The Soil. 
27 
§ 52. This soil E is in excellent condition and would ordin¬ 
arily be considered free from alkali, but if we calculate the amount 
of sodic sulfate corresponding to the sulfuric acid in an acre of such 
soil taken to the depth of one foot, we find in round numbers 16 
tons in May, and 25 tons in October. In the subsoil, sample F, we 
find in May 16 tons and in October 7 tons. It appears that 9 tons 
of this salt, or its equivalent, has been transferred from the subsoil 
to the soil by surface evaporation and capillarity, but no incrusta¬ 
tion was produced. In the case of sample A, we find a little larger 
increase in the surface layers, but there is at times a heavy incrus¬ 
tation covering almost the whole of this section. This was not the 
case at the time the sample was taken. We have a marked change 
in the other direction in sample C, as we find that about four tons 
per acre of this salt has passed below the depth to which our sample 
was taken. It is possible that this salt was washed out or flooded 
off of this section of the plot at the rate of four tons per acre during 
the season. I would like to believe this, but I see no reason why I 
should. The ground here is about one foot higher than at B or D, 
and the irrigation water flowed towards these points, but there was 
no increase in the alkali at either B or D. In the case of F there 
is a patent explanation, in the case of C there is not. The sulfuric 
acid determinations were done in duplicate in both cases, and agreed 
within four one hundredths of one per cent. The crop as previously 
shown did not remove a large amount of sulfuric acid, and I have 
no explanation for the disappearance of the alkali from this section, 
unless it was simply carried into the soil by the irrigation and was 
not brought back by the capillary movement of the water within 
the reach of our sample. The differences in the percentages of the 
potash are so small, and the samples not being identical, there is 
not even the same small object in trying to draw any inferences 
from them, that there is discussing the effect of the season’s work 
on the “alkali,” basing it upon the total amount of sulfuric acid 
present in the different samples. 
One could scarcely expect one season’s study and work to pro¬ 
duce a change of sufficient magnitude to show a decided difference 
in the results of such anaylses, nor does the matter stand in a much 
more favorable relation at the end of three or lour years. After 
three crops had been taken off of the plot, a sample from E showed 
the presence of 0.849 per cent, of potash, and before any crop had 
been taken off'it showed 0.876 percent. The plowing, cultivation, 
irrigation and cropping of three seasons gave us as their total effect 
this uncertain difference of 0.027 per cent. There were other sam¬ 
ples taken, but these are the only two that coincide in the point at 
which they were taken. Others, however, show the same thing; 
sample B, for instance, at the beginning showed 1.003 per cent, of 
potash ; after three crops had been taken, we obtained 0.999 per 
