UTILIZATION AND RECLAMATION OF ALKALI LANDS. 



471 



Doubtless some of the indigenous grasses of the interior 

 plateau region and of the great plains east of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains, such as the buffalo and grama grasses, as well as several 

 of the wheat grasses (Agropyron) and bunch grasses (Fes- 

 titca, Poo, Stipa, etc.) will prove resistant to larger propor- 

 tions of alkali than the meadow and pasture grasses of the 

 regions of summer rains. 



Cultivated Grasses. The superficial rooting and fine 

 fibrous roots of the true annual grasses render them, as a 

 whole, rather sensitive to alkali ; yet the cereals barley, wheat, 

 rye and oats resist, as the table shows, the average alkali 

 salts to the extent of from 17,000 total salts, with not exceed- 

 ing 1500 pounds of carbonate, in the case of the more delicate 

 varieties of wheat, to over 25,000 pounds per acre in the case 

 of barley, which with the gluten wheats and rye seems to have 

 the highest tolerance-figure. The special adaptation of gluten 

 wheats to arid conditions is thus emphasized. The roots of 

 these cereals are comparatively stout, with thick epidermis. 



Among the cultivated forage grasses proper, the Australian 

 variety of the English ray (generally miscalled rye) grass 

 seems most resistant. The eastern fescues, Kentucky blue 

 grass, and others at home in the humid region are easily in- 

 jured, as those who try to maintain lawns on alkali-tainted 

 lands, or by irrigation with alkali waters, know to their sorrow. 

 To these grasses common salt and bittern (magnesium chlorid) 

 seem to be particularly injurious, and they tolerate but little 

 "black alkali." 



On the rather close-textured soil at Chino, Californh, the 

 loliums, including the darnel ("California cheat"), and the 

 Australian and Italian ray (" rye") grasses, succeed fairly on 

 land containing as much as 6,000 pounds of (white) salts. 

 Most other cultivated grasses failed conspicuously alongside 

 of these. It must be remembered that in more loose-textured, 

 sandy lands than those in which these tests were made, the 

 above figures for tolerance would probably be increased by 30 

 percent or more. 



Maize is rather sensitive to alkali, and suffers even on 

 slightly alkaline land, owing doubtless to the large develop- 

 ment of fine white rootlets near the surface, so familiar to 

 corn-growers. The Sorghums, and especially Egyptian corn 



