The Austraeian Saltbush. 13 
the ability of this plant, to vary in composition according to the 
soil conditions under which it may be grown. Climate has nothing 
or very little to do with this case, as two of the samples referred 
to were grown at this Station. 
The high content of mineral matter—ash—leads directly to 
the inference that the plant makes a heavy draft on the soil, especial¬ 
ly as the plant is not only rich in ash but also yields a heavy cropu 
The California Experiment Station cut at the rate of 5 tons of 
hay per acre, (Cali. Ex. Sta. Bui. 125 , p. 6 .) ; others give a much 
larger crop (ibib. p. 7 ), where a green crop is given as approximate¬ 
ly 30 tons, which would not be less than 6.5 to 7 tons of hay. The 
hay made from this saltbush carries about 17 per cent, of ash, the 
sand and dust deducted. This would mean the removal of from 
900 to 1,200 pounds of lime, magnesia, potash and soda from each 
acre of land, of which, according to my analyses, from 288 to 384 
pounds would be potash and from 252 to 336 pounds would be soda. 
There would further be removed from 64 to 83 pounds of phos¬ 
phoric acid. 
These facts are of interest principally to show that the plant 
is a very heavy feeder, more so indeed than most useful plants. 
While alfalfa is a heavy feeder, removing from 180 to 200 pounds 
of mineral matter with each ton of hay, it is far behind the saltbush 
in this respect, which will remove not far from 340 pounds with 
each ton of hay. This matter is of little interest so far as this bul¬ 
letin is concerned, still it may be worth while to consider the com¬ 
position of the ash of this saltbush. 
ANALYSES OE THE ASH OE THE AUSTRALIAN SALTBUSH, AtriplcX 
semibaccafa. 
Alkali Soil. 
Alkali Free Soil. 
Alkali Soil.* 
Carbon . 
Trace 
Trace 
Sand . 
3.82 
10.93 ) 
4.60 \ 
16.24 
Silicic acid . 
1.24 
Sulfuric acid . 
3.46 
2.14 
2.64 
Carbonic acid . 
16.88 
21.51 
• • • • 
Phosphoric acid . 
3.54 
3.43 
2.80 
Chlorin . 
20.80 
5.82 
24.33 
Potassic oxid . 
14.37 
16.02 
11.42 
Sodic oxid . 
23.79 
14.85 
35.39 
Calcic oxid (lime). 
8.54 
13.27 
5.79 
Magnesia oxid . 
6.94 
6.20 
3.23 
Ferric oxid . 
1.23 
0.90 
1.38 
Aluminic oxid . 
1.21 
1.95 
Aluminic oxid . 
Trace 
1.21 
1.95 
104.75 
100.99 
105.39 
Oxygen equivalent to chlorin.. 
4.69 
1.31 
5.35 
♦California Bulletin 105, 
100.06 
p. 13. 
99.68 
100.04 
