The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-10-07
A new
ALFALFA
Brought From North
Africa ThriyeS
In SOIL CONTAINING ALkALI
Government Agricultural Department
las Been Testing the Worth
Of the New Alfalfa.

| Washington, Oct. IA project to
reclaim some 100000, 900 worth of land
IL the arid a2d semi-arid regions of
the west is the result of one Of the
exploration trips sent out by the de-
paTtment OF agriculture more than
two years ago; tie me since then
has been spent in trying to grow the
/ things brought home This particu-
lar trip was to Egypt, Algeria, Turkes-
| tan and other parts of northern Afri-
ca, and was made by Thomas H.
kearney, Of the bureau of plant in
dustry. Among other things which he
brought back was alfalfa from Alge-
ria. In that country the alfalfa was
growing in a soil strongly impregna,-
ed with alkali. IL fact, there was
twice as much alkali in the soil where
| it grew as in any Of the alkali soils Of
the United States where the crop is
attempted. 1t occurred to the eXplo-
rer that this Algerian alfalfa, -eviden-ly
very resistant to alkali, might be
grown in the United States on lands
thus far useless.
So Mr.. Kearney began experiment.
ing with the alfalfa from Algeria. He
plant some on irrigated alkal land
at Yuma, Arizona, some more he
planted in the Colorado desert in
Southern California. and still another
planting was made in the valley Of
the Pecos in New Mexico. Alongside
the Algerian alfalfa he planted the
ordinary alfalfa.
| When harvest time came he found
that the American alfalfa had sue
cumbed to the alkali, while the Alge-
rlan alfalfa, growing in similar soil
and under exactly the same conditions
showed good crop. The amount OF
alkali in the soil, as measured by the
experts, was close to one per cent.
The ordinary American alfalfa can
stand only about one-half of one per
cent.
Thus encouraged with the first
years tests, the department did not
regard them as final, and this spring
the paintings were repeated. The
| results are just coming in. The re-
port from Yuma is excellent. Mr..
| kearney has received word that there
| is fine stand of Algerian alfalfa,
and he is going out in a few days to
| inspect it. Reports from other sta
| tons where it was planted are also
| favorable
The cautious disposition of the sci
entific mind will probably determine
the authorities to delay the final ex-
periments for another year
| Il want to go into the field myself, "
said Mr.. Kearney, and make sure
that there is no mistake. | want to
be certain as TO the conditions of
growth. For example, | want to see
that the alkali is still as strong in
| the soil as when the first planting
was made, that it has not been wash
ed out by the irrigation. And then
| think the experiment should be re
peated another year. We hardly feel
like making positive statements un-
der three years trial But we can
say that the results are strictly ia
Vorable so far"
Speaking further OF his alfalfa
work, Mr.. Kearney said:
There is also brand of alfalfa
which T. H. Means and l brought
| from Turkestan. We found it there
growing in soil very strongly i'm
pregnated with alkaN salts, fully one
water. But there were certain loca
conditions which might have offset
this condition, and we are working
hard to determine whether it can be
grown in the slightly differing sur
roundings of the western part of the
United States
The government bureau of soils has
estimated that there are at least 600,
900 acres Of irrigated land in the
United States rendered unfit for cul
tivation by the presence of one pei
cent of alkali With the introduction
of species of resistant alfalfa, which
will grow on these lands, each acre
Will ue "OItH Pow, udhluS me tOtd
, land value gained $30,0000OO. Ir
| summing up the benefits of the dis
covery the value of the crops of alfal
ia subsequently raised on this lant
would be properly added 1t would be
easy thus to show how, in a year OF
two, $1OO,0O0,0O0 had been added tt
!; the wealth of the country, and of the
western farmers.
: Egyptian Cotton, Too.
The same exploration trip which
brought Algerian alfalfa will result,
in the introduction of Egyptian cot
ton into the United States. The i'm