384 



ARID AGRICULTURE. 



GEOPHYTICS 

 OR CHAR- 

 ACTER OF 



son; TOLD 



BY PLANTS 



For many years the writer has seriously 

 thought of calling attention to a new science for 

 the West and calling it by some mysterious word 

 not found in the dictionaries. This science 

 would classify different characters of soils by the 

 kind of native vegetation they produce and also 

 according to the classes of crops which could be 

 best grown on them. For example, as we indi- 

 cate elsewhere, scientists are now finding out 

 that there are potato soils in the West and soils 

 that are not potato soils. Again, experienced 

 western farmers know at once from the appear- 

 ance of the native plants growing on a soil 

 whether that soil would be suitable when re- 

 claimed for crop production. We show that pov- 

 erty weed grows on a soil without aeration and 

 tilth. It is a common expression that soils 

 which will grow "black sage" are good soils 

 soils that grow gramma grass and cactus are 

 easy soils to work soils that grow grease-wood 

 are strong soils, but sometimes difficult to bring 

 into high production. Certain plants, like drop 

 seed grass, salt grass, salt sages and others grow 

 on soils rich in alkali salts and the kind of plants 

 indicate the character of the alkali. This is true 

 in an important and highly practical way and 

 may be made use of by the man who is selecting 

 land for a farm. The underlying principles of 

 this science have not been worked out but its ap- 

 plication is apparent and useful. 



