated that about 10000 acres
Of land az present under Irrigation In the
western United States are lying idle sole
~ because they contain too much alkau
TO permit paying crops being produced
whenever practicable. II is advisable to
reclaim land Of this character by wash
ing and drainage. Nevertheless, IN much
OF this land ana that which may be lr-
rigated In the future, the establishment OF
a proper drainage system could not DO
prOntably undertaken under existing cons
dltons. The question is, can anything
else be done with such land?
CROPS FOR ALKALI SOILS.
ITO answer this query the bureau OF
plant INDUSTRY ~ endeayorlng TO secure
crops suitable Tor cultivation In alkan
soils Otncr parts OF the world. where
lhe 0lkali problem is a serious one, are
being explored with u view 10 IMPORTING
such OF their useful plants as endure q
large amount OF these harmful salts. AS
result, seed Of resistant alfalfa has been
obtained from Algeria ana Iurkestan,
cotton IRON Egypt for trial IN the warm
er parts Of the southwest, and promising
varieties Of wheat and barley from warn.
Gus countries Of the old world Resistant
trult trees, such as the date palm ana the
plstdche, have also been imported
IL Is not proposed merely TO distribute
these things as they are received by the
department, Plant breeding methods are
being resorted to In order to fix and, IL
possible by careful selection, Increase
their alkali resistant qualities Small
tracts of alkali land are being planted with
the imported seed and from the best lndi-
Vlduals mat survive, seed Is taken for
continuing the experiment, Similar breed.
ing ana selection work Is In progress TO
secure greater alkali resistance I'm our
native crops as sugar beet alfalfa, etc
lu ms way we expect to breed In n few
years alkali-reslstant strains OF some of
the most Important feld crops grown In
the semi-arid parts OF the west.
In the United States alfalfa does not
generally stand more than one-half per
cent Of white alkall' in the upper SIX feet
OF sol; IN the cases In the Sahara desert.
a Kind has been found which thrives IL,
soil containing as much as one per cent OF
these salts IN the surface foot. III this
aIalta can De adapted TO American con-
dltions and retains here lis high degreo
OF resistance a large per cent OF the
entire $1,000 acres Of slkall land already
mentioned could be put Into this crop In
the great Increase IN irrigated area which
rs bound 20 come in the near future. this
work VIII become still greater I'm impor.
lance, when alkali has to be oontended
With and drQlpnua L. wv