16 
BULLETIN 135, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Table XIII. — Average total salt content of soil to a depth of 4 feet on plats which had 
received treatment according to the first, second, and third methods, respectively, and of 
adjacent virgin soil, in 1913. 
Soil. 
Method. 
Virgin 
First. 
Second. 
Third. 
soil. 
60 
40 
60 
50 
Layer of soil: 
0.23 
.28 
.39 
0.25 
.34 
.60 
0.25 
.29 
.43 
0.65 
3 to 6 inches 
.92 
6 to 12 inches 
1.54 
.32 
.44 
.35 
1.16 
12 to 24 inches 
.85 
.58 
1.31 
.83 
1.29 
.94 
1.01 
.72 
1.75 
1.07 
1.45 
1.16 
.74 
.54 
1.37 
.82 
1.59 
1.01 
1.83 
Average, top 2 feet 
1.49 
24 to 36 inches 
2.08 
1.69 
36 to 48 inches 
1.79 
1.71 
From Table XIII and figure 7, it appears that the first method, that 
of plowing under rye as green manure and keeping the soil clean culti- 
vated after plowing, has been the most effective in reducing the salt 
content of the upper 4 feet of soil. It appears also that the third 
method, alternate irrigating and cultivating combined with heavy 
applications of barnyard manure, has been second in effectiveness. 
This is assuming that the amount of salts was the same on all parts of 
the field before the ground was broken up in 1910. No determina- 
tions were made of the salt content before the ground was broken up. 
Crops grown in 1913.— It is not possible to make direct comparisons 
of the crop returns secured in 1913 on the plats which had received 
different treatments in previous years. As already shown, the plats 
receiving the treatments according to the first method produced very 
satisfactory results with winter wheat, sugar beets, and alfalfa; those 
treated by the second method produced fair returns from oats and 
alfalfa; and the plats treated in accordance with the third method 
produced spring wheat and oats satisfactorily and a fair yield of 
sugar beets. The chief point to be considered in connection with the 
crop returns in 1913 is that the behavior of all the crops grown indi- 
cated that the soil on all the plats which have received treatment has 
been greatly benefited, and that so far as the surface soil is concerned 
the treated land has been fairly well reclaimed. Whether the recla- 
mation is to be permanent will depend on future conditions, of which 
drainage is probably the most important. 
Cost. — A comparison of the approximate cost per acre of the differ- 
ent methods is given in Table XIV. 
