762 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXVIII, No. 8 
PHYSICAL CONDITIONS INDICATED 
Soil Moisture 
Saltgrass indicates a heavy soil where the water table comes up to or very 
near the surface. There is an abundance of available water all the year; even 
the first foot rarely becomes dry (Tables XVII and XVIII). 
Salinity 
The salt content of saltgrass land is higher than that of any other type of 
land, with the exception of pickleweed land (Table XXXIV). The average 
salt content of the 4 feet of soil is over 1 per cent (Tables XVII and XVIII.) 
Considerable quantities of black alkali often occur in the third and fourth 
feet, as, for instance, in Table I, sample 8, which represents the fourth foot in 
a saltgrass meadow, over 26 per cent of the total salt content were bicarbonates 
and 6 per cent carbonates. 
Summary of Physical Conditions Indicated 
Saltgrass land is very saline and has a high water table. In order to use this 
land for growing farm crops profitably, it is necessary to drain the land and 
leach out some of the salts. Saltgrass, however, is eaten by stock, so that this 
land in its natural state affords pasturage. In some places it is even cut for hay. 
ADAPTATIONS TO PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 
The range of tolerance of saltgrass is very great. On salt flats it is often 
found pushing into the most extremely saline soils. Where flood water is carried 
over an area it develops a relatively luxuriant growth, and it will do well in 
nonsaline soils. This grass spreads by root stalks, and these are pushed gradu¬ 
ally out into the salt flats. It also has the ability to remain dormant for a long 
period and grow again when rain or flood waters leach to some extent the saline 
surface soil and replenish the soil moisture supply. 
Table XVII.— Soil conditions in September and October in typical areas of salt- 
grass, Indio , Calif., 1914 a 
Item 
Salt content 
Water content a 
Soil type «. 
Date of collection 
Depth 
soil 
of 
Sept. 14, 
Oct. 13, 
Oct. 14, 
Average 
sample 
sample 
sample 
No. 12 
No. 77 
No. 86 
Feet 
1 
>2.50 
>2.50 
0.39 
1.80 
2 
.73 
1.56 
1.40 
1.23 
3 
.48 
1.66 
.68 
.94 
4 
.56 
1.32 
.19 
.69 
1 
*> m 
d 
w 
2 
m 
/ 2/3 dl 
l 1/3 m/ 
w 
3 
m 
m 
w 
4 
w 
m 
w 
1 
* cl 
si 
fsl 
2 
cl 
si 
fsl 
3 
c 
1 
si 
4 
c 
si 
si 
« No soil moisture or moisture equivalent determinations were made on the soil samples of 1914. The 
data given are merely the field notes on the samples. Salt content data are stated in percentages of the 
dry weight of the soil. 
& m=moist soil; d=dry soil; w=wet soil, 
c s=sand or sandy; l=loam; fsl=fine sandy loam; c=clay. 
