Show ALKALI IS PLANT FOOD dec 21 1895 dear sir ro my compilation of borly forty yearb experience io bov bolk in the arid zone I 1 afred for slad kindly received a supplement from J T ph JD of the university of utah now nov by permission of we the astoor 1 I aek you if you kindly will give it publicity in the tb NEWS it is ia a scientific treatise on the fertilizing til izing effects of alkalis alk allee found in and may be called native to arid onen it to is of particular interest to farmere farn abre within our rocky mountain region antis ml I 1 think should be made a study progressive by candidates in agricultural agri science in our ur arid and zane ane to give in chemical research ease elul elal to 90 success to in thir thia our prominent ind industry christran CHRISTIAN A MADSEN COPY 1 I HE OP OF UTAH chemical and physical department SALT BALT LAKE CITY Nove november cauer 1895 christian A madsen guna son aon utah dear sir your letter of inquiry has bae won been in my hands for some time and not yet answered anew ered I 1 prom toed bed to answer it and now desire to as fax far as I 1 am able to do so BO oo on account of being busy with school duller dutley and chemical work it has baa almost been impossible for me to find and time to reply to your very interesting anu and important letter until today lb in regard to question Is 1 it way may be stated that bat our mountain valleys are supplied with large quantities ot of alks alka lies and therefore the ibe soli soil in many instances to alkaline soil golf and abou tuala lo 10 plant food the meger rainfall adds addis to the conditions favorable Javo rable to the accumulation of alkali and consequently mineral plantford plant food silica a principal food for wheat must most be in a to in which it can be taken up by plant otherwise it is use lemis as a plant tood food the more alkaline material there la Is present in the soil the greater the quantity of as a general thing in a condition capable of being absorbed by the tha planta alkali in water increases inor eases its if solvent power on silica and in this way puts the silica allies in a condition whereby it is majl ra Jl utilized bythe by the plant as an food alkaline matter promotes the disintegration ol of rooks by which in part mineral food la Is prepared fur for the plant in short abort it is generally recognized that whenever ala allue matter abou abound lads plant food is generally abundant abundant so for as min aln biral ral material la is concerned arid sitione eit ione too have the necessary conditions condition usually favorable to the 0 of alkaline mineral oal oeral while where the magnificent allu alluri irl il 11 deposits occur the rainfall is abundant and washes out of the soil much of the mineral fod of plants i many instances instance and especially tile the aralts commonly known as al kalies it is true however that the toil ent with nature puts puis forth her attract tive power in greater strength for the essential ingredient of the plant than ban for other mineral matter and thus retains much more of the former than of the latter do not understand that thai sille k alone Is prepared for the plant in greater quantity on account of the presence of muc alkali but other wheat fordsor food or plant food la 18 for the same reason no 2 Sal aratus is carbonate of potassium tas or W b of potassium ane latter substance contains mort moro carbonic acid ahau the former cna C na mon boon galer generally geoe rally hs has several substances as mixed with the one given iven above no 8 lubern will undoubtedly accumulate nitrogen in the soil in quite large quantities on account of its lorig long ro to te supplying abundance of organic mi in t er roto are among the agencies through which rocks are disintegrated no doubt the mineral food for or plant in 10 many instances are prepared for the plant table than ban the luvurn extracts it ii from the soil by reason reabon of the abundance of roots of which lucern is very characteristic or course the food or 01 in to the proportional amounts of its constituents irom from that of other plante plant at ac or example corn etc an opportunity port unity olty Is given while is ie mowing growing and occupying the land for be constituents ot of other plants to ac c cumulate lu in excess of the needs of lucern no 4 la in the first airet stage of the composition ol of organic or vegetable matt tor the numus humus la Is brown due probably to acid and in IB a later and burxia appear when he humus la Is generally black it is IB the ibe water that makes it possible pu eible lor for chat 11 known an aa humus to be pro aniced As aa this particular kind of organic matter maiter la is found iu in the presence of water abd in the be absence of much oxygen no 6 5 decaying is a slow elow process of oxidation while combustion or burn lug aug is IB a rapid process ot of oxidation rue fhe forms former process is IB not nol accompanied wjk light and much boat beat abo ah latter is ie accompanied with light and best beat both decaying and burning are a uniting of oxygen of the air chemically with the substance decay lug and burning the products are the same carbonic acid gas a and ad water the ibea ashes abes roma loing as the uni unburned burned ur guoxi lazed substance subi tance no 6 it to is somewhat questionable to ocy mind as tu to whether a observation hate has been made in to the lubern consuming afie mineral alkali alkah as fast as it comes to the durisoe duri aoe lucero J incero according to my experience peri per ence lence and can thrive on 00 a oil impregnated with alkali where abers wheat nod and other plants would not grow it is something like beets and no doubt absorbs more of the al klie kallet ahall many other plants do or can possibly absorb and absorbs to certain extent the alkali to in ablo aun in 10 the irrigation water no noa 7 alkali soils are conquered 1 I mostly by irrigation anil and drAl drainage liage irrigation will only partly 1 tae cue alkali and does doea so eo by carrying is down into the soil from which it will billj alse egrid capillary action q the abe land southwest of salt isake I sake city was waa no in the alost parta treed freed from some of its alkali alhaj I 1 by mi irti i ration gation together with dral drainage nag 1 l lucern no doubt within more becenta years yeara has done something eom ething towards toward subduing dub dulog aness alkaline soil farmer nave aade told me that thai they have nutce euc cea tully fully bettered toe condition of some 0 their tbell land in question by raising on land beets carroto carrola and ly wild california clover I 1 ber one instance of at a gentleman speaking to me about the use oa 01 Kyp euin BB as a remedy for the alkali he fie sowed sowa land in region referred re ferre to above be employed agis mineral to help reclaim the uldal Hl kalUM soil or not I 1 do not know gypsum la is used for ucb such a purpose b alkali la 18 nut not gotten rid oi of out but only changed into a less leas it injurious Jurious f form I 1 arm 1 might state here that the alk alkalis aliu mat ter tt r or what you have callej is mostly sodium carbonate sal sai bodi odium sulphate glauber salt gium chloride common amon self bait carto onate mixed with organic mottle ur or dumus la is the black alkalis alkali asid bedlum jums oui phate la is the white alkali and ices destructive to plante of the abe to now when gueta la Is mixed with the black alkali carb carbonado unade of time lime stone alone or marble and the white alkali are formed the white alkali as stated to is less jess injurious than the black to plants aud and in clayey tiff sails carbonate of lime is very beneficial la in their cons coin making them hem more atus and much easier to work no 8 our alkaline alk alioe soils are certainly rich in the mineral food of plants tir fr richer raober than the mineral soils la in other regions for the reasons already assigned and in your own burdo J the these searld arid minerals accumulated an a blessing easing bl to agriculture it may to ba also that nitrogen is converted to a certain extents extent by alkali into a form in which it oan can be dutli laed by the ibe plant by the presence sence of t sone nitrogen trogen oi bad water are converted into injo ammonium nitrite altel sad and beuce am coulum nitrate it is claimed that an aa alkali carbonate will accomplish the same thing there to io no ao doubt about these theme ole arid i valleys valley being a great storehouse of 91 fertile sol soil rich in the mineral food of 1 I plants plant and wat that the alkaline matter to is subdued by irrigation toa 6 give the farmer an opportunity to raise orbee which through the he at abundance mad of mineral lod food makes then them I 1 la fill deed in many instances in truly lux jux anant I 1 should be pleased to assist yott farther in your inquiries in any obe mical line as far as I 1 hall be able to do so and if I 1 have not maue made my self clear do not to write again J T |