Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1920-04-27 | Page 10 | Soil Survey in Uinta Country

A. C. Experts Return From That District on Inspec-. Inspec-. tion Trip LOGAN April 27,. Prof. O. W. IsVaolson irrigation and drainago engineer engi-neer of the Utali Agricultural college, and 'Dr. D. S. Jennings, In charge of soil surveys for the Utah Experiment Station, have just returned from the Uintah Basin, whore they wont in the interests of the Experiment Station and Extension Division of the college, t Dr. Jennings made arrangements for the beginning of a soil survey in Uintah Uin-tah county, which tho Experiment Station Sta-tion will conduct there this summer i in co-operation with the U. S. Bureau of Soils. To assist in making a very thorough survey, the county commissioners commis-sioners recently appropriated $2500 toward this work. The survey will consist of the taking and analyzing- of thousands of samples of soil from tho agricultural lands of tho county together to-gether with a . careful study of the formation from which the soils are derived, de-rived, after which the station will publish pub-lish detailed maps and descriptions of the area. Various sections or the basin have experienced difficulty In securing loans on farm lands because there was no definite information available on the soil conditions of tho area. Alkali is the problem which 'makes the lands questionable. Prof. Israelson went to confer with j the stockholders of the canal com-; panics of Ashley Valley who are ex-Iperiencing ex-Iperiencing considerable difficulty with their water sysirm. A preliminary study made by the college last year showed that thero was plenty of water for the land if properly handled. At a meeting of the stockholders it was unanimously decided to authorize the : Experiment Station to mako such studies as may he necessary to, ue-j ue-j termino just what the evils of tho present system are and device renie-idics renie-idics for them. The stockholders voted I to tax themselves to defray the ex-jpenses ex-jpenses of this work. ! From the observations that have I been made, Profesaor Israelson thinks that the trouble is due to the uso of too many small continuous-flow streams to the various, farms for culinary cul-inary purposes; pooriy constructed ditches and laterals; and the division or tho supply into too many small streams for irrigation purposes. I A man from tho staff of the Experiment Ex-periment Station will probably be assigned as-signed to this A'ork at an early date. oo