4 g 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 and 40-368 percent of sodic carbonate lespectivev. 
The full statement of these analyses follows: 
ALKALIS FROM 
Calcic sulfate . 
Magnesic sulfate . 
Potassic sulfate . 
Sodic sulfate . 
Sodic carbonate . 
Sodic chlorid . 
Sodic phosphate . 
Sodic silicate . 
Ferric and Alum, oxids. 
Manganic oxid . 
Excess of sodic oxid... 
A DESERT CLAIM 
I 
II 
1.489 
3.781 
0.367 
1.065 
2.874 
4.978 
26.162 
30.807 
40.368 
14.750 
20.938 
40.161 
0.959 
0.391 
4.271 
2.866 
0.082 
0.340 
0.202 
0.265 
2.288 
0.596 
100.000 100.000 
The soil where sample II was taken was not very badly encrustea 
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 excellen 
water from the ordinary standpoint. This water carried 5.5 grains o 
total solids per imperial gallon, of which essentially 37.0. percent was 
silicic acid and the rest sodic carbonate. Such a water is apparent.y 
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 an 
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 I’m off . 
Even this water will deposit 354 pounds of sodic carbonate pet acre 
per annum under the assumed conditions. It is not at all improbab e 
