12 The Colorado Experiment Station 
18th to the 29th inch inclusive. The water soluble was 2.11 per 
cent. 
ANALYSIS VIII. 
WATER SOLUBLE, 18TH TO 29TH INCH INCLUSIVE. 
Orchard No. L 
Per Cent. 
Calcic Sulfate . 49.413 
Magnesic Sulfate . 20.202 
Potassic Sulfate . 0.670 
Sodic Sulfate . 0.923 
Sodic Carbonate . 2.556 
Sodic Chlorid . 12.487 
Sodic Nitrate . 9.375 
Sodic Silicate . 1.371 
Manganic Oxid (br) . 0.141 
Loss (water, organic matter, etc.) . 2.8 62 
lUO.OOO 
The nitrates in this sample which represents the lower 3-4 of 
the second and the first 1-4 of the third foot from the surface con¬ 
stitute 0.198 per cent of the air dried soil. This is the deepest 
soil sample taken in the orchard. 
The ground water in this orchard cannot be said to present 
a water plane. The soil is very wet at a depth of two and a half 
feet and forms a real mud from this point downward, but at a depth 
of six feet the water came in so slowly that in order to fill a two 
gallon jug we had to let the hole stand open over night. A little 
water came in at a depth of five feet but this seemed to be an acci¬ 
dent, for the next foot below was the same as above, simply mud. 
I had never seen anything similar to this condition before I began 
to study this subject. What the relation may be between these 
facts I do not know; according to what is generally believed they 
are more or less incompatible but they are simply facts. It is sur¬ 
prising that soil can be so wet and muddy for 3^ feet and we 
should be unable to find a proper water table within six feet of 
the surface, but, as stated, we were compelled to let the opening 
stand over night in order to obtain the sample of ground water. 
The ground water as obtained was slightly yellow; the total solids 
held in solution were 1776.95 grains per imperial gallon; loss on 
ignition 453.42 grains. A part of this loss is due to the presence 
of nitrates and is more interesting than important, because on igni¬ 
tion the evolution of the brown oxids of nitrogen was quite copious. 
This water contained 2,0 parts per million of nitrogen as nitrites, 
ordinary polluted water contains 0.003 parts per million. 
