The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-07-19
GOVERNMENT EXPERTS BEGIN
ELIMINATION or ALKALI.
All IDEAL TRACT SECURED
Land Carrying Salt in Large Quantity
Selected Near City on Which to
Establish Station.

Only little while longer and those
who are interested in the matter
will have an opportunity to see a.
practical demonstration OF the Theory
OF the agricultural department fox
the elimination OF surplusage OF
alkali from the soil by flooding and
sub-drainage.
The first actual work in the direc-
tion Of instituting the experiment de-
cided upon by the department in this
locality was begun yesterday on a
piece of ground selected for that pur-
pose. The tract comprises 20 acres
and forms part of the Edward ODOn-
nell ranch, about mile and a quarter
west of the city. Surveys made by
Messrs. Heileman and Dorsey, the
gentlemen who are in charge, demon
strated that the particular piece OF
land selected by them carries alkalt
to the extent OF fully three per cent,
although the surface indications do
not show the soil to contain so high
| a percentage OF the SALT which begins
! to manifest it's presence to it's full ex-
| tent at depth of about a foot and
thence as deep as the borings were
made.
I The first work to be done was to
| secure lumber and erect small shed
for storing the tools, implements and
other things needed by the two gentle
men. This completed and the neces-
sary appliances at hand, the next move
will be in the direction of checking .
or laying off the tract into smaller
! parcels, the extent of each of which
j is to be marked by dikes or dams to
retain the water that is to be used
, in flooding the field, SO that it may
/ soak into the ground, instead of run
off.
On Cooperative Plan.
/ While the government will supply
tn drain pipes and do some OF the
work in getting the station under
way, the owner of the land will have
to cooperate and defray portion OF
the expense He will be required to
! dig ditch about 600 feet in length
and five feet deep to convey the water
! from the tiling to the drainage canal
on the north side of the city, so that
free flow may be secured. He must
also provide the water. The cost OF
the tiling and putting it in place will
be betrayed by the government.
i Process ls Simple.
After the drainage has been install
ed and the necessary subdivisions o1
the tract are made the rest is easy
All that will then remain to be done
is to flood the land. One after another
of the parcels will be covered to :
depth Of four or five inches with water
Being confined, the water will natural
ly sink and carry with it the alkal
contained in the soil until it encoun
ters the drain pipes, into which it will
find it's way and then into the ditcl
J that conducts it into the canal Il
J addition to the alkali that will b.
taken from the soil by the downward
} flow of water, much Of the salt at
greater depth will also be eliminated
} Constant irrigation, as IS well known
causes alkali to gradually work t
the surface, being drawn thither b,
J capillary attraction. By the system
, of underdrainage proposed this will
: not reach height greater than tn
: tiles, as it's ascent will be arreste'
by them and instead of reaching tn
} surface will be taken up by them an
; carried off with the flow of water iron
above.