Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1910-01-28
TESTIFY
ON ST. JOE SOILS
ASSERT ELEMENTS ARE NOT
PRESENT TO MAKE AGRI-
CULTURAL LANDS.
Meadows water Logged and son l.
Sour"


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Prof, Henry g, Gardner on Boae-
man, Montana. the report Of whose
soil survey OF the lands between
chatcolet and 81. Mariea occupied
nearly a day and half in the inter-
Tor department hearing before Reg
lister Batting, was recalled yesterday
afternoon and testified to the value
OF hay grown on the lands ia eontro-
versy.
1T IL directly on the value 81 the
proleine and hydrocarbons that the
value OF hay depends, aald the W.T..
ness. Alfalfa hay has feeding
value Of ~ per cent. but cannot b.
FED successfully above cost u 81
per ton. /"
The hays grown on these lands
along the 81. Joe river do not ax-
coed a feeding vaiue or s125 to gf.40
per ton and cannot be successfully
fed AZ price to exceed that value.
During the afternoon the witness
explained the various crops that
could be raised. the result Of which
may be summarized by stating that
the low lands could NOT BE- made pro-
duetive Of any crops except the
sedges, q very inferior kind OF hay.
The high lands can be cultivated 10
limited extent IN small farms produce
ing timothy, vegetables. etc.
The map OF RIyerdale. otherwise
known AS RusaeiI's tract. a body o.
land containing 500 acres adjoining
the reservation at 81 MaFies. was
offered IN evidence. Witness Gar.
diner testified Ia making soil sur.
yey OF this tract aud enumerated By
number what tracts could be success
fully farmed. The soil merEes from
a siity loan with considerable plant
nutriment to soil saturated eondl-
ton very largely characteristic Of the
Cherry creek tract. Witness pre-
ssnted two boxes OF hay samples Ia
ken from the Russell tract. One box
contained samples that had been
protected In the cock aud the other
contained samples taken from the
windrow. The former were a green:
the latter yellowish green. The box
marked 3 was taken from tract So.
As for tho growing OF crops on the
area commonly known As the high
bank. IN my opinion the present
water leads have no effect. have no
detrimental effect. in connection with
the growing Of these crops thereon.
for the reason that prior TO 1895 the
average nnmber OF days al which the
water was held at an elevation OF
2t25 @as i24 days: since 1906 the
average number OF days the water
was held Ia 1915. The average num-
Der Of days water sas held at 2i27
before the dam Was built was 10
days: sinee the dam was built 7I.4
days.
The only reason why the high
banks ever had any agricultural
value Is that Il has been possible
for the freshet water 70 get from
this bank out through the coarser
material into the river. Ia other
words. they have had an oportnnity
to drain naturally and as q result
have become very productive wheu
they have been formed: that the
water Is not higher and Is not held
as long at the extreme heights on
the river banks as It vas formerly
On the other hand. Il Is held logger
al an elevation OF 2t25 which is In
general about one foot below the
layer over which this ground must
necessarily drain.
Except the high banks. conditions
exist In all these areas which pre-
clnde the possibility OF soluble plant
food necessary 10 the production Of
the more highly organized plants
which are produced commercially.
Lands OF the character OF Cherry
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