6 



yet in the main canal. In all likelihood no water except that in the 

 small ditch will be available for crops the present .season. About 

 125,000 acres of Government land have been filed upon. 



WATER SUPPLY. 



The water supply in the Colorado River is abundant, at least suffi- 

 ciently so to supply all present demands. The water is very muddy 

 when taken from the river, containing a great deal of fine sediment of 

 a reddish-brown color, which must make the keeping of the canal clean 

 quite a problem, but it can no doubt be done. It is rich in plant food 

 and will aid greatly in preserving the fertility of the soils to which it 

 is applied. The soluble matter in the water, according to all analyses 

 available at this time, amounts on the average to less than 100 parts 

 per 100,000 of water. In the soluble matter lime, calculated us sul- 

 phate, makes up -i() per cent, the remainder being magnesium, potas- 

 sium, and sodium chlorids and sulphates, with probably 20 per cent 

 bicarbonates. Carbonates have not been found in more than very 

 small quantities, and the presence of the gypsum would preclude all 

 possibility of the accumulation of black alkali in a well-aerated soil. 

 The use of such water is attended with no risk, provided the soils are 

 not allowed to become water-logged. The amount of plant food in 

 solution and in suspension makes the water valuable as a source of 

 strength and nourishment to growing plants. 



SOILS. 



The soils of this portion of the delta are very uniform, all having 

 been formed principally by the deposition of the finer sediment of the 

 Colorado River. In some places sand has been mixed with this finer 

 soil, making a sand} 7 loam, or even in small areas a sand. 



Five types were recognized and mapped, all of which are in places 

 excessively alkaline, and even in places where the surface 6 feet shows 

 no accumulation the soil is underlaid by an alkali-bearing clay subsoil. 

 The following table shows the areas of each type of soil: 



.. Ireas of different toil types. 



