Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1910-01-27
SOIL EXPERT
| ON THE STAND
TELLS or NATURES work IN
THE CREATION or THE ST.
JOE VALLEY.
Process Of Formation Through Var.
ious Stages OF Development.

/ In Dat contradiction Of the IS
witnesses Tor the government ia the
overflow hearing now being held he
fore Register Batting, soil expert
Henry g. Gardiner, graduate veter-
mary and agricultuFlst In charge OF
the Anaconda company's pure bred
stock farm at Willow Glen, In the
Deer Lodge valley. Montana. was
placed on the stand yesterday Mf-
terno0n TO prove the lands IN con-
troyersy are not now. have not been.
and never win be nj for agricultural
purposes. The witness has two de-
grees. bachelor OF scientific agricul-
ture from the Montana Agriculture!
college, and doctor OF comparative
medicine from Chicago. and Is now
investigating the character OF soils
In Toole valley in Utah. but resides
in Bozeman. Montana.
While the witness was being quail
ified a. a soil expert he stated that
Il was essential for an agricultnrlRt
to determine tho methods by which
the lands had been formed In order
10 properly cultivate them aud In
diligently grow crops thereon. lie
testified that the eastern two-thlrds
OF the 81, Joe valley is nnderlaid BY
lake bottom. clay upon which has
been deposited considerable amounts
of vegetable material In the lower
third section the lake bottom clay
lies near the surface, Ito described
the soil upon the upper third of
these lands as varying from one %
10 feet deep. They were first lakes.
then boys and now marshes. That
the condition OF boys and marsh has
existed for an indefinite period IL
clearly shown by the fact that Dor
Ings into the soil throughout the
whole OF Cherry creek meadow and
the big meadown as a whole show
practically little In the main. but
deeomposed vegetable matter with
a slight admixtuTe OF the finer clay
which has come from the river and
has settled out over these areas.
The area in the Benwa lake region
shows a stage In which the matter
OF sedlmentary deposit and the accu-
mutation OF organic matter has not
advanced to the stage at which It has
advanced IN the big meadow. The
area between Benwa lake 10 Chat
colet lake presents practically
Throughout a clay surface or old lake
level surface uncovered by material
found on Cherry creek meadow OF
big meadow. Row muck" meaul
"in a period. at some period In the
future" continued the witness. 'Ths
big meadow will assume the eondi
ton which we now find In the cherrs
! creek meadow. Ia turn. conditions
in the Benwa lake country are no
as far along as the big meadow. ans
at chatcolet lake. Occur d.Alen'
lake and the areas Immediately ad
iaeent conditions are found In whIel
semi-nuid or semi-solid mass o
deeayed vegetable matter rests on |
clay nnderlay. Cherry creek meadow
Is an area In which the material haI
become more solid. dIgested further
and nearer ultimate agriculture
. possibilities Il will be At least owe
thousand years before the bll
meadow would naturally become
farming possibility"
The professor supplemented hi
oral testimony with 1T bottled sam
. pies Of soil serially numbered. eael
labeled and accompanied By an AMY
sis. A map OF the lands. colored i
sections. 10 which a serial letter
= given, to assist In identifying the sol
samples taken ard four cross sec
tional maps OF the valley. showing
b. eoiors the various kinds Of sol
and the river banks Among tn
| ,T,.4s..a -. ~. $40