4 8 
Colorado Experiment Station 
It is well in this connection to state the preceding facts, that there 
may be no doubt about the value that II believe attaches to the asser¬ 
tions very generally made, particularly in reference to the alkalis, as 
the term is commonly used among us, where it means the ordinary 
white efflorescences on our soils. 
I stated that the samples of alkali gathered on the desert claim 
were of an unusual type. The analyses of these samples show the 
presence of 14.75 an d 40.368 percent of sodic carbonate respectively. 
The full statement of these analyses follows: 
ALKALIS FROM A DESERT CLAIM 
I 
II 
Calcic sulfate . 
1.489 
3.781 
Magnesic sulfate . 
0.367 
1.065 
Potassic sulfate . 
2.874 
4.978 
Sodic sulfate . 
26.162 
30.807 
Sodic carbonate . 
40.368 
14.750 
Sodic chlorid . 
20.938 
40.161 
Sodic phosphate . 
0.959 
0.391 
Sodic silicate . 
4.271 
2.866 
Ferric and Alum, oxids. 
0.082 
0.340 
Manganic oxid . 
0.202 
0.265 
Excess of sodic oxid... 
2.288 
0.596 
100.000 
100.000 
The soil where sample II was taken was not very badly encrusted 
and contained only 9.2 percent soluble in water, but the sodic carbo¬ 
nate present amounted to 1.35 percent of this surface portion. 
The presence of such large quantities of sodic carbonate and the 
known toxicity of this salt to ordinary vegetation, were suggestive of 
the cause of the failure of the’ grain or the unproductiveness of the 
plots after the second year’s irrigations. I have already stated that we 
have examined the water from the second flow and found it excellent 
water from the ordinary standpoint. This water carried 5.5 grains of 
total solids per imperial gallon, of which essentially 37.0 percent was 
silicic acid and the rest sodic carbonate. Such a water is apparently 
a good water, but the experience of this settler was that the more 
water he applied, the worse the conditions became. 
The evaporation from a free water surface at this place is, ac¬ 
cording to the best information that I have, 60 inches or rather more 
per annum; taking the evaporation from a soil surface at 36 inches and 
neglecting the loss by percolation which, judging by the readiness 
with which local water-logging may be effected, seems at most very 
small, even such water might be an efficient, contributing factor in 
bringing about unproductiveness in the soil and justify the hard fact 
stated by the settler, “the more water I apply the worse Fm off”. 
Even this water will deposit 354 pounds of sodic carbonate per acre 
per annum under the assumed conditions. It is not at all improbable 
