Show reclamation OF ALKALI SOIL IS BEING STUDIED there are millions of acres of land in the arid et est which contain varying amounts of soluble salts some of these soils contain such large quantities of the so called al kalies that no go ge tation grows upon them these can be reclaimed only by the leaching out of the voluble salts but actual esperi enee ence teaches us that in some soils the salts just wont wash out hence we have to learn tho the laws underlying this leaching process and having learned them apply them to natural field conditions in such a way as to in crease the teaching process pro cesi some of the work now in progress at the utah agricultural experiment station has bas as its aim alm this goal moreover the re suits which so far have been show that the toxicity of the alkali salts horard bacteria and probably to the higher plants Is due 1 to a ghyst clerical cal effect upon the protoplasm composing the plant and 3 2 an anju rious osmotic pressure our laboratory work indicates that in ao so far as the bacteria are concerned the first farst effect can in some cases be overcome by the tie use of certain salts thus creating an antagonistic action in the soil soll can this be carried over and supplied to higher only future work can answer the results have already ti accumulated cumulated sufficiently to make it certain that al kali kall salts in some concentrations may injure the plants only indirectly through their action on th bacteria hemore this upon ah the bacteria bacer and the injury to the plant plan t di disappears arp ears J E greaves agricultural ex pediment perl peri ment station you will lead a hard life trying to find soft snaps I 1 the main trouble with phy physical lical giants ia Is that often that is about all they are |