two points in particular where the irrigation or leakage from canals 

 on the upland has swamped low -lying lands along the foot of the 

 gravel bluff which bounds the Pecos bottoms southeast of Carlsbad, 

 and in another draw immediately east of Otis. In both of these 

 cases, which are rapidly being brought into the condition of alkali 

 flats, the water has seeped out of the surrounding higher lands and 

 swamped the draw. Evaporation has, in the course of several years, 

 covered part of these areas with a crust of salt. Attempts are now 

 being made to reclaim a portion of one of these flats by open drains. 

 Owing to the soft ground, open drains are a constant source of trou- 

 ble and expense. Tile drains will be found much better, though the 

 initial cost may be higher. 



(3) The Pecos conglomerate soils are formed from the weathering 

 of the local beds of conglomerate or, in some cases, of the unconsoli- 

 dated gravel. All of these soils are classed as gravelly, and at pres- 

 ent are not used. 



(4) The gypsum loam soil occupies a large irregular area between 

 Cass draw and Black River, with another large area south of Black 

 River and Malaga. The pure gypsum is generally covered with a 

 thin layer of loam, varying from a fraction of an inch to 3 feet. The 

 gypsum, when dry, is hard and compact, but when wet it absorbs 

 water as readily as a loaf of sugar, and breaks down into a soft mass 

 which is very pervious to water and possesses great capillary powers. 

 The height and rapidity with which water rises in gypsum soils is 

 very remarkable when compared with others. In a field wet spots 

 were noticed where, on boring, no standing water was found within 

 6 feet of the surface. The great capillary power keeps the surface 

 perceptibly moist all the time, and, when placed under the hot sun 

 of southern New Mexico, it can be seen that the evaporation will 

 soon concentrate the soil solutions to such a degree that few plants 

 may live. It is undoubtedly this physical property, and not the 

 chemical nature of the gypsum itself, which renders its cultivation 

 so unprofitable, though there are some plants to which the presence 

 of so much lime is obnoxious. 



Drainage can be recommended for gypsum soils, but since the 

 capillary powers are so great and the evaporation from the soil sur- 

 face so rapid it is a question whether reclamation of these gypsum 

 lands by costly drainage is a profitable or safe investment at present. 

 There are so many serious difficulties in the way of practical cultiva- 

 tion of gypsum lands that from our present knowledge this attempted 

 reclamation is to be discouraged. 



THE PROBLEMS OF THE CARLSBAD AREA. 



With the exception of the sand dune soils bordering immediately 

 on the Pecos River, wet at times of high water, and in a few cases 



