he Coeorado Experiment Station. 
EEr er - S E ble 111 this sample equalled 8.590 percent and the 
ates equaled 44.0 percent of this, or 378 percent of the sample 
c s it w as .gathered showing that the surface soil is now very rich in 
a denH' f S r Pl E Na 1061 is 311 actual sam P ,e of this soil taken to 
1 of , fl ° m four to SIX inches; the sample is a composite one 
from ten different points in the field. We see that it contains 
piactically 1.5 percent of the water-soluble salts of which u.o 
percent was sodic nitrate which gives us 3,900 pounds of nitrates 
Efn 1° P i S f t ‘ ; eS P f th , 6 S0il - This Jand lies 011 “d above the 
wash alluded to which is eleven feet ten inches deep and is actually 
encroaching upon this land on both the north and west sides 
ufnch ought to secure excellent drainage especially as the land is 
not a heavy adobe soil, still it will puddle and retain water more 
persistently than one would think. The presence of the nitric acid 
m the first sample of soil, No. 815, taken at the base of one of 
iese tiees was a surprise to me, though I knew of its occurrence in 
adjoining portions of the land where the trees had already died 
I his whole section of trees, probably ten acres, has been dug up. 
It is useless to attempt to present to oneself any questions in 
legald to what would have been the condition of this orchard and 
and had it not been drained, as it was a little over ten years ago T 
am satisfied that the drainage system carries off the excessive* 
uatei whether it is from the irrigation applied or from other 
soui ces and establishes a zone and certain areas where there is a 
comparatively uniform and moderate, but still an abundant supplv 
of moisture which renders possible the development of the nitrates 
if other conditions are favorable. What the optimum degree of 
moisture may be I do not know but my observation leads me to 
eie\e that a constant supply amounting-, near the surface to 18 
or 2° percent is sufficient for a rapid development of the trouble 
" ter this is thoroughly established it seems to modify the moisture 
conditions of the sod as has been indicated by direct assertion of this 
tact and further by describing the ground as a veritable mud. 
ferent r soif rd Th°' h 4 ' S a ’ S ? 3 orc,mrd ’ but ha s quite a dif- 
Ll t I The bunl,n ? has been vei T general and serious, at 
V 1 acies be,n g involved, some of it on rather high and 
sloping land, some of it on lower and level land. The develop¬ 
ments in this orchard during the season of 1910 were sufficient to 
cause the manager and the owners the gravest anxiety, while the 
developments 111 the past month, May, 1911, are extremely serious. 
In this case we probably have an illustration of the effect of 
area'of^hp" 5 P a ? hing th ? nitrates down into the feeding 
sod 1 E E nd i llS causing the damage, for some of the 
The former'n ' S Sta ' neC i E 0 "" 1 ’ 13 n0t 3t 3,1 in a bad condition, 
vital m r 1 , ger ° f th i S P r °P ert y ke Pt the orchard well culti- 
the sod was 111 fine condition throughout the season of 
