51 
The Soil. 
duced some effects which we have noted at some length in Bulletin 
58, especially those upon the crop, and we have incidentally stated 
that the salts in the ground water were influenced by the same, but 
we have acknowledged an effect, by stating that it improved the 
mechanical condition of the soil, which we fail to explain, because 
we do not recognize in what this actually consists. There are cer¬ 
tain bold features in this improved condition which we readily per¬ 
ceive, but we cannot tell to what agents this improvement is to be 
attributed, nor the degree in which any particular agent has partici¬ 
pated. 
ANALYSES OF SOME COLORADO SOILS. 
§ 106. I append a table of hitherto unpublished analyses of 
some soils from this State. These analyses were made some years 
ago by Mr. Chas. Ryan, under the direction of Dr. D. O’Brine, my 
predecessor. 
There is no description or data of any kind given with the 
analyses. The record does not even show the locality from which 
the samples came more specifically than somewhere within a Colo¬ 
rado county. As a matter of fairness, I feel it due to Dr. O’Brine to 
state that, according to my information, he is not at fault for this, 
but that, owing to a bit of mistaken economy, he was not able to 
take the samples as he wished to, and did not obtain the data, 
whose lack detracts so materially from an otherwise commendable 
piece of work. 
§ 107. The history of some of the samples is know, but so far 
as the record shows, there is nothing to indicate whether the sam¬ 
ples are of virgin or highly cultivated garden soils, whether they 
are samples taken from excavations in city streets, or have been 
scratched from between the rocks of the hills. 
The presumption was, and ought still to hold, in spite of the 
few exceptions of wnich we have definite knowledge, that the sam¬ 
ples fairly represent the virgin soils of the State. If they do not, it 
is to be regretied that this work has been done to such little pur¬ 
pose. 
