204 CROPS FOR ALKALI LAND 



parts per million of total salts, 840 parts per million of 

 sodium carbonate, 820 parts per million of sodium chloride, 

 or 820 parts per million of sodium sulphate. 



Rye grass is one of the favorite grasses of Italy and 

 England, but it has not met with much favor in this country 

 except in a few places on the Pacific Coast. Italian rye 

 grass {Lolium italicum) is said by Kearney (17) to succeed 

 in soil carrying 6000 to 8000 parts per million of white 

 alkali. Other observations indicate it falls considerably 

 below this quantity, however. Shutt (26) found a good 

 growth with 1387 parts per million of total salts, 900 parts 

 per million of which was sodium sulphate, and Lough- 

 ridge (20) places the limit at 1090 parts per million of 

 total salts, 580 parts per million sodium carbonate, 120 

 sodium chloride, or 640 parts per million sodium sulphate. 

 The latter author gives 1410 as the limit for good growth 

 on English rye grass {Lolium perenne). 



Fescue, like rye grass, is an important grass of Europe 

 but has not been able to compete with the other forage 

 crops in this country. Kearney (17) regards it as more 

 resistant to alkali than most cultivated grasses, the limit 

 being between 6000 and 8000 parts per million of white 

 alkali. It is hard to get started and therefore rather 

 unsatisfactory where the more profitable grasses can be 

 grown. Observations by Loughridge (20) indicate the 

 different varieties to resist from 1190 parts per million to 

 2180 parts per million of total salts, up to 630 parts per 

 million of sodium carbonate and up to 1100 parts per 

 million of sodium sulphate. Meadow fescue {Fescue 

 pratensis) was found by the latter to be adapted to alkali 

 land. 



Tall meadow oat-grass {Arrhenatherum elaiins) is another 

 European grass not grown to any extent in this country, 



