SOILS PERTILIZEES. 



17 



From studies of orchard soils of the Golodnoi Steppe, it was considered evi- 

 dent that these soils, the clay subsoil of which had before cultivation contained 

 small amounts of soluble salts, had undergone changes during the eight or nine 

 years of horticultural tillage resulting in the transportation of water-soluble 

 salts from the lower to the upper layers. Studies of the composition of irriga- 

 tion water used showed that it contained from 0.015 to 0.009 per cent of chlorin, 

 it being classified as very sweet water. 



It was found that the alluvial soils of the valley of the Syr-Daria River are 

 characterized by hea\'y salt-bearing subclays. To a depth of 50 cm. accumu- 

 lations of the chlorid and sulphate of sodium were obseiwed, while in deeper 

 layers these salts decreased and the bicarbonate and carbonate of soda ap- 

 peared in their place. 



Investigations on the moisture conditions of a loam soil under different 

 crops, C. VON Seelhorst {Jour. Landw., 63 {1915), No. 1, pp. 51-12, figs. 2). — 

 This article, supplementing and summarizing previous reports on the same 

 subject (E. S. R., 14, p. 345; 18, p. 318), presents the results of 13 years' investi- 

 gations on the moisture conditions of a loam soil under rye, wheat, oats, potatoes, 

 beets, and peas. The purpose was to compare the water utilization of the differ- 

 ent crops for the different years and to determine the influence thereon of 

 summer rain, the size of crop, and the soil moisture conditions. 



The average annual yield per acre of the different crops was as follows: 

 Rye, grain 1,970 lbs., straw 4,370 lbs. ; peas, grain 920 lbs., straw 2,000 lbs. ; 

 oats, grain 1,740 lbs., straw 3,300 lbs. ; wheat, grain 2,175 lbs., straw 4,075 lbs. ; 

 potatoes 12,700 lbs. ; and beets 58,500 lbs. 



The following table gives the average monthly rainfall and the average 

 monthly percentage of moisture in the soil under the different crops at depths 

 of 25, 50, and 75 cm. (9.9, 19.7, and 29.6 in.), based on the dry weight of the soil: 



Average rainfall and soil moisture records for 13 years. 



