CROPS ON ALKALI LAND, HUNTLEY PROJECT, MONTANA. 9 
Table III.- — Average total salt content of the soil on Jive plats not subsoiled and on a 
subsoiled plat, 1913. 
Flats. 
Num- 
ber of 
borings. 
Top 3 
inches. 
3 to 6 
inches. 
6 to 12 
inches. 
Aver- 
age, 
first 
foot. 
12 to 24 
inches. 
Aver- 
age, top 
2 feet. 
24 to 36 
inches. 
36 to 48 
inches. 
Aver- 
age, top 
4 feet. 
Nos. 5, 7, 9, 11, and 12. 
No. 2, subsoiled 
50 
10 
0.24 
.24 
0.30 
.22 
0.44 
.25 
0.35 
.24 
0.89 
.33 
0.62 
.28 
1.50 
.77 
1.48 
.79 
1.05 
.53 
Difference 

.08 
.19 
.11 
.56 
.34 
.73 
.69 
.52 
The subsoiled plats showed little advantage in yield, however. The 
average yield of winter wheat on two plats subsoiled was at the rate 
of 35 bushels per acre, while the average of seven plats not sub- 
Fig. 5.— Winter wheat in field M-II on July 14, 1913. In 1911 and 1912 a crop of rye was plowed under 
on this field as green manure, according to the first method. The winter wheat in this field yielded 28.7 
bushels per acre in 1913. 
soiled was 34.7 bushels per acre. Subsoiling is a difficult and expen- 
sive operation, and it is doubtful whether the differences in salt 
content, as shown above, are of sufficient importance to indicate 
that subsoiling would be profitable. 
Crops grown in 1913. — Winter wheat, alfalfa, and sugar beets were 
grown on this land hi 1913. Ten plats of winter wheat and one plat 
of each of the other crops were planted. At. the time of planting 
winter wheat, in September, 1912, the ground was in excellent tilth. 
This crop made a much more uniform growth than the preceding 
crop of lye. (See fig. 5.) The alfalfa and sugar beets were planted 
on May 6, 1913. A good stand of alfalfa was secured and the crop 
was clipped on September 6. The yields of these crops are given in 
Table IV. 
52602°- Bull. 135—14 2 
