10 
The Colorado Experiment Station 
analysis IV. 
WATER SOLUBLE PORTION SOIL FROM ALFALFA FIELD. 
West of Orchard No. 1. 
Per Cent. 
Calcic Sulfate . 21.44S 
Calcic Chlorid . 17.295 
Magnesic Chlorid . 12.708 
Potassic Chlorid . 1.641 
Sodic Chlorid . 6.612 
Sodic Nitrate . 33.066 
Iron and Aluminic Oxid. 0.089 
Silicic Acid . 0.173 
Loss (water, organic matter, etc.) . 6.968 
100.000 
The amount of calcic and magnesic chlorids in this soil is quite 
surprising. The presence of these salts in a soil extract is quite rare 
with us. I have met with a few other instances in which these 
chlorids constitute a considerable portion of the aqueous extract of 
the soil; in an extreme case it proved that they constituted a little 
over 55.0 per cent of the aqueous extract; there was in addition to 
these 25.5 per cent of sodic and 3.8 per cent of potassic chlorid, or 
a little over 84.3 per cent of chlorids in all. This sample contained 
a heavy trace of nitric acid but was not collected in Colorado. We 
will find in this investigation a few samples which carry even 
larger percentages of calcic and magnesic chlorids than the one 
whose analysis is given above. The nitrates in this sample consti¬ 
tute 2.571 per cent of the air dried soil. It is remarkable that the 
surface soil should contain so large an amount of the very soluble 
nitrates and chlorids considering its wet condition. The alfalfa was 
dead but the crowns had not yet entirely rotted, indicating that 
they had died recently and that the present conditions had not 
obtained for any very long period. The study of conditions in this 
alfalfa field was not prosecuted further as the orchard presented 
better conditions for our purposes and it is impossible to studv 
every instance of these conditions which presents itself. 
The next sample was taken 60 feet north and west of the first 
orchard sample, analysis No. II., to a depth of eight inches. 
There was no efflorescence or crust on the surface of the soil 
at this point and also no vegetation. The water soluble portion 
equalled 1.87 per cent of air dried soil. 
ANALYSIS V. 
WATER SOLUBLE PORTION. SURFACE EIGHT INCHES. 
Orchard No. 1. 
Per Cent. 
Calcic Sulfate . 14.319 
Calcic Nitrate . 26.62 2 
Magnesic Nitrate . 6.4 43 
Sodic Nitrate . 21.277 
Sodic Chlorid . 2 5.224 
Loss (water, organic matter, etc.) . 6.115 
100.000 
