Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-11-30
DRAINAGE WOULD
Be PROFITABLE
Engineer in Charge Of Expert
mentS on Nine Mile Ridge
Submits Report.
is CAPABLE OF CULTIVATION
soil While Heavily Charged With Al
kali. Contains Much Plant Food
Cost Comparatively Small.

The report of e. b. Brown engineer
in charge of the drainage experiments
covering large section 90 the alk1u
lands in Salt Lake county hnq been
submitted 90 the government with the
data pertaining 90 the subject The
cost OF the drainage of the district i'm
vestgated is given in figures the cone
clusion being reached that GO would
De profitable Investment 20 cxpend
the money necessary % properly drain
the nnd. The Investigations have been
carried on under the cooperation OF
the Utah experiment station and tho
government. ana covers the sections
known as Nine Mile Ridge. Following
IS the report:
This tract comprises sections 20 q.
and portions OF o. q. p and 20. town
ship ! north, range west. S. l.. base
ana meridian. II lies about nine miles
west of Salt Lake Cit-. and thrco
miles from the lake shore on the west
The soil o. classified by Gardner ana
stewart in the soil survey OF the Salt
Lake valley as Jordan sandy lOam II
Is e virgin soil from four 10 five feet
deep covered with shadschale under
laid with sand, aud with the water Ia
bic ranging rom three To five feet from
the surface. Cereals ana alfalfa have
been grown successfully on a small
area. About 10 acres was planted to
alfalfa on section "a last season and
irrigated This season, nine tons were
harvested in two crops without irriga-
ton. washed out head gate was the
cause ~ the water failure. Potatoes
and bccts were planted last spring
They grew throughout the season but
did not amount To- much because not
irrigated.
THE FIRST WORK.
Our first reconnaissance was made
July g. 1907. by Messrs q. g. Elliott
engineer In charge OF damage lnves-
legations Office of experiment stations
". 8 department OF agriculture, s. NJ
woodward and myself We were ac-
companied by Messrs. Thomas j. Amy
and Thomas Jeremy. owners OF the
tract The scheme was pronounced
feasible IL properly handled as a whole
and drained with open bitches six feet
deep and half mile apart.
Many attempts have been male IN
this valley ana ln other arid states
TO handle Just such lands without
drainage. Whore the natural drainage
has been good these lands become as
valuable as any, but where Il Is def
cient and no artificial drainage has
been provided, the attempts have re-
suited IN failure. II the work Of these
Investigations during the last three
years had been published II would be
sufficient TO call attention 20 the re-
port Co show that such lands have been
and are being successfully reclaimed
by under drainage, The experiment
on the Swan tract near this city by
the bureau of soils. and the Utah eN-
pertinent station Is a nue demonstra-
ton OF what can be done with the
heavy low lands OF this section when
they are IN the worst possible stage.
This experiment was begun five years
ago and the whole tract Is now growing
alfalfa. Il is a fair stand and Is paying
OF course It costs considerable 10 drain
such lands.
GENERAL. DRAINAGE PLAN.
AS stated before. a general plan FOR
the ridge WAS outlined AT the time
OF Mr.. Elllotts visit but level survey
was necessary before attempting to
plan the drains and irrigation system
IN detail sufficiently 10 maks a relia-
bic estimate OF the cost A plane Ia
BILE survey carrying elevations was
planned but was abandoned for the
level because OF a poor instrument and
conditions OF the atmosphere Levels
We're run around every 40-acre tract.
Tho elevation was taken from
bench mark established by city En-
gineer Kelsey In his survey OF the sur