64 
The Colorado Experiment Station. 
ANALYSES LXXVII 
Water-Soluble 
Laboratory 
No. 996 
Aug. 18, 1910 
Percent 
Calcic sulfate . 7.607 
Calcic carbonate .. 
Magnesic sulfate . 31.447 
Potassic sulfate . 3.9 8 6 
Sodic sulfate . 52.776 
Sodic chlorid . 4.137 
Sodic nitrate .. 
Iron and Aluminic oxid. . . . - 
Silicic acid . 0.047 
100.000 
ANALYSES LXXXI 
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 
LXXVIII 
LXXIX 
LXXX 
Water-Soluble 
Water-Soluble 
Water-Residue 
Laboratory 
Laboratory 
Laboratory 
No. 1027 
No. 1029 
No. 999 
Oct. 29, 1910 
Oct. 29,1910 
Aug. 18, 1910 
Percent 
Percent 
Percent 
8.979 
18.873 
4.942 
4.536 
24.794 
36.407 
19.604 
0.859 
1.330 
0.719 
56.877 
28.816 
59.415 
4.332 
8.235 
7.214 
4.017 
6.094 
3.688 
Trace 
0.076 
0.085 
0.142 
0.169 
0.117 
100.000 
100.000 
100.000 
LXXXII 
LXXXI1I 
LXXX I V 
Water-Soluble 
Water-Soluble 
Water-Residue 
Laboratory 
Laboratory 
Laboratory 
No. 1028 
No. 1046 
No. 1041 
Oct. 29, 1910 
Feb. 1 , 1911 
Jan. 11. 1911 
Percent 
Percent 
Percent 
41.451 
44.886 
6.208 
6.020 
0.081 
37.659 
9.296 
8.768 
1.210 
1.021 
2.727 
51.876 
2.422 
19.234 
15.847 
0.556 
21.377 
1.203 
0.398 
26.640 
none 
1.051 
0.069 
100.000 
100.000 
100.000 
I bis 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 
sei iously 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 
