The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-04-15
REoIA1M1Ne ovER-JoRDAN LAND.

In connection with the proposed re
clamation of 5000 acres Of land on the
ridge seven miles west of the city The
| Tribune is glad to print letter from
Mr.. Heileman. formerly a soil expert
Of the U. s. Department of Agriculture
detailing his experience in teaching al
kali out of forty acres of land across
the Jordan, some nine or ten years
ago. The Tribune at the time gave ut
! tention and encouragement to TINS
teaching experiment, which was the
first ever tried in Utah, and noted with
qualification the excellent results that
| followed the work. 1t is coincidence
that Mr.. Heileman, who had the lnitia-
tive in that work and who directed 1t
until success was assured, has Just
passed through the city, and naturally,
he is interested in the proposed recla'
nation plan that we have been setting
before the public for some days past.
Mr. Heileman accordingly writes us the
following letter, both reminiscent and
encouraging:
Salt Lake City. April 10. 1913.
Editor TribuDe:-I chance 10 pass
California to ogden and J. note with
pleasure that an effort is being made,
as announced In The sunday Tribune, to
reclaim by under-drainage part OF the
alkali fats lying west OF the city
My reason for expressing pleasure and
an interest at this time refers itself TO
the fact that just about ten years ago
had assigned TO me the work of in
stalling an alkali reclamation tract ly-
Ing west of the city, ! recall thnt there
were no government funds for the un-
dertaking and that through the courtesy
OF The Tribune In printing certain ar,
ticles prepared by myself We succeeden
in getting local parties interested IN the
Undertaking.
necessary land (forty acres) we were d.
rectIy indebted to Mr.. Swan. and the re-
suits obtained on the 'Swan tract WIN
out doubt have had something to do
with the present undertaking.
While my work In the Department or
Agriculture was discontinued before the
completion OF the drainage reclamatlon,
sufficient was done. in 1902 and 1900
strate its feasibility.
I recall that initlally through the max
ing OF over 1000 alkali tests / found that
there were over 5000 tons OF allsali In the
soil to the first four feet depth in the
forty-acre tract, and that after sea-
sons flooding Of the underdrained land
over 5000 tons or alkali went out over
the weir at the outlet drain. The land
in two sea sons time was sufficiently re-
leved from its aIkali condition TO grow
alfalfa and grain and could by careful
culture methods in due time he changed
into land productive as any TO be
found in the valley,
The alkali reclamation demonstration
work done on the "Swan tract" was initi-
ated by the Bureau OF Soils Of the De-
partment OF Agriculture. Our only in
tentlon In the work was to demonstrate
the possibility Of reclaimine alkali land
a nd call the attention OF the people to
the methods employed. The field work
was done comparatively with the Utah
Experiment Station wherein the Bureau
OF Soils attended to reclamation processes
and the Experiment Station handled the
processes.
While am not intimately familiar
with the tract OF land being al present
considered for reclamation. am yet suf-
nciently sanguine because OF my previous
experience here to intimate that the
properly handled should be
entirely successful and that the cost
should be entirely within a reasonable
limit
IT Is pleasure to note that after ten
wears the idea OF the work Is still active.
without doubt you can give credit to
your Experiment Station officials for a
continued interest and a desire to see
the initial work enlarged upon.
w. TT. HTILEMAN.
Orland. California.