XL VI REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE 



particularly if the level of the standing water comes to within 4 or 5 

 feet of the surface, involves serious danger of the rise of alkali. 

 There are large areas of land already alkaline which could be reclaimed 

 at a profit, and it is hoped that these investigations will make this 

 point so clear that the people of the district can be prevailed upon to 

 make the experiment of reclaiming small areas for demonstration. 



Results in Utah. — About 310 square miles were surveyed around 

 Ogden. This area is divided into two agricultural districts, a broad 

 delta plain, upon which Ogden is situated, and in which the principal 

 irrigation is carried on, and an upland portion composed of foothills 

 and mountainous land. In addition to these, there is an area of nearly 

 100 square miles of recent delta, formed b} r the recession of the Great 

 Salt Lake since the early surveys were made, in 1858. This land is 

 now so full of alkali that no cultivated crops are grown upon it. 

 Eight types of soil were recognized and mapped, each having more or 

 less distinct differences and adapted to different agricultural interests. 



The irrigation water of the district is exceptionally good and free 

 from alkali. There is more than enough water to irrigate all the lands 

 within the area, provided it were distributed at proper seasons of the 

 year. Unfortunately, however, the larger part of it comes in the 

 early spring, and there is frequently a shortage during the growing 

 season. Plans are being considered for a large storage reservoir to 

 equalize the distribution and to insure against seasons of drought and 

 low water. Many of the canals run over deep, sandy soils, with no 

 protection against seepage, and it is estimated that fully half of the 

 water is lost in this way. This is not only an unnecessary waste of 

 water, but is the cause of a large amount of injury by the subirriga- 

 tion of large areas in which th$ ground water is so near the surface as 

 to be harmful to crops. The whole area surveyed contains about 

 198,400 acres, of which 137,000 acres could be irrigated. There are 

 actually about 40,000 acres under irrigation. In about 83,000 acres 

 there is so little alkali that their use for cultivated crops would be 

 absolutely safe. About 16,000 acres have sufficient alkali to make 

 their cultivation at least dangerous, while there are 99,000 acres con- 

 taining too much alkali for crops. Good lands in this vicinity are 

 worth $100 an acre, and when set with valuable fruit trees much more 

 than this, so that the importance of this alkali problem here is apparent. 



Results in Washington. — A soil survey was made of about 198,000 

 acres in the Yakima Valley. Frequent mention has been made by 

 agricultural investigators of the alkali in the soils of this valley. The 

 amount of alkali found by our parties was very small when compared 

 with the area which has been irrigated, but the land which is damaged 

 is near Yakima and is the most valuable land in the valley owing to its 

 proximity to town* and the ease with which it can be irrigated. Under 

 the Sunnyside Canal, below North' Yakima, practically no land has 



