SOILS — FERTILIZERS. 219 



Bui. 54 (1914), pp. 65, pis. 6). — The location, topography, and extent of the mi- 

 drained basins of the United States are discussed with reference to conditions 

 indicating the possible occurrence of worljable deposits of potash in accord- 

 ance with the "desert basin" or "dry lalie" potash theory which is based 

 upon three simple propositions, viz: "(1) Rocks and soils give up various salts, 

 including those of potassium, to drainage waters which flow over them. (2) 

 In areas of inclosed drainage these salts, still including those of potassium, are 

 concentrated wherever the waters evaporate. (3) In this concentration the 

 salts of potassium may have been sufliciently segregated from other salts to 

 form a workable deposit." 



The bulletin deals in general with the Great Basin and its development, 

 and discusses in detail the following groups of undrained basins: The Lahontan 

 liasin and its tributaries, the Bonneville Basin and its tributaries, the basins 

 of the Lava Plateau, the trough valleys of Nevada: and the basins of the 

 Transition Zone, the trough valleys of California and the Mojave Desert, the 

 Salton Basin, the basins of the New Jlexico-Texas trough, the trough valleys 

 of Arizona andSonora, the Lordsburgh-Membres region (New Mexico) and the 

 rhihuahua bolsons. the Kocky Mountain basins, the Great Valley of California, 

 the filled lakes of the California ranges, the basins and ponds of the Colorado 

 Plateau, the ponds and coulees of eastern Washington, the ponds of the Great 

 Plains, and local basins of unusual origin. 



Nearly 200 basins are referred to but in only the following are all the known 

 conditions favorable to the accumulation of potash deposits: Lahontan, 45,730 

 square miles; Death Valley, 23,560; Railroad Valley, 6,340; Searles, 4,850; 

 Alvord, 3,200; Diamond, 2,800; Surprise, 2,350; Dixie, 2,290; Warner, 2,000; 

 Panamint, 1,950; Hualpai, 1,450; Columbus, 1,350; Gabbs, 1,280; Edwards 

 Creek, 990; Kane, 900; Ivanpah, 900; Saline, 845; Eureka, 775; Mono, 770; 

 Frenchman Flat, 740; Gold Flat, 640: Opal ^lountaiu, 580; and Clayton, 550. 



In the following some of the known conditions are unfavorable to the accumu- 

 lation of potash but they can not be definitely rejected : Salt Basin, 8,600 square 

 miles; Owens, 2.825; Estancia, 2,100; Spring Valley, 1,550; and Chewaucan 

 (Albert Lake), 1,500. The following are classified as doubtful: Salton, 8,000 

 square miles; Danby Lake, 4.150; Red Desert, 3,600; Christmas Lake, 2,750; 

 Bristol Lake, 2,520; Catlow. 2,000; Penoj-er, 1,000; Guano Lake, 1,000; Emigrant 

 (Timpahute), 1,000; Madeline, 900; and Rhodes, 670. 



Presumed luxury consumption of potassium and phosphoric acid, J. 

 Lende-Njaa (Separate from- Meddel. Norske Myrselskap, 1912, No. 5, pp. 65; 

 abs. in Zentbl. Agr. Chem., 42 {1913), Ko. 12, pp. 816-824; Chem. Abs., 8 {1914), 

 No. 7, p. 1322). — "In general the percentage of a constituent in plants is in- 

 creased if the plants are fertilized with the particular fertilizer. For every 

 soil and every plant there is a limit of fertilizing beyond which there is luxury 

 of consumption. The limit generally agrees with the limit for the profitable 

 employment of the fertilizer. 



" The danger of luxury consumption is greatest in case of one-sided ferti- 

 lizing. It may occur for potassium and phosphoric acid in complete fertiliz- 

 ing but only when the quantities are used in much greater amounts than 

 in one-sided fertilizing. The amounts of valuable plant food which the ordinary 

 culture plants take from the soil in luxury consumption are considerably 

 greater in case of potassium than for phosphoric acid. A moderate amount of 

 potassium nitrate used in addition to dipotassium phosphate lessens the per- 

 centage composition of potassium and phosphoric acid in the harvest and also 

 the danger of luxury consumption. If potassium nitrate is increased until 

 the plant tends to lodge there occurs a luxury consumption of potassium and 

 phosphoric acid." 



