﻿NATIONAL 
  EFFORTS 
  AT 
  HOME 
  MAKING 
  NEWELL. 
  529 
  

  

  Other 
  examples 
  might 
  be 
  given, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  sufficient 
  here 
  to 
  empha- 
  

   size 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  soil 
  surveys 
  made 
  prior 
  to 
  reclamation, 
  while 
  

   indicating 
  the 
  condition 
  which 
  prevailed 
  at 
  that 
  time, 
  must 
  be 
  

   interpreted 
  in 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  past 
  experience; 
  also 
  assumptions 
  must 
  

   be 
  made 
  as 
  to 
  what 
  probably 
  may 
  take 
  place 
  under 
  conditions 
  as 
  yet 
  

   not 
  wholly 
  known. 
  The 
  soil 
  can 
  undoubtedly 
  be 
  greatly 
  improved 
  

   with 
  proper 
  handling, 
  and, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  it 
  is 
  easily 
  possible 
  

   to 
  destroy 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  soil, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  on 
  10 
  to 
  15 
  per 
  

   cent 
  of 
  the 
  lands 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  reclaimed 
  at 
  large 
  cost. 
  

  

  The 
  changes 
  which 
  take 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  

   the 
  vegetation 
  under 
  irrigation 
  may 
  be 
  illustrated 
  by 
  plate 
  8, 
  which 
  

   gives, 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  part, 
  a 
  view 
  across 
  what 
  is 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  Forty- 
  

   Mile 
  Desert," 
  a 
  sandy 
  and 
  forbidding 
  area 
  on 
  the 
  old 
  overland 
  trail 
  

   between 
  Utah 
  and 
  California. 
  Over 
  this 
  trail 
  thousands 
  of 
  gold 
  

   seekers 
  have 
  passed; 
  many 
  of 
  their 
  beasts 
  of 
  burden 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  seekers 
  themselves 
  died 
  of 
  thirst 
  on 
  this 
  trail. 
  The 
  transforma- 
  

   tion 
  which 
  has 
  taken 
  place 
  is 
  illustrated 
  in 
  plate 
  8, 
  figure 
  2. 
  This 
  

   is 
  not 
  merely 
  a 
  change 
  in 
  cultural 
  conditions 
  ; 
  much 
  of 
  this 
  so-called 
  

   "sand" 
  has 
  been 
  altered 
  in 
  texture 
  by 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  water; 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  soil 
  has 
  been 
  changed 
  so 
  completely 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  now 
  almost 
  

   untillable: 
  but 
  careful 
  research, 
  followed 
  by 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  

   results 
  of 
  this 
  scientific 
  inquiry, 
  are 
  showing 
  that 
  these 
  soil 
  changes 
  

   may 
  be 
  anticipated 
  and 
  met 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  as 
  to 
  result 
  in 
  the 
  main- 
  

   tenance 
  of 
  soil 
  fertility. 
  

  

  New 
  devices. 
  — 
  The 
  problems 
  of 
  extension 
  of 
  reclamation 
  and 
  of 
  

   home 
  making 
  are 
  dependent 
  for 
  their 
  solution, 
  not 
  only 
  upon 
  the 
  

   careful 
  observation 
  and 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  facts 
  available 
  but 
  also 
  upon 
  

   the 
  development 
  of 
  new 
  methods, 
  particularly 
  those 
  applicable 
  to 
  

   changing 
  conditions 
  of 
  soil, 
  and 
  the 
  resultant 
  effect 
  upon 
  the 
  plants. 
  

   The 
  ultimate 
  success 
  of 
  reclamation 
  rests 
  upon 
  continually 
  meeting 
  

   and 
  successfully 
  overcoming 
  the 
  new 
  problems 
  of 
  water 
  conserva- 
  

   tion, 
  its 
  distribution, 
  and 
  the 
  prevention 
  of 
  excessive 
  use 
  of 
  water, 
  

   resulting 
  in 
  alkali, 
  or 
  soil 
  deterioration, 
  and 
  in 
  working 
  out 
  feasible 
  

   programs 
  of 
  crop 
  or 
  crop 
  rotation. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  these 
  problems 
  are 
  those 
  related 
  to 
  soil 
  erosion, 
  the 
  carry- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  suspense 
  and 
  deposition 
  of 
  the 
  fine 
  mud 
  or 
  dirt 
  washed 
  from 
  

   the 
  land. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  waters 
  — 
  notably 
  the 
  Colorado 
  River 
  

   of 
  the 
  West 
  — 
  are 
  so 
  heavily 
  charged 
  by 
  the 
  silt 
  brought 
  down 
  by 
  the 
  

   river 
  that 
  the 
  irrigating 
  ditches 
  become 
  clogged 
  with 
  the 
  sediment. 
  

   Plate 
  9, 
  Figure 
  1, 
  illustrates 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  ingenious 
  devices 
  utilized 
  to 
  

   overcome 
  this 
  difficulty. 
  Here 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  in 
  its 
  lower 
  

   course 
  at 
  Laguna 
  Dam 
  above 
  Yuma, 
  Ariz., 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  taken 
  

   directly 
  into 
  the 
  canal 
  is 
  held 
  for 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  in 
  a 
  pool; 
  the 
  heavy 
  

   material 
  sinks 
  in 
  the 
  quiet 
  water, 
  and 
  the 
  relatively 
  clear 
  water 
  from 
  

  

  