SOILS OF THE SUTTER BASIN. 7 



Table II. — Sacramento clay, Sutter Basin. Soils tcitlt thin silt cover or none 



at all. 



i Location of samples by field number given upon map, fig. 2. 



An inspection of these tables shows that the Sacramento clay even 

 in its heaviest phase is no heavier than the other clays in the table 

 and not so heavy as the Miller clay. These latter, however, are 

 being cultivated and produce good crops when drained and pro- 

 tected from overflow. There seems to be no reason, therefore, to con- 

 sider the Sacramento clay incapable of being drained on account of 

 its high silt and clay content, or of too heavy texture to be success- 

 fully cultivated when protected from overflow and drained by means 

 of pumping plants of sufficient capacity. 



It must, be borne in mind, however, that the Bureau of Soils has 

 not considered the feasibility from an engineering standpoint of 

 draining this region or of protecting it from overflow, that being a 

 matter lying outside the province of this bureau. 



The question of the accumulation of injurious amounts of alkali 

 salts in the tract under discussion has not at any time assumed a 

 critical aspect, although the matter has been the subject of some 

 apprehension. With regard to this subject the original report states 

 as follows: 



Scattering areas of alkali soil occur in the higher portions of this type near 

 the boundary of the Sacramento silt loam. The content of alkali is seldom 

 large enough to be dangerous. 



In the revision of the work covering this area of soil it was found 

 that the body of Sacramento clay as originally mapped was not 

 affected with excessive amounts of alkali and that the adjoining soil 

 types in that part of the basin under discussion appeared from the 

 few check field determinations made to contain about the same 

 amounts of salts as was found when the soils were originally mapped. 



[Cir. 79.] 



