The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-07-11
these salts. was sodium carbonate, or

these salts, was sodium carbonate, OF
black alkali; fourteen per cent, or 12t
tons. was sodium chloride. or common
salt; the remainder various Other
| earthly salts more or less Injurious
Forty-seven and eight-tenths per cent
of this total were found in the surface
foot. Although the first season was
taken up very largely with preliminary
preparation, enough flooding was done
to remove sixty-one per cent, or $50
tons of these salts in 1903. At the be.
ginning of the present season, that OF
1906, less than ten per cent of the
alka1i remained in the tract. 1t is un-
fortunate in some particulars that this
demonstration has been carried on
where such a silly soil in connection
with a heavy grade were encountered
as the labor Of keeping up such ashy
entertainments has been enormous and
has served to greatly delay the success
full elimination of the work.
Late in the fall of 1904 the tract was
first sown. If we except a small expert
mental stand of alfalfa which was Sc
cured on one of the smaller checks in
encouragingly. stand of wheat re-
suited in 1905, which cut something
like twenty-five tons of wheat hay.
Again last fall the tract was plowed
and sown to wheat and alfalfa. This
had secured an excellent stand when
it was caught by the hard freeze of
last March, which ruined the crop.
This spring seeding was again at
tempted as an experiment and, as ex-
peeted, was not a success. However,
enough of a stand was secured to give
unquestionable and substantial proof
of the general success of the demon
stration and to indicate what may be
done in shorter time on more typical
bodies of land. Such Il combination as
the Gervais tract affords has not been
lamation service and it has been costly
to overcome. Black alkali has been
successfully handled in somewhat
similar soil in California, but never be-
fore in combination with such mat
of salt grass and such Il grade. The
spots on the Gervais tract that are not
producing crops contain but little al
kali, that of the black variety, and
perhaps one of the most important rea-
sons why these spots still lack plant
growth is that the filth has been III :.
iured. Black alkali destroys the
granular structure of the soil, which
makes reclamation difficult, but whicn
may be restored by cultivation.
However, when all is considered, the
government has accomplished much,
f;,,,, - a
could scarcely be held at even $12 or
SIS an acre in its former condition will
this season be placed on par with land
not a mile distant which Is held at
from fifteen to twenty times that
amount. In addition much valuable
knowledge has been acquired and the
station has contributed it's quota of
general information regarding alkali.
L. C. Holmes, the assistant in charge
of the Yakima work, to whom we are
Indebted for the bulk of the informa-
ton contained in this article. has been
connected with the demonstration
since it's Inauguration. He has spent
each succeeding season in the Yakima
valley conducting the work on this
tract, and has also been engaged in
like service in Arizona and California.
Mr.. Holmes may be regarded as an ex-
pert on alkali soils and to his careful
and earnest labor certainly much of
the success of the Yakima demonstra-
ton is due. Regarding the general
bearing of the work on this country,
his views are interesting.
"The reclamation of alkalf lands,
says Mr.. Holmes. "is a problem with
which every irrigated section has to
deal before the highest productiveness
Of the region is reached, and it will
soon be recognized here that for many
reasons the body of alkali land in the
in its present reproductive state. With
high land values and available water
for the affected region. their redemp-
ton must be near at hand.
Il have strong confidence that the
method of good drainage and surface
application of water for the removal of
alkali is thorough and basic in prin-
ciple. 1t must be easily understood
that thorough drainage and a down.
ward movement of water is the effic-
lent method of removing alkali, a con-
sequence of poor drainage supplying
an upward movement of water
"Since first class crop growth is the
ultimate test, we cannot claim success
for our work until such is obtained
but from all indications it is believed
that such a point has been reached
The fall seeding Of 1906 was a success
in every way until the killing freeze
of March, 1906, and the work cannot
be completed until the fall of 1906, the
next opportunity for seeding this soil
"A combination of retarding diff
culties, all of which were peculiar to
the region, has caused the work to as
sumo more of the experimental than
the demonstrative phase. as was
originally intended. 1t is believed
however. that the information gained
in surrounding these difficulties would
enable us to reclaim a similar tract In
two seasons"