Vol. 37 No 6 
BULLETIN 
OF THE 
TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB 
——- ee 
JUNE, tgto 
The effects of adding salts to the soil on the amount of 
non-available water™ 
WILLIAM T. BOVIE 
In the experiments described in the following pages an attempt 
has been made to determine the effect upon the amount of non- 
available water, when varied amounts of sodium chloride or the 
salts of a full nutrient solution have been added to the soil. It 
has been found that with a soil of pure silica, containing about 
0.03 per cent. of calcium, aluminum, and iron,t the amount of 
non-available water is not altered by the addition of either sodium 
chloride or the salts of a full nutrient solution. Inthe case of the 
sodium chloride series, at least, the water was used up by the plants 
faster than the salts, and as the point of non-available water was 
approached, the concentration of the soil water must have in- 
creased. In many cases the amount of sodium chloride was so 
great that the saturation point of the salt was passed long before 
the plant wilted. Adsorption, in some form or other, took place. 
We are concerned here then, not only with non-available water 
but also with the adsorption of salts from soil solutions. 
PREVIOUS WORK ON NON-AVAILABLE WATER 
In the late summer of 1859, Sachs'* determined the retarding 
influence on transpiration, of various salts and soils. He then 
determined the amount of water retained by soils when tobacco 
*Contributions from the Department of Botany of the University of Missouri 
no. 18 
table of mechanical analysis of soil on page 2 
oe BULLETIN for May, 1910 (37 : 215-272. pi. ree was issued 2 Je 1910. } 
273 
