The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1910-03-31

1cus 0uO~, VI MhSucSIt, IL CAuSeD u
kissing or effervescence. When this
ceases. there is left neither an alkali
nor acid, both have disappeared, and
their substances are totally changed
into something else, a new salt called
an 'cetate, which Is neither one thing
or the other; they have mutually des-
troyed each other.
These acetates are not nOxious to
plants, and appear to be freely created
by the plant itself during the process
OF developing acetic acid, which is es-
sential for the purpose of transform
ing starch into sugar, whether OF the
cane or grape variety, and for laying
the foundation of woody fiber and cell
lular tissues, all of which, alkali tends
to prevent II in excess 1t is well
known from actual experience that
sugar bearing plants, such as sor-
ghuin, sugar beets and trees OF abund-
ant starch and woody fiber will flour
tsh luxuriantly in alkali soils that will
not even permit the termination Of
cereals, or alfalfa The reason why
this is so is not far to seek, and when
well understood the partial reclama-
ton OF alkali lands, even under adj
verse conditions, may be attained, and
WAOAAy ~ WuClC tl1C GOAQlllOllS die OU-
posed to the accumulations OF alkali
from artificial sources.
Dangerous Percentage Of Alkall.
There Is much controversy about
the dangerous amount of alkalis In ar
able soils, but the entire question may
be solved into four divisions:
First-Soils naturally SO heavily
charged with alkali as to be worthless.
IT, Vxyh{o al fc
increased by fortuitous or artificial
means.
Third-Alkali soils suitable for gem
eral crops.
Fourth-Alkali soils adapted only to
certain special classes of plants.
The sodas are the most dangerous
OF the alkalis, both the carbonate, or
"sal Soda" which is the cause of
rblack alkali land" and the sulphate,
or "Glauber Salts which is the de-
post on most of the white alkali
lands because they are SO very cas-
lily soluble in water, whereas the sui
pnate of lime, or gypsum" and all
the other sulphates and the phos-
pilates, are very much less soluble in
water. The consequence is, the soda
alkalis are always shifting their To-
cation, always following the water,
because the latter takes them up
greedily whenever they are brought
in contact whether on the surface or
In the subsoil, or under the influence
of seepage which carries the alkalis
from higher to lower level. The
tendency of water when in motion, or
flowing, is first downward, it teaches,
or percolates through the soil, but af-
ter it has become stationary, that is,
when it does not find an outlet through
drainage, either natural or artificial
it begins an upward movement toward
the surface through capillary action
and carries with it the alkalis it con-
tains in solution, evaporates and
leaves the salts on the surface. 1t is
not difficult to understand how the
alkalis accumulate in the soil, the diff
ficulty begins when the attempt is
made to remove them and fit the soil
| for plant life.
AS the amount of alkali deposited in
the soil increases. the number of spec
les of varieties of plants decreases
Where soils are charged with an ex-
cess of alkalis by fortuitous or arti-
| fetal means, the reader will under
stand that the excess has been added
to the natural supply by the flooding
of rains, or by irrigation. The alkali
has not been washed out of the soil by
the water, it has been carried into it
| by water charged with the soluble
salts, directly, or by seepage from irri-
eating bitches In either case, deep
cultivation, surface, or sub-drainage
| will tend to restore the soil to it's nor
NAL condition. Moreover, it is not diff
ficult to wash out of the soil the ele-
ments necessary to plant life through
! the application of water, and, mas
much as the alkalis are more soluble
than any of the plant foods, it should
be less difficult to eliminate the form
er by the same process that carried
them into the soil, intelligently APP
piled.
One per cent of alkali salts in an
average soil one foot deep equals 40,-
! 946 pounds dry, and 55,146 pounds wet
too great quantity for the successful
growth of cereals, although the sol
may be rich in all the other plant
! foods, which is generally the case in
all alkali soils, and this percentage
will prevent the growth of trees
bushes, vines and root crops in gener.
al Sometimes the alkali is near the
surface, in the first two inches of 1t!
indeed, the tendency of the alkalis Is
toward the surface, in this case the
one per cent of alkali would mean {
weight of the salts in foot deep acre
of only about 6,S24 pounds dry, or g.,
191 pounds wet, quantity not in ex
cess if distributed uniformly through
the SOIL But lying ct the immediate
surface, the cereal grains cannot ger
inmate, or if they do the young ant
tender plants perish from thirst, Ii
terally, the alkalis absorbing all the
water around them, although there
may be plenty of untainted water IL
the subsoil, in which case deep blow
ing and turning the soil over will fur
nish top soil in which the seeds
may terminate and reach a growth
able to resist the alkali turned under
4 In fact, the roots of the plant vii
reach beyond the alkali, for the lat
ter will then have again sought the
surface, where it can do no harm.