ECONOMIC FACTORS 245 



pense of reclaiming it. Some alkali lands are so situated 

 that reclamation is practically impossible or would be 

 so expensive as to be prohibitive. Very flat land that 

 does not have an outlet for drainage is difficult to reclaim. 

 Land that is so heavy that drainage water percolates 

 slowly has its salts washed out with difficulty. Some lands 

 have a good slope and the soil has a texture suitable for 

 drainage, but there is no available supply of water to aid 

 in the process of reclamation; hence, drainage is useless. 

 It is apparent, therefore, that not only the quality of the 

 soil itself must be taken into account, but also the condi- 

 tions . associated with its reclamation. 



Economic Factors. Physical features of the soil must 

 be used in connection with a number of economic factors 

 in judging an alkali soil. The soil has no particular value 

 aside from the economic returns it will yield. These 

 depend not alone on actual crop yields, but also on cost 

 of production, market conditions, and a number of other 

 factors. Distance from market and from suitable farm 

 help may make it unprofitable to cultivate even a fertile 

 soil, much less a soil the productivity of which is decreased 

 by any unfavorable condition such as the presence of alkali. 

 Climatic conditions may not be such as to make possible 

 the raising of profitable crops that are resistant to alkali. 

 A soil of a given alkali content might be suitable for agri- 

 culture in a region where date palms could be produced 

 at a profit and yet be entirely worthless for the crops of 

 the temperate zone. It is evident, therefore, that alkali 

 soil of any particular type or composition cannot be said 

 to be suitable for agriculture without taking into con- 

 sideration numerous conditions other than those associated 

 with its merely physical features. 



The demand for an increased acreage of land to supply 



