fsHUTX] 



"ALKALI" CONTENT OF SOILS 



235 



Wheat 



Sec. 26, Tp. 18, R. 14, W. of the 4th Meridan. Collected August 



25th, 1921. 



Group 



1754 



1753 



1752 



Depth 



0'.0-0'.5 

 0'.5-l'.5 

 l'.5-3'.0 

 3'.0-5'.0 



Growth 



Good 



Poor 



None 



NaaSOi 



.036 

 .036 

 .084 

 .515 



.036 



.255 



1.244 



1.377 



.975 



.682 



.968 



1.022 



CaS04 



1.224 



3.369 



MgSOi 



174 



NazCOa 



.028 

 .069 

 .079 



.072 

 .108 



.114 



.073 

 .252 

 .238 

 .211 



Total Solu- 

 ble Saline 

 Content 



.166 

 .176 



.218 



1.888 



.240 



.444 



4.736 



1.536 



1.116 

 1.036 

 1.332 

 1.408 



To a depth of 3' this soil is free from all save traces of saline 

 matter. "D" contains appreciable amounts of sodium, calcium 

 and magnesium sulphate, but this is apparently so far below the 

 active root zone that the crop is not affected. 



Group 1753. — Distressed and meagre growth of wheat: ground 

 level and fairly even, sample collected 30' west of the bare spot 

 (Group 1752) and 500' east of Group 1754. Nature of soil: dry, 

 chocolate-coloured light clay loam, well supplied with organic material 

 "B" dry, slafe-grey light clay loam; "C" moist, dark yellow-grey 

 fine silt, lighter in colour than C. 



In the surface 6" of this soil the amount of sodium sulphate is 

 practically negligible; in "B," however, it amounts to .25 per cent, 

 and increases to more than 1 per cent in "C" and "D". The dis- 

 tressed appearance of the crop is probably due mostly to the sodium 

 carbonate present — .07 per cent, in "A" and .1 per cent, in "B" — an 

 amount evidently close to the toxic limit for wheat. 



Group 1752.- — -Taken from a bare patch of irregular outline, 

 about 200' long and 20' wide, most of the patch being absolutely 

 bare and very moist half an inch below the surface. Nature of the 

 soil: "A" moist, grey, light clay loam, tilth rather poor.; "B" moist, 

 slate-grey, light clay loam with yellow streaks; "G" damp, light 

 yellow-grey, fine silt; "D" very similar to "C" but lighter in colour. 



