BULLETIN "F." 



The Movement of Water-soluble Salts in Soils. 



In investigating the amounts of water-soluble salts in and 

 their absorption by different soil types in reference to their bear- 

 ing upon problems in soil management, it was necessary to take 

 into consideration, also, the movements of these salts as deter- 

 mined by diffusion, gravitation and capillarity. 



It is now well recognized that the surface cultivation of soils, 

 such as maintains, for intertilled crops, a loose, open texture in 

 the upper two to four inches, very materially influences the 

 capillary movements of the* soil moisture and reduces its rate 

 of evaporation from the surface. This being true of the soil 

 moisture, it was to be expected that surface tillage would also 

 exert an influence upon the movement and position of the 

 water-soluble salts which it may* carry in solution, and observa- 

 tions were made, both upon the capillary movement of salts 

 through the different soil types under investigation, and regard- 

 ing the influence of soil mulches upon the position in and 

 movement of water-soluble salts in soils. 



CAPILLARY MOVEMENT OF SOLUBLE SALTS IN SOILS. 



CAPILLARY MOVEMENT IX SIX SOIL TYPES. 



In the first series of observations made only the movement of 

 the negative radicles was determined, the work being done in 

 1902 before the methods for the estimation of bases had been 

 devised. Six cylinders of galvanized iron, 5*4 inches in diam- 

 eter and 12 inches deep, were carefully packed with the same 

 kind of soil, which had been taken from the surface foot! in 



