6 4 
The Colorado Experiment Station. 
ANALYSES 
LXXVII 
LXXVIII 
LXXIX 
LXXX 
Water-Soluble 
Water-Soluble 
Water-Soluble Water-Residue 
laboratory 
laboratory 
Laboratory 
Laboratory 
No. 996 
No. 1027 
No. 1029 
No. 999 
Aug. 18, 1910 
Oct. 29, 1910 
Oct. 29, 1910 
Aug. 18, 1910 
Percent 
Percent 
Percent 
Percent 
Calcic sulfate . 
. . . 7.607 
8.979 
18.873 
4.942 
Calcic carbonate . 
4.536 
Magnesic sulfate . 
, . . 31.447 
24.794 
36.407 
19.604 
Potassic sulfate . 
. . . 3.986 
0.859 
1.330 
0.719 
Sodic sulfate . 
. . . 52.776 
56.877 
28.816 
59.415 
Sodic chlorid . 
. . . 4.137 
4.332 
8.235 
7.214 
Sodic nitrate . 
4.017 
6.094 
3.688 
Iron and Aluminic oxid . . 
• • ■■ 1 ■" 
Trace 
0.076 
0.085 
Silicic acid . 
. . . 0.047 
0.142 
0.169 
0.117 
100.000 
100.000 
100.000 
100.000 
ANALYSES 
LXXXI 
LXXXII 
LXXXIII 
LXXX IY 
Water-Residue 
Laboratory 
No. 1040 
Dec. 28, 1910 
Percent 
Calcic sulfate . 10.946 
Magnesic sulfate . 41.809 
Magnesic chlorid .. 
Potassic sulfate. 1.012 
Potassic chlorid.. 
Sodic sulfate . 33.267 
Sodic carbonate.. 
Sodic chlorid . 7.726 
Sodic nitrate . 5.083 
Iron and Aluminic oxid . . . . 0.080 
Silicic acid . 0.077 
100.000 
Water-Soluble Water-Soluble Water-Residue 
Laboratory 
No. 1028 
Oet. 29, 1910 
Percent 
Laboratory 
No. 1046 
Feb. 1 , 1911 
Percent 
Laboratory 
No. 1041 
Jan. 11. 1911 
Percent 
41.451 
6.020 
9.296 
44.886 
0.081 
8.768 
6.208 
37.659 
1.210 
51.876 
2.422 
0.556 
none 
1.021 
2.727 
19.234 
21.377 
1.203 
0.398 
15.847 
26.640 
1.051 
0.069 
100.000 
100.000 
100.000 
This orchard presents three distinct problems—seepage, alkali, 
and nitre, which questions present themselves in the following 
forms, First, has the water collected in this area to such an ex¬ 
tent as to make the land unfit for ordinary agricultural purposes 
unless it be drained ? Second, is the concentration of the so-called 
alkalis so great that they alone have caused the difficulties ? Third, 
have the nitrates brought about this soil condition and also caused 
the death of the trees? 
I simply state the facts as we have found them and as they 
are exhibited by the analyses given. I long ago made the assertion 
that Colorado has no alkali question which does not resolve itself 
into one of drainage, and again, that I have not seen any crop 
seriously injured by alkali alone though I have seen some crops 
drowned out. Even soils that are very rich in the sulfates of 
soda, magnesia and lime will, if they be not at the same time all 
too wet, grow crops, sometimes good ones. In these cases it is the 
water rather than the alkali that does the damage. This is not the 
case with nitre, it kills trees and other plants in a characteristic 
