22 
Colorado Experiment Station 
area constitutes an artesian basin, but this artesian water varies greatly 
in its character. We have already presented the fact that we have im¬ 
mense quantities of soluble salts in our soil which, so far as we have 
presented them, are almost harmless but they constitute a factor which 
cannot be disregarded; in fact, many evils are attributed to these same 
salts by the public at large and by some students of our agricultural 
conditions. The character of these soluble salts may change from 
place to place in so large a territory without our chancing to discover 
it and statements which are perfectly applicable to one place might be 
a sad misfit applied to another. But, with all this, the main features 
of our presentation are without doubt faithful to the facts. We shall 
give, as we proceed, facts which we believe justify our views. Some 
of these facts, both of conditions and practices, may be unusual in 
other places and still be very real in this area. 
We shall now proceed to present the facts pertaining to the 
ground-waters, soil extracts and alkalis of that section of the valley 
designated as the Hooper Mosca section. The limits of this section 
are difficult to define. This does not matter much on the eastern side 
but the limits to the west are important. This will be appreciated 
when it is stated that to the eastward of the D. & R. G. Railroad, -we 
soon encounter land that is still open to entry under the desert-land 
laws, while to the westward lies land that 30 years ago was under cul¬ 
tivation and produced excellent crops—from 30 to 50 bushels of wheat 
to the acre—but this is not now true of much of the land lying within 
14 to 16 miles west of it. This is a part of the reason why I stated that 
I believe that conditions have changed since the period of this produc¬ 
tiveness. The reason seems sufficient and the conclusion self-evident. 
The first ground- and drain-waters are from the extreme western 
portion of this district. 
GROUND-WATER SW. % SEC. 24, T. 40 N., R. 8 E. 
Analytical results 
Carbon . 
Silicic acid . 
Sulfuric acid . 
Phosphoric acid ........ 
Carbonic acid. 
Chlorin . 
Calcic oxid . 
Magnesic oxid . 
Potassic oxid . 
Sodic oxid . 
Ferric and Alum oxids. 
Manganic oxid (hr).... 
Ignition . 
Sum.,. 
Oxygen equivalent to 
chlorin . 
Total 
Combined 
Percent Percent 
1.128 Carbon . 1.128 
5.356 Calcic sulfate. 29.453 
26.081 Magnesic sulfate. 10.750 
0.169 Sodic sulfate . 2 863 
6.185 Sodic phosphate . 0.506 
16.311 Sodic carbonate. 14.914 
12.135 Potassic chlorid . 6.162 
3,599 Sodic chlorid . 22.031 
3.893 Sodic silicate . 7.232 
25.703 Ferric and Alum, oxids 0.463 
0.463 Manganic oxid. 0.089 
0.089 Excessive Silicic acid... 1.790 
(2.569) Ignition . (2.569) 
103.681 Total . 100.000 
3,681 
100.000 
Total solids 56.56 grains per imperial gallon. Loss on ignition 7.07 grains. 
