WATER SOILS. 



737 



The fruit soils of Oregon, G. W. Shaw (Oregon Sta. Bui. 45, pp. 

 76-90). — A discussion of the soils of Oregon from a chemical standpoint. 

 The soils of the eastern, or arid, part of the State differ considerably 

 from those of the humid part and the soils of the southern part of 

 western Oregon differ from those of the Willamette Valley, as shown 

 by the following table: 



Lime, potash, and phosphoric acid in Oregon soils. 



The author also discusses alkali soils and means of reclaiming them. 



Report of the geologist, E. II. Barbour (Nebraska State Bd. Agr. 

 Rpt. 1896, pp. 157-172, figs. 11). — This article reports mechanical anal- 

 yses of subsoils from 10 different counties of Nebraska and of 3 samples 

 of wind-blown dust, accompanied by a popular discussion of the follow- 

 ing topics: Soil survey, soil regions, absorption of water, free water or 

 ground water, capillary water, capillarity assisted and evaporation 

 checked, dust blanket as a protection for soil moisture, hygroscopic 

 water, absorption of storm waters, tendency of cultivation to catch and 

 hold more moisture, desirability of catching and conserving every drop 

 of rain, cracks and fissures in soil, relation of precipitation to imbibi- 

 tion in Nebraska soils, relation of precipitation to the growing season, 

 importance of a moist soil, water needed by growing crops, protection 

 of wind-breaks to plant and soil moisture, annual rainfall of Nebraska 

 not increasing, and relation of irrigation to soils. 



The average of the 10 analyses of subsoils is as follows: Moisture in 

 air-dry sample, 3.77 percent; organic matter, 3.51; gravel, 0.40; coarse 

 sand, 1.01; medium sand, 5.07; fine sand, 15.80: very fine sand, 18.06; 

 Silt, 30.31; fine silt, 2.64; clay, 11.89 per cent, 



A reconnoissance in southeastern Washington, I. C. Kussell 

 {Water Supply and Irrig. Papers,' U. S. Geol. Survey, Wo. /. pp. 96, ph. 

 7, figs. 3). — This is a description of the geologic structure in and adja- 

 cent to the drainage basin of the Yakima River, Washington, and the 

 great plains of the Columbia to the east and south of this area, cover- 

 ing areas in southeastern Washington, northeastern Oregon, and 

 adjacent portions of Oregon. "The region, though not arid, depends 

 for its development upon more complete methods of utilizing the water 

 supply, and this in turn rests upon a thorough knowledge of the under- 

 ground structure, The latter therefore has been examined and described 

 at some length, as preliminary to a discussion of the employment of the 

 water resources." Special attention is given to the occurrence of 

 artesian waters. 



