432 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



"Subsoiling lias increased the yield, Imt required a little niore water to jmidnce 

 the crop. 



"Sul)surfat'e packing and harrowing after plowing have given a slight increase in 

 yield, and liave conserved the soil moisture. 



"Rolling and harrowing have given increased yields in wheat, esjiecially upon 

 spring plowing, hut the soil has been left drier than the ordinary plowing at harvest 

 time. 



"Harrowing wheat conserved the soil moisture and proved beneficial. 



"As an average for all trials for 2 years, it required about 1 in. of water to produce 

 2 bu. of wheat. 



"Moisture stored in the soil seems to do the crop more good than that which falls 

 as rain during the average season." 



A soil survey in Salt Lake Valley, Utah, F. D. Gardner and J. 8tew,\rt 

 ( UtaJi Sta.T'id. 12, pp. 77-114, ph. 11, fg-i. .5, riKip.'i 4)- — This is an account of a survey 

 made by tlie station in coo])eration with the Division of Soils of tliis Department, 

 reprinted from Report No. 64 of the Department (E. S. R., 12, p. 522). 



Some Idaho soils, H. T. Beans {Idaho Sta. Bnl. 28, pp. 31). — Mechanical and 

 chemical analyses of 20 samples of soil are reported, and the results are discussed 

 with reference to classification and distribution in the State. (See also E. S. R., 7, 

 p. 486. ) The soils of the State are tentatively grouped as follows: (1) Coarse sandy 

 soils of the foothills and timber lands; (2) fine sandy silt soils; (3) river sand soils; 

 (4) sandy soils of the arid regions, and (5) alkali soils. 



"The first class comprises those soils formed mainly from the talus of the foothills. 

 They are characterized, ])hysically, by their light brown color, very coarse sandy or 

 gravelly texture, and almndant quantities of feldspar fragments and mica. The i>rin- 

 cipal chemical characteristics seem to be a low lime and nitrogen content with high 

 percentages of phosphoric acdd and potash and espe('ially of magnesia. 



"The second class includes the fine-grained soils of basaltic origin, such as are 

 found in the Palouse and Potlatch regions. These soils are characterized by their 

 dark color and fine texture. Mechanical analysis shows them to contain practically 

 no coarse material, about 41 per cent of fine sand, 47 per cent of silt, and usually not 

 over 2 per cent of clay. The distinguishing cliemical features of these soils are high 

 percentages of all the mineral plant foods except lime and unusually large amounts 

 of organic matter and humus. Many of our best wheat soils belong in this class. 



"The third class, found mostly along the larger rivers, comprises those soils formed 

 almost entirely from river sand and 'wash.' They contain about 90 i)er cent mod- 

 erately fine sand (mostly quartz and mica), the silt and clay having been for the most 

 part w^ashed out. Like most sandy soils, this type is highly insoluble in acids, con- 

 tains very little organic matter, humus, and nitrogen, and has very limited capacity 

 for retaining moisture. 



"These soils are somewhat analogous physically to the early truck soils of the 

 East, but unlike them chemically in that our river sand seems to contain large 

 amounts of potash and phosphoric acid. 



"The fourth group consists of those sandy soils of the irrigated region that do not 

 contain an excess of soluble salts. These soils are usually of a light brown color and 

 are made up of about 60 per cent sand and 20 per cent silt, with some gravel and 

 clay. They are of volcanic origin and are usually T-'h in the mineral plant foods, 

 but contain small percentages of nitrogen, and some a ^ rather deficient in lime. 



"The fifth group c(jmprises the soils of the arid reg.on that contain an excess of 

 salts soluble in water. The term 'alkali soil' is no longer used in a derogatory 

 sense, but means simply a soil in which there is an excessive accumulation of these 

 salts. This excess of alkali salts may or may not be large enough to be harmful to 

 vegetation. In any case, the alkali soils are almost without exception exceedingly 

 rich in mineral plart food, and when the alkali condition is corrected, often form our 

 most productive soils. 



