The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-05-19
ALKAL| SOILS
To RAISE CROPS
Discovery Made in Australia
Which 1t Is Believed Will
Accomplish Purpose.
NITRIC ACID APPLIED
WITH SPLENDID EFFECT
Result of Experiments Car
ried Out in Artesian Area
oil New South Wales.
Special TO The Tribune.

Special 10 The Tribune.
WASHINGTON, May ls.-A discovery
which. il is believed. will make alkaii
soils 1T for agricultural cultivation. has
been made in Australia. and is mace the
subject OF a report by United states
Consul Henry D. Baker at Hobart, Tas-
mania. as follows.
A series of experiments have been car
ried out in the artesian area Of New
South Wales by r. S. Synonds. arert-
cultural chemist, 10 ascertain the el-
fects OF applying nitric acid TO SOILS Inn
pregnated with carbonate OF soda from
artesian water. The results achieved
have been astonishingly successful ano
of Australia where artesian. water can
be obtained by boring, but is ordinarily
so alkaline as to injure the soll, can De
mado In the future capable OF ylelding
large crops
The artesian area, of Australia is cs-
timated at over $4,000 square miles, od OF
which 376.o0O are in Queensland llooep
In South Australia, $4,000 in New South
Wales and $4,000 in West Australia;
This is d larger area than is contained
within the total area OF the three largest
square miles; and Montana, 10000
square miles-so that some idea can oe
gained of the tremendous extent OF
country which may be rendered valuable
for agricultural purposes, II results OF
recent Investigations into the chemistry
of the soil and artesian water In these
vast districts can be put to practical use,
These arteslan areas lie mostly within
the arid portions of the Australian con-
tinenr, where drouth usually reigns
perenniaIly but where deep bores re.
veal apparently inexhaustible supplies OF
water which. as already explained, ls
too alkaline. generally speaking, Tor IT.
rieation. although II can often De useo
for watering stock
Nitric Acid Treatment.
In an interesting article in the Feorus
ary issue OF the Lone Hand magazine OF
Sydney. the theory OF the nitric acio
treatment OF soil by Mr., symonds Is ex-
plained. This article states that, IN IN.
water over the soil made 1t barren. Mr.,
Symonds obtained samples Of the SOIL
from those districts that had not oeen
in contact with bore water and watched
the results of treating them with It. He
found that the virgin soil, which was
highly fertile when traJed with ram 1y,i, wa
ter. proved TO be highly acid soil. TINS
acid soii treated with bore water gradu-
aIly became harder and harder, until the
whole mass was impervious TO air ana
water and plants must have air and
water around their roots from Whicn 10
extract the nitrates He found that thls
soil contained fine coloidal substance
in coagulated humps; and when AKA,
line water flows over II, these coagniaIea g
break up and become diffused through
out the mass Of SOIL Moro alkaline va,
ter caused the process 10 continue ano
the diffusion OF the colloidal clay became
more general, until at last all the empty
spaces in tho mass OF earth we're nlieo
by a jellylke skeleton forming petWeen
the earth particles, which eneceaaiy p pte- re-
through the soil,
iron were coagulated and rep2sSeSa gssSSa ,,+ln IN
acid had a tendency to coagllate the col
loids and alkalies to diffuse them TO
prevent alkaline waters having dlt-
fusing effect on the colloids, quantity
Of nitric acid was added, and this was
| tried on virgin soil IN which wheat was
planted. AS a result OF this experlmeht
not only did the cololds IAN 20 oinuse'
but the soil became richer when treat
| ed with rain water. for the water con-
tained lime and potash that was soluble
| In water. and was therefore capaoie OF
being used by the roots as plant 1000:
| In other words, the nitric acid prevented
| the diffusion of the colloidal clay, Kept
II coagulated. and allowed the rootS 70
absorb not only the nltra5es l t oIian ogiaIeT o3
| soil bacteria but increased the supply
| literally and made the lime and potash
soluble in water Many other espGrls nias
of soil that had long been sterlhzed by
| the action of alkaline water from ar,
tesian bores, and all OF them N.cated q
as an antidote 10 tho injurious chemlcei
action OF alkaline artestan waters
One Difficulty to Overcome.
There seems one serious difficulty in
the way Of applying the nitric acid rem
| edy TO the soil on any large scale IN
Australia, and that is the high cost OF
nitric acid, which is now quoted in sgd
| ney at about $50 per ton. II Is sug
! gested, however, that IL would be posi-
hie to manufacture nitric acid in large
amounts from the atmosphere by burn
ing atmospheric air in electric furnaces
Of tremendous neat. and Mr.. symon1ds ntt1os
| practical results from the use OF nitric
acid, TO utilize the power Of the snsrsa. bore wa.
| of feet for obtaining nitrogen from the
air There are also large depSSts o.
which could be utilized for the same pur-
pose As bore water r, contains Gaa nG fonsld niha,
incredients which, combined with nitro
gen. make valuable, fertilizers. there
seems Il possibility that. In connection
with manufacture ON a large scale OF nj
trio acid for Irrigation purposes, lime nj
trogen and other nitrates might be pro
|