Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-10-21
sossEs FROM ovEH-ntnIGATIoN

acres OF Irrigated land la Dtah nave
been ruined or seriously injured by
secpaec OF alkali These lands VIII re-
auirc drainage 90 order again to Dr.
como productive.
In other states, writes DIT A. q
True. director Of experiment station.
"from ten 20 twenty per cent Of me
land which has been under irrgatoa
for ten years or more requires drain
age
Methods 0f draining are not so Ven
established for irrigated land as Tor
land in humid srcas. Therefore a bull
iotin mas hecn prepared by the Unite ]
states department of agriculture. en-
Titled Drainage Of Irrigated LANDS
IL is the work OF Charles +. Brown OF
the office Of experiment stations. His
report not only describes the condition
OF the land. the details Of lbs drainage
and the results which were obtained
ln particular cases but gives carefully
drawn deductions from the expert
m.nts together with directions for
draining lands thm have become goo
vot or too alkaline under thc ordinary
methods of irrigation for profitable cul-
tivaton.
This bulletin. while 1t applies TO All
Irrigated lands. b. based upon cNper-
mcntal work done in Utah. Tho drain
ago Investigations of the office were
begun in the state during the summer
Of 1904 in cooperation with the titan
Agricultural Experiment station. Since
then the work has been carried on with
fund provided jointly By the state
legislature and the office Of expert
mcnt stations. the Utah station actlns
for the state.
Il is a pleasure to note that indi-
vidual owners. as well as the State
itself. have In every ease co-operated
with the federal agents in carrying on
the Investigations.
MI Brown remarks that the noces-
city Tor draining Irrigated lands has in
creased rapidly during the last twenty
years: the most productive lands 81
these regions and those who were
FIRST brought under cultivation are, In
many instances. now abandoned OF III
only for wet pasturage.
In Utah alone, he estimates that APP
proxlmately 100000 acres OF irrigated
lands require drainage. salt Lake
valley he says. has about $4,000 acres
OF such lands, and several other val
leys from 10000 10 $4,000 acres each.
There are several localities in which.
Of the total irrigated lands, ~ per cent
are in such condition
california, Colorado Washington.
Montana and Wyoming are likewise
affected, more or less; and In time an
OF the newly Irrigated lands will havs
their problems OF drainage. Il devolves
upon the holders OF such lands 10 re-
claim them.
To the end OF developing the best
methods for accomplishing the reclam-
alton Of such lands the Office OF EN-
pertinent stations has conducted drain
age investigations in Utah, Californ a,
oregon. Washington Wyoming Colo
RADIO. and Nebraska, with results which
justify Mr. Browns conclusion .hat
There is scarcely any land in tho lrri-
Eated region which formerly produced
paying crops. and later became affected
by excess of water or alkali, that can
not DE prontably reclaimed. provided
the work Is correctly PINNED and gar-
licd out These results also point TO
tho possibility of retaining many vIr-
gin lands containing an excess of all
kalie Salts
The Utah Investigations and expert
mchts were conducted at Hyde Park
Cache County at Garland. aud Poln,
Lookout boo Boxcldcr county. al Roy
ogden, Clcaraeld. and Syracuse. in
Weber County; at Huntington. Emery
County, % luchnold, SEWER County,
and al 49, George, Washington county
Tho following classification of lands
requiring drainage Is made. d) thos,
injured by excess Of Wator oulyi Oh
those affected boy am excess of both
water and alkHl W those having AN
excess of alkau only.
The hrst class b. not important or X
tcnsiyo here The second class m
cIudes most of the lutrls that now need
drainage Zoe the irrigated sections Tha
third class consists principally of thHa.
uut SET cultivated because thcy CON
tain mkmi to depth of about pix f,oi
and hence crop failures result
Aillaii Zoo soil Do th0 result of Ignl
rainfall insufficient n amount O..
leach out of the land Che alts that al-
ways loun 100 % by progressive wealth
enng oi thc rock powder of Witch 900
coils iargfly consist Tie f1lloWlrs
Interesting account ot alkau s0ls "a
gFen.
Ordinarily alkau ls madr up 0f 900.
on more of the following aaltH u vary.
iuE proportions sodium chloride lDI.H.
mon Halt. sodium aulphate liHuhcr
nlD, magnesium aulphato tEpflmH
faiD calcium sodium. Hud calcium
nlphate uN uf which age white Hlkalls
and sodium carbonate ral-suia or hIaHk
alkall THE latter is so called 1u tn
count n the dark stains on che ground
caused by tho dissolution of mo .0l
humuf or vegetable mattor 1lEtl
aro readily soluble in water so chat
in abe humid countries the constant
leaehluF removes nut only Che InllfiNg.
ahlis but also part ni the plant foods
THIS accounts for the intrinsic fertility
Of me aria lands aH compared Nlih
humid LANDS Tho account of tnl
origin III ulkau naturally suFseHtf thf
control hy Irrigation anh mderdfaiu.