The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-09-05
EXPLAINS WHAT
KILLS THE CROPS
government Expert Prepares
Paper on SmeIter Smoke.
CONSUMERS CAN'T STOP IT
GAS DECLARED NOT DEADLY TO
ANIMALS WHEN DRY.
CONSUMERS CAN'T STOP IT

omelter smoke and its effect on the
animals and vegetation of Salt Lake
valley is the subject Of a paper which
- 10 be published in few days by Dr.
,iohfl a. WidtsOe Of the State Agricul-
tural college.
FOR the past eighteen months six gov
eminent experiment stations have been
located in the smoke belt, mostly be-
tween the Highland Boy and the Amer
lcdn Snelters, and here Dr. John Wild
s"e mas been quietly wording upon the
smoke problem FOR over a year and .
nan, but he has proceeded so quietly
mat until now the presence of his sta
ions has been almost unknown.
Now that the question of smoke dam
age has become of general interest. he
HAS embodied the results of his Ions
study In this paper, which viii b.
placed at the disposal Of the farmers
committees and smelter operators, who
are trying to effect a settlement of their
differences.
one important discovery which will
do away with much misunderstanding
IS the fact that there is no known proc
ess of smoke consumption that will help
the situation. The gas which does the
damage has been found 10 be sulphur
dloxide, which is already burned as
completely as It is possible to burn il.
and therefore 1t is useless to attempt
any scheme of smoke consumption.
Forecast of Report.
THE amount of ore handed by the
smeiters ia q single day" is about Loco, ?
and Of this approximately one-third. or
5g.TW pounds goes into the air as sulphur
dloNide. When the gas comes into con-
tact with water IL is readily dissolved,
~ n fftrrv doc go la. gla
age. as il gets into the fiber of a plant
and destroys Il. Besides the sulphur a.
oxide great deal of fluc dust. consisting
mostly Of iron is scattered over the cOun
try and when II comes into contact with
water II forms ferrous oxide, or ordinary
rust which MANY farmers mistakenly
blame Tor supposed damages TO vegeta-
uon- Nor does the sulphur gas itSeli
poison the vegetation. At our station We
nave fed a COW upon hay from one OF
the worst affected. fields in the smoke
belt for the past fifteen months and she
stu shows no sign Of poison.
The ground is not injured either rs
the smoke, as many suppose The smoke
could settle over the valley for twenty
10 the ground itself. and there need be
no concern felt over this danger
Danger From Poisoned Water.
However a great source of damage
perhaps the principal scurce--comes from
poisoned water In winter the suiphur
aust settles on the snow and when the
snow meits down in the spring ii forms
pools of water in which much of the gas
IS dissolved. ara which are deadly poison
cattle running at large in pastures are
often injured by drinking this water. If
farmers would take the trouble TO feed
their cattle the hleached lucerns in barns
(which they often destroy thinking il to
he DOisOnod). they would save a great
deal of loss as cattle and horses in pas
lures get thirty or forty times as much Of
the dust as when In harms owing to the
fact that they crop the grass close down
and often lick the Gust coated ground
with their tongues. Some animals exam
ined by the station are found TO be fat
bOny. Just what affects them in the
smoke is rot fully determined yet, but
one thing l. certain, IL is not the lead, and
81 IS an error to speak of .'leaded horses
due & the smoke. The sickness may be
due to tho flUc dust Or the arsenic, or
Neither. although IL must have some con-
EcctiOn with the smelters" '-
Where Damage is Done.
In investigating the losses TO crops the
station has found that the main line of
damage comedies with the line of prevail
lug winds. Potatoes suffer worst. except
fancy plants sucl as tender flowers and
vines IEen come the perennial plants
which are affected year after year and
are finally killed. if they are directly in
tie line Of greatest damage. Corn seems
To be the hardest and to have the greatest
chance against the smoke.
The station has many problems still un-
der experimentation and IL IS tue inten-
ton TO follow This first bulletin by others
6s soon as definite results are arrived At.