UNDERGROUND INVESTIGATIONS. 



DURING 1899. 



Ten days after the last irrigation, samples of each foot of the 

 soil from the surface to ground-water were taken for the purpose 

 of determining the moisture content. By that time the surface 

 applications had settled away, but as will be seen from the results 

 of the determinations, the water of the entire soil had not yet had 

 time to come to an equilibrium. 



The upper five feet proved to be a clayey loam, the next foot 

 a mixture of loam and gravel, the seventh to the thirteenth, in- 

 clusive, gravel of varying coarseness, the fourteenth foot gravel 

 and clay, the fifteenth foot gravel, the sixteenth foot gravel and 

 clay, the seventeenth to the thirty-first, inclusive, fine clay, and 

 the three feet below this a mixture of clay and gravel. Free 

 water was encountered at a depth of 34 feet. 



In the upper loam stratum soil samples could be bored out 

 with an auger, but it was not found practicable to bore through 

 the gravel below the loam. Hence it was necessary to excavate 

 to a depth of 16 feet, and take the samples of the gravel from the 

 side of the excavation. Through the remainder of the distance 

 the samples were obtained by boring with a two-inch auger. The 

 boring was stopped at the 34th foot by the gravel encountered. 



In taking the samples, roots were encountered in abundance 

 at a depth of 14 to 16 feet, and one peach root was followed into 

 the 20th foot, showing that water to this depth at least would be 

 available to the trees. The 20-foot root went down almost per- 

 pendicularly, starting 18 feet from the base of the tree. 



June 1 8th, samples of each foot of the soil to a depth of 34 feet 

 were again taken. Samples were also taken September 30th and 

 December 10th. 



during 1900. 



March 1 2th of this year, a week after the last irrigation of 

 the orchard, samples of each foot of the soil were taken from the 

 surface to a depth of 33 feet for the purpose of determining the 



