o 2 Colorado Experiment Station 
Widow Smith well closed up some years ago. The analyses of one of 
these spring-waters (there were five of them at the time the sample 
was taken) and of the water from the Widow Smith well, were made 
at the same time, some years ago. These two waters are identical in 
character and very similar in the details of composition. The spring- 
waters carry 5.8 grains total solids per gallon, the well-water 6.6, the 
spring-water 1.74 grains silicic acid, the well-water 1.89; the spring 
2.98 grains carbonates, the well 1.64; the spring .98 grains of sulfates, 
the well 1.02 grains. These waters are so similar that the suggestion that 
they are both really artesian waters is reasonable. Against this may 
be offered the fact that the ground- and drain-waters so far given have 
not lost all of the characteristics of mountain-waters; for instance, 
they show the presence of carbonates and some silicic acid which may 
be at least partly free, for there are more acids than is sufficient to 
satisfy the bases present. Such a statement is correct, but does not 
consider the decided increase in the sulfates, nor does it consider the 
fact that the artesian waters differ from the mountain-waters in con¬ 
taining very subordinate quantities of the alkaline earths and always 
notably high percentages of sodic carbonate. The springs in the 
southern part of the valley, with which I am acquainted, are either 
within or at the edge of igneous rocks which form the San Luis Hills. 
This sheet of rocks might simply serve to divert the artesian waters 
upward, or the waters may come from beneath, finding their way 
through fissures. I have examined the Dexter and the McIntyre 
springs. These waters differ from the artesian waters that I have 
examined in that they are richer in lime than the artesian waters; this 
is especially true of the McIntyre springs, also, in that they are ricner 
in sulfates, which is equally true of the two springs. In regard to the 
silicic acid, they retain the richness of artesian waters. 
In this connection it may be asked why I have made no mention 
of bicarbonates but have expressed the facts as though there were no 
bicarbonates. We have worked almost entirely with water residues 
obtained by evaporation to dryness in which we would have only car¬ 
bonates. These residues in many instances were prepared in the lo¬ 
cality where the waters occurred, as this was the only practical plan 
of procedure. The samples that we sent to the laboratory were sev¬ 
eral days old before they were examined so we have not deemed the 
omission of the half bound or even free carbonic acid of much import¬ 
ant, especially as the primary object had in view concerned itself ver\ 
largely with the question of the mineral constituents present in the 
water. 
WHITE ARTESIAN AND SPRING WATERS WOULD NOT AFFECT 
RIVER-WATER 
It is""evident that neither white artesian waters nor spring-waters 
such as those of the Washington Springs, nor even such as those of 
