1914] Loughridge: Humus and Nitrogen in California Soil Columns 243 



Table 38. — Humus in Soil Columns of Honey Lake Valley, Lassen County 



East Honey Lake Valley 



Stacy 



North of Calneva 



Soil 

 Clay 11.29 



Ft. 



1 Dark loam.... 



2 Dark loam.... 



3 Sandy 



4 Sandy 



5 Gritty..... 



6 Sandy 



7 Loam 



8 Loam 



9 Loam 



10 Loam 



11 Loam 



12 Loam 



Humus- 

 Nitrogen in 



I \ 



Humus Humus Soil 



.64 

 1.26 

 .45 

 .47 

 .44 

 .39 

 .34 

 .27 

 .24 

 .24 

 .22 

 .20 



7.35 

 4.68 

 6.22 

 6.60 

 7.05 

 6.40 

 5.90 

 7.40 

 8.32 

 7.08 



.05 

 .06 

 .03 

 .03 

 .03 

 .03 

 .02 

 .02 

 .02 

 .02 



Soil 

 Clay 19.50 



Humus- 

 >Mtrogen in 

 A 



r \ 



Humus Humus Soil 



Clay loam .... 

 Clay loam .... 

 Clay loam .... 

 Clay loam .... 

 Clay loam .,.. 

 Clay loam ...- 



Clay...- 



Clay 



Clay 



Clay 



Sand 



Sand 



Sum of per cents 5.16 



Average per foot .43 6.70 .03 



Upper 3 feet :* 

 Sum of per cents 2.35 

 Average per foot .78 6.08 .05 



* Range of most annual plant roots. 



.25 

 .10 

 .14 

 .17 

 .13 

 .13 

 .12 

 .10 

 .16 

 .15 

 .08 

 .07 



1.60 

 .13 



.49 

 .16 



3.85 

 tr. 



.01 



tr. 



Honey Lake Valley 



Standish 



Soil 

 Clay 14.58 



Humus- 

 Nitroeen in 

 f ^ 



Humus Humus Soil 



Loam 



Loam 



Loam 



Whitish loam 

 Whitish loam 

 Whitish loam 

 Whitish loam 

 Whitish loam 

 Whitish loam 

 Whitish loam 

 Wliitish loam 

 Whitish loam 



.72 

 .33 

 .17 

 .21 



tr. 



1.43 

 .13 



1.22 

 .41 



3.45 



tr. 



.03 



tr 



many soils of the more favored portions of the state. The humus 

 is fairly rich in nitrogen, but the amount given to the soil is 

 small. 



The soil from the region north of Calneva contains very 

 little humus even in the surface foot, but it is found throughout 

 the entire column and is very poor in nitrogen. The humus is 

 apparently derived from the debris and roots of the sagebrush 

 and alkali weeds that grow on the plain. 



With an abundant water supply and the turning under and 

 humification of some good legume crop there is no reason why 

 the lands of East Honey Lake Valley at their elevation of 4000 

 feet above sea-level should not produce crops suitable to that 

 altitude as well as the lands of Imperial Valley which are below 

 sea-level, though climatic conditions naturally would control the 

 kind of crops grown. 



The column taken from an alfalfa field near Standish on the 

 north side of the lake is surprisingly low in humus below the 



