The San Francisco call., 1905-05-28
TESTS THE SOILS
OF DRY AREAS
Thomas H. Means
Carries On Work
of Importance.
Wrests From Ma
ture Secrets of
Arid Regions.

BERKELEY, May H-Worn out by his
excessive and exhausting labors in con-
nection with the United States Govern
ment's great reclamation projects in the
West, Thomas H. Means, the young en-
gineer Of soils of the United States Geo.
logical Survey, who is in charge of the
station at the University of California,
has left for Southern California hoping
10 recuperate in that climatesRnd then to
begin again the task set him by the Gov
ernment at Washington-a task so vast
in its scope and far-reaching in it's posi-
bilities that it is perhaps without paral-
lei in the country's history of big things
undertaken by young Americans.
Means has established in the chemistry
building on the university campus a
laboratory fully equipped with modern
appliances for the task he and his staff
are performing, and there his men toll
night and day solving the problems in
Connection with the reclamation projects
being undertaken throughout the West.
Despite the great Importance of the
work and OF Mr. Means part in il, the
young Government engineer has attract
ed little or no attention at the univer-
sity. so that he is practically unknown
locally, while all the time in Washington
his work is being watched with the deep
est interest.
Engineer Means has for his chief as
sistant c. H. Stone, an expert water
analyst. These two men pass upon every
feature of every Government irrigation
project, from the Mississippi to the coast
and from Montana to the gulf, before
any move is made by the field forces sent
out from Washington.
MANY SAMPLES TESTED.
Their station at the University of Cali
fornia is the only one in the United
States. 1t is unique. In the station are
received samples of soil intended to be
reclaimed, samples of the water to be
used for irrigation, samples of the silt
IN the streams from which irrigating
waters are to be taken, and all these
samples are analysed to determine what
action shall be taken in carrying on the
irrigation projects.
The agricultural value of the soil which
it is proposed to reclaim is tested by En-
gineer Means. The character of the water
is determined. so that the amount re-
quired for Irrigation may be known.
The constituents of the silt IN the river
beds are found out, so that it may be de-
cided, whether the silt, for example,
would fill up reservoir where irrigation
water might be stored, or whether the
silt would be injurious or beneficial to
land on which 1t might be taken. There
are now samples of silt from forty rivers
in the West, all Of which are being test
ed TO determine the chemical value of
each, its Notwithstanding qualities and
the amount of alkan it contains.
The reclamation work, which has its
authority In the Government, and for
Engineer Means its chemical authority,
is intended to make the deserts of the
West blossom as the rose. On this coast
there are three separate projects now
under way or under consideration-the
NyoI
ley projects.
The Government workmen have about
completed the work at the Truckee River
that is intended to dam that stream
and turn loose its waters upon the Car
son sink district in Nevada One of the
results of this single undertaking will be
the reclamation of many thousands OF
acres of land that is now worthless. It
is expected that the land when under ir-
rigation will represent a value of several
million dollars.
GREAT WORK IN NEVADA.
The dam is at Hazen and is almost
completed, as is also the last reservoir
site on the lower part of the Carson
River. The cement for this work has
been made at the Suisun mills and tested
by E. W. Huber, one of the staff asso-
ciated with Engineer Means. 1t is in
tended to construct about 225 lateral irri-
cation and drainage bitches in this Ne
vada district.
In connection with the Nevada work is
q new feature, just undertaken under En-
gineer Means direction. Leslie NJ Simms
of San Francisco has been detailed by
the Bureau of Forestry to select in Ne
vada the most unpromising bit of land
he can find and then to send samples of
the soil to Engineer Means for analysis
Then Engineer Means will advise regard
ing the proper method of its irrigation.
In Oregon is what is called the Kla-
math project, this including the draining