14 
Bulletin 72. 
B and D. A little rain had fallen during the week, and the wells, 
A excepted, were lower than on the 16th. 
§ 39. On June 3rd, 4th and 5th we had a rainfall aggregating 
1.82 inches, which under the conditions prevailing at that time 
might have wet this soil to a depth of 5 inches. The water capacity 
of this soil, air dry, ranged from 36 to 51 per cent. The actually 
observed rise in the water table ranged from 0.32 to 0.95 of a foot, 
and the waters of the different wells showed an increase in the total 
solids present. The increase in the case of well B was slower than 
in the others. The greatest difference was shown in the case of 
Well C, where it amounted to 1.0630 parts per thousand. The 
water table and the total solids had both begun to fall by the 13th, 
or seven days after the last rainfall. 
§ 40. The rising of the water table at times when there had 
been no rainfall has already been mentioned, as has also the effect 
of a slight moistening of the previously dry surface upon the 
height of the water table, but here we have the effect of 1.82 inches 
of rainfall upon the height of the water table reaching the consid¬ 
erable amount of 0.95 of a foot, or 11.4 inches, while the amount 
of water which fell was not sufficient to wet this soil for more than 
5 inches. The amount of the rise in the different wells varied con¬ 
siderably, as did the increase of the total solids. The former is 
probably due to the capillary condition of the soil at the different 
places, and the latter, partly to the solution of salts out of the soil 
through which the water rose and partly to changes in the condi¬ 
tions of diffusion, for the smallest change in the amount of total 
solids was not in the well that rose the least, nor in one which was 
usually low in total solids. 
§ 41. The increase in total solids present in the ground water 
was not always accompanied by an increase in its height. Our 
observations on the relation of these—increase in height of ground 
water atid total solids contained—are not quite consonant with 
one another, but they agree that the effect of the addition of consid¬ 
erable quantities of water applied to the surface is to increase the 
amount of salts in solution. Sometimes the increase in the amount 
of the salts in solution and that in the height of the water plane 
fell together, but at other times they did not. 
§ 42. The influence of the changes in the water level, due to 
very light rains or other meteorological causes, was not marked 
enough to be noted without special study. 
§ 43. The solids in the ground water during the season 
1898, from May 24th till the end of October, were a little higher dur¬ 
ing the first two-thirds of the season, but lower during the last 
third, than in 1897; the water level was also very low, well D go- 
