The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1920-04-02
.ALKAL| LANDS
GAN Be EARNED
Reasonable Care Will Prevent
IdIeness Of Valuable
Property

(By E. B. Hitchcock, Soils Specialist
of the University of Idaho Elk
tension Division)
How many acres OF your farm are
non- producing on account of alkali?
Can you afford to let $500 to $500 land
lie idle, with produce at present
prices?
Many times a landowner has a
small piece of ground on his farm
which does not have good drainage,
causing the water table to rise very
close to the surface. A condition OF
this kind increases evaporation, which
in turn brings large quantities OF al
kali salts to the surface, causing the
ground to be nonproductive. The own
er gives this matter little thought, but
if he were to figure in dollars and
cents what the land would bring him
if producing, he would take steps to
reclaim it.
Drainage Is Vital
The first and most fundamental pro-
cedure in retaining alkal soil is to
provide an efficient drainage system.
The drain should be placed deep
enough to keep the water table from
eight to ten feet below the surface.
Water tables which are close to the
surface are detrimental in two WAYS.
They cause rapid evaporation, which
carries large quantities of alkali salts
to the surface, and they prevent all
drainage water from carrying out any
of the alkali salts through the lower
layers.
Procedure after the drainage system
is in may depend on the form in which
the alkali appears. In case the alkali
salts are white salts, the flooding sys-
tenn can be used and many of the salts
leached out and carried off by the
drainage water. Ifthe salts happen to
be black alkali it is best first to make
an application of landplaster (gyp-
sum) to convert the salts to white al.
kali, which is much more soluble than
the black alkali The quantity of land
plaster (gypsum) to apply will depend
on the percentage of black alkali salts
in the soil
Preparation Important
In some cases an efficient drainage
system is out of the question. Under
such circumstances, it becomes neces-
sary, to adopt system of ropping and
soil management that will take up a
considerable percentage of the alkali
salts and put into the soil all organic
matter possible to help heutralize the
alkali and build up live soil These
results can be obtained by growing
some alkali resistant crop, such as bar
LEY or sweet clover (scarified seed).
so that there will be a green crop to
turn under, and by applying consider
liable quantities of barnyard manure and
straw.
In preparing the seed bed, pillow
from six to eight inches deep in the
fspring. Follow Immediately with a
spike-tooth harrow, so as to form a
mulch on the surface, which prevents
rapid evaporation. Precede this oper-
alton with use of disk harrow, if nee
essary. 1t is we'll to go over the
ground a number of times with the
harrow, in order to get the salts well
distributed, giving the seed better
chance to terminate.
Seeding should follow as soon as
possible after preparing the ground,
giving the seed better opportunity
to terminate before the salts are again
brought to the surface through evap-
oration.. In case sweet clover is used,
from 10 to IL pounds of sacrificed seed
should be planted to the acre. This
should be inoculated and sowed broad
cast or with drill. incubation gives
a much better assurance of good
stand and large yield.
Immediately after seeding. light
application of barnyard manure or
stray should be spread over the
ground. This sort. of treatment in
combination with the dirt mulch
makes the evaporation very slow, Civ
ing the plants. an opportunity to get
well rooted before the concentration OF
salts becomes injurious in the upper
three or four inches of. SOIL
The soil should be we'll chopped up
with disc harrow just previous to
the next blowing. This cuts up the
straw that is turned Under and inn