The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-10-01

Seattle: 81 wish to know a simple
method of testing desert soil, such as
is found in the vicinity of Hanford,
Wash, to determine the presence of
alkali in such quantities as to make
the land unfit for profitable cultiva-
ton. If you know of such test l
would be very thankful to learn of it,
as 1 wish to take up homestead in
that locality this fall. M. ]. ""
Since the injurious effects of alkali
depend upon the amount which is pres
ent it is hardly practicable for farm
er to determine the presence of alkali
in injurious quantities in this soil. A
simple test, however, is to put hand
full of the soil in an ordinary fruit jar,
then fill the jar with rainwater, or any
other water which is practically free
from mineral salts, shaking well, and
then allowing it to settle until some
of the water is clear. Then pour off
little of this water into dish and
evaporate it on the stove, or in the
open air, and see if any residue is left.
If any appreciate residue remains in
the dish, alkali was present in the soil.
Vetch Good Humus.
Richalnd: Twill you kindly inform
me if vetch will form a better humus
in the soil than rye? Is vetch easily
grown on irrigated land? Does it rot
easily in dry country? M. J. b.
Vetch makes a much better mulch
for soil than rye, since vetch is a
nitrogen gathering plant, and adds to
the soil just the element that is lack
ing in most irrigated land, whereas
rye does not add to the soil anything
which is not originally pres ent in the
soil, except the decaying vegetation.
Vetch makes a splendid growth under
any conditions where there is plenty
of moisture, and we think it would
prove very successful with you. 1t
will not grow up again when plowed
under, in which case the seed will pro-
duce new plants. Vetch seed is quite
expensive.
How to Avoid Difficulty.
Spokane: Il have homestead in
Stevens county upon which there is
five acres of cleared land that l wish
to put under cultivation in the spring.
The land originally was covered with
a scrub growth of pine and fir. l am
told that the ground carries quite
bit of turpentine from the pine and
fir needles, and 1 do not know what
to do to get this out of the ground.
would also like to know the names Of
two or three commercial apples that
will grow proftably in climate that
is hot in the daytime and cold at
night, with very little rain from the
early part of June until late in Sep
TENDER. A. Z. M.
The trouble you mention usually
disappears after a season or two Of
thorough tillage. We do not know
any way to avoid the difficulty, except
by the use of manure or fertilizers.
A green crop of peas, or clover ploWed
under, will accomplish the same re-
suit, but it is usually difficult to get
such a crop to make any satisfactory
growth. The only remedy we know
is thorough tillage with repeated eff
forts to grow some clover crop, until
the soil gets in such condition that
the clover will grow, and can be
plowed under The trouble you men
ton is very common on logged-off
lands, and while popularity supposed to
be due to the presence of pitch or tur-
pentine in the soil, we think instead
that it is due to the bad condition of
the soil that has never heen TILED