AIR WATER SOILS. 



525 



Tables give the mean aimual aiid seasonal rainfall at 48 places in the 

 regions referred to and mechanical analyses of 14 samples of soils from 

 the same region. The composition of these soils is as follows: 



Mechanical analyses of soils. 



Locality. 



Mapleton, N". Dak 

 Jamestown, N. 



Dak. 

 Bismarck, N. Dak 

 Steele, N. Dak.... 



Billings, Mont 



Pullman, Wash .. 



Wallawalla.Wash 



Do 



Fresno, Cal 



Visalia, Cal 



Tulare, Cal 



Pomona, Cal 



Lancaster, Cal 



Tecoma, Nev 



Description. 



Red River Valley 

 Prairie 



Sandy prairie 



Prairie 



do 



Palouse district — 

 basalt. 



Valley land 



Foof hills soil 



Sandy loam 



Loam 



Alkali land 



Sandy land 



Mohave desert... 

 Nevada desert 



P.ct. 



7.84 

 4.48 



2.54 

 4.46 

 2.98 

 5.51 



4.12 

 3.95 

 1.61 

 2.85 

 2. 72 

 1.00 

 1.77 

 3.17 



3.50 



P.ct. 

 7.72 

 4.33 



6.02 

 5.18 

 4.40 

 5.08 



3.08 

 5.66 

 2.52 

 5.85 

 4.44 

 1.94 

 3.81 

 6.43 



4.75 



P.ct. 

 0.03 



1.74 



0.00 



0.00 



.03 



0.00 



o.oo 



.43 

 .03 

 .64 

 6.03 

 .34 

 .07 



P. et. 



0.07 

 2.10 



6.61 

 .09 



0.00 

 .16 



.15 



.06 



3.40 



.18 



2.57 



10.11 



.89 



.13 



S3 



P.ct. P.ct. 

 0.18 0.94 

 6.37 16.69 



10.67 

 .42 

 .16 

 .16 



4.23 



1.87 



7.96 



.85 



. 41 3. 22 



.08 1.05 



16. 14 30. 95 



.61 5.41 



6.22 12.46 



17.26 21.92 



1.67 I 7.86 



.37 5.24 



P.ct. P.ct. 



11.51 25.94 



21.70 14.57 



28.91 21.17 



41.18 22.97 



28.79 34.45 



27.94 35.80 



35.24 37.73 



25. 12 

 15. 90 

 34.28 

 22.79 

 20. 98 

 35.12 

 44.96 



4.33 I 8.62 28.17 25.90 



42. 12 

 12. 72 

 34.28 

 21.36 

 13.13 

 28. 43 

 17.94 





P.ct. 



6.06 

 2.75 



1.79 

 3.58 

 4.67 

 5.77 



3.54 

 4.24 

 1.58 

 3. 50 

 6.51 

 1.93 

 3.45 

 5.00 



.4-4 



§a 

 °a 



5 



P.ct. 



38.00 

 25.55 



16.48 

 19.57 

 17.25 

 18.57 



12.63 

 17.50 

 14.60 

 14.20 

 21.05 

 5.33 

 18.63 

 17.93 



18.37 



Lavas and soils of the Hawaiian Islands, W. Maxwell et al. 



(Honolulu: Hawaiian Gazette Company, 1898, pp. 186, pis. 4, map 1). — 

 This is an account of investigations 1 by the Hawaiian Experiment 

 Station and Laboratories published by order of the Hawaiian Sugar 

 Planters' Association. The subjects studied were (1) origin and nature 

 of Hawaiian soils and (2) availability and loss of the elements of plant 

 food in Hawaiian soils. 



Origin and nature of Hawaiian soils. — "The soils of these islands are 

 derived from volcanic lavas. Among Hawaiian lavas are those which 

 have been discharged from craters, flowing and cooling into rocks 

 having the composition of normal basalts. Others, originally of the 

 same composition, have undergone such alteration that they now com- 

 pose masses having a radically different chemical composition and 

 color appearance. This alteration took place at the time of ejection, 

 and under the action of chemical causes, and previous to the later 

 action of secondary causes of rock disintegration, such as weathering, 

 which has apparently been the only agent of decomposition of certain 

 of the normal lavas." 



The results are reported of detailed chemical studies of the unde- 

 composed lavas and of those which have undergone more or less change 

 by weathering or under the influence of steam and sulphurous vapors. 

 The processes of decomposition of lava under the influence of steam 

 and. sulphurous vapors were studied in the craters of Kilaueaand other 

 volcanoes. The changes which the lavas have undergone in the process 

 of transformation into soils are shown by the following comparison of 



'For account of previous investigatious on soils see E. S. R., 7, p. 937. 



