Deterioration Sugar Beets Due to Nitrates 7 
in 1898 it was from 0.9 to 3.6 feet for the first and from 3.4 to 4.4 
for the second period. In Well B in 1897 the depths‘were from 2.3 
to 3.6 for the first and from 3.6 to 4.2 feet for the second period; in 
1898 from 2.2 to 4.9 for the first and from 4.3 to 5.4 feet for the 
second period. In Well C in 1897 the depths were from 2.3 to 3.5 
for the first and from 3.3 to 3.6 feet for the second period; in 1898 
they were 1.4 to 4.3 for the first and from 3.5 to 4.7 feet for the 
second period. In Well D in 1897 the depths were from 2.5 to 3.6 
feet for the first and from 3.6 to 4.0 feet for the second period; in 
1898 they were from 2.2 to 5.8 feet for the first and from 5.4 to 
6.0 feet for the second period. It will be noticed that the water 
plane at the end of the season of 1898 was materially lower than at 
any other period given but that it did not at any time fall to quite 
five feet below the surface during the first period, i. e., in May, June, 
July and August, except in Well D in 1898 and this was only for a 
very short period as our records show. I think that I am perfectly 
safe in assuming that the concensus of opinion would be that it is 
objectionable to have the water plane four feet or less below the 
surface though in the practice of sub-irrigation the water is brought 
to within 2.5 feet of the surface. In this ground it was only excep¬ 
tionally as low as or lower than four feet. These exceptions were 
due to a shortage of water for irrigation and a very scanty rainfall. 
This land was not drained and though there were drains in some 
adjoining lands they were not efficient either in cutting off seepage 
water from flowing into or in taking the water out of this land. 
The average depth of the water below the surface for the two sea¬ 
sons mentioned would range from two and a half to three and a 
half feet. The surface of the ground at Well D was 3.3 feet higher 
than at Well A. The field had a fall of this amount, 3.3 feet in six 
hundred feet. 
The ground water did not pass freely into the gravel below this 
land because of a stratum of clay lying on top of the gravel. Con¬ 
siderable attention was given to the composition of this ground 
water. Its content of dissolved salts varied greatly from time to 
time as its varying nearness to the surface and the richness of the 
soil in alkali would lead us to expect. The quantity of these salts 
found varied from two thousand to eight and, under conditions of 
continued high water, to over ten thousand parts per million. The 
salts held in solution were calcic, magnesic and sodic sulfate with 
some sodic chlorid and carbonate and almost always some potash. 
The nitric nitrogen was determined in a large number of samples of 
this ground water and was found to range from one to fourteen 
parts per million, mostly from two to five parts per million. 
The physical condition of this soil at the beginning of our 
experiments was bad and while it was greatly improved by cultiva- 
