190 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



EXAMINATIONS OF TULE, MARSH, AND ALKALI LANDS. 



TULE AND MARSH SOILS. 



It should be remembered that the tules of California are of two 

 distinct kinds, viz.: the land of the salt or tide-water lands, and those 

 which are not now reached by saline tide-water, or fresh-water tules. 

 Of the samples examined, No. 720, from Roberts' Island, belongs to 

 the latter class, while the other two are of the salt marsh character, 

 as is shown by their high contents of soda. 



No. 720. — Sediment soil from Roberts Island, San Joaquin County. 

 Sent by Mr. J. W. Ferris, of Stockton, on behalf of the Glasgow Land 

 and Improvement Company. The sample is slate colored when dry, 

 darkens greatly in wetting, and shows visibly the remnants of vegeta- 

 tion contained in it. The coarser part of this w^as taken out by sift- 

 ing before analysis. It is of fine texture, with very little coarse sand, 

 all passing through the sieve of 1-50 inch meshes. On heating it 

 gives off a peaty odor, and becomes quite light colored and somewhat 

 coherent, showing a considerable amount of clay in its mass. 



No. 213. — Soil from Novato Meadows, near San Rafael, Marin County. 

 Sent on behalf of the same interests by Mr. Christensen, the local 

 superintendent. This soil is of a whitish gray tint, and contains many 

 streaks of vegetable remains intermixed by the plow, it having been 

 plowed once; appears to be more sandy than the Roberts Island soil. 

 Here also the undecomposed vegetable remains were removed by the 

 1-50 inch sieve, the analysis representing the fine earth passing through. 

 The soil is of a slightly brackish taste, and yields to water a somewhat 

 brownish tint, showing that it is in an acid condition, as usual in such 

 soils. The analyses resulted as shown in the table below: 



No. 720— TuLE Soils. 



Taking into consideration the difference in location and condition, 

 the two soils are not as unlike each other as might have been ex- 



