668 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



cumulation of alkali in the soil and its 

 causes, means of ameliorating these con- 

 ditions, and similar problems relating to 

 alkali soils. A variety of local condi- 

 tions were met with, which call for 

 specific treatment. In a number of 

 regions reconnoitered, the present accu- 

 mulation of alkali, which has frequently 

 nearly reached the limit of tolerance of 

 plants, is attributed to lack of good 

 natural drainage. The evaporation in 

 these arid or semi-arid regions is unusu- 

 ally great, and with insufficient rainfall 

 and injudicious irrigation tends to an 

 accumulation of the alkali salts near the 

 surface. With good natural drainage 

 and proper application of irrigation 

 water these salts would be in a measure 

 washed out of the soil and the soil 

 moisture maintained at nearly the same 

 concentration as the water supply. But, 

 in some cases, the irrigation water itself 

 has become so charged with alkali as to 

 call for the exercise of judgment in its 

 use. "It may be perfectly safe to use 

 water of a relatively high salt content 

 on certain well-drained soils, when it 

 would be ruinous to allow the same 

 water to be used on a properly-drained 

 soil containing a high salt content." 

 The maps which accompany the report 

 make it possible to determine the limit 

 of the salt content of the water which 

 it would be safe to use in the localities 

 reconnoitered. The seepage waters are 

 mentioned as another frequent cause 

 of increase of the alkali in the soil. 

 For instance, in the Salt Lake Valley, 

 the oldest of the modern irrigated dis- 

 tricts, the lower levels, which were for- 

 merly the most productive soils of the 

 valley, have been damaged and in some 

 cases ruined by seepage waters and 

 alkali. In general, where the conditions 

 are favorable and the expense would be 

 warranted, underdrainage with tile is 

 recommended as a remedy for excessive 

 alkali in the soil. This remedy is con- 

 sidered entirely practical for reclaiming 

 extensive areas, which at present have 

 become nearly or quite worthless. 



We record with regret the following 



deaths, which have occurred during the 

 month: Dr. George M. Dawson, the 

 eminent director of the Geological Sur- 

 vey of Canada, died on March 2 at the 

 early age of fifty-one years, after an 

 illness of only two days. He was well- 

 known for his important contributions 

 to the geology of Canada and for his 

 conduct of the geological survey and of 

 various commissions. Prof. G. F. Fitz- 

 gerald, who has held since 1881 the chair 

 of experimental philosophy in the Uni- 

 versity of Dublin, and is well known for 

 his researches on magnetism and in 

 other directions, died on February 21 at 

 the age of forty-nine years. Dr. Walter 

 Myers died from yellow fever in Brazil, 

 whither he had gone from the Liverpool 

 School of Tropical Medicine to investi- 

 gate the disease. He was only twenty- 

 nine years of age. Dr. Jacob Georg 

 Agardh, the eminent Swedish phycolo- 

 gist, died at Lund, on January 17, aged 

 eighty-eight years. The death is also 

 announced, in his seventieth year, of 

 Dr. Bernhardt Danckelmann, for the 

 last thirty-five years director of the 

 Prussian Royal Academy of Forestry at 

 Eberswalde. He was one of the first to 

 advocate the training of foresters in 

 special colleges, and was the author of 

 important works on forestry. — The de- 

 gree of LL.D. has been conferred by St. 

 Andrew's University on Mr. Alexander 

 Agassiz, of Harvard University, and by 

 the University of Pennsylvania on Pres- 

 ident Henry S. Pritchett, of the Massa- 

 chusetts Institute of Technology. — The 

 Cullum Medal of the American Geo- 

 graphical Society has been conferred on 

 President T. C. Mendenhall, of the Wor- 

 cester Polytechnic Institute. — The Am- 

 sterdam Society for the Advancement of 

 Natural Science and Medicine has 

 awarded its gold Swammerdam medal 

 for 1900 to Professor Gegenbaur, of 

 Heidelberg. — Mr. J. E. Spurr, of 

 the U. S. Geological Survey, has ac- 

 cepted an invitation of the Turkish 

 Government to make an investigation 

 of the mineral resources of the country. 



