776 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXVIII, No. 8 
Table XXVIII.— Soil conditions in September and October in typical areas of 
seepweed , Indio , Calif., 1914 ° 
Date of collection 
Item 
Depth 
of 
soil 
Sept. 
14, 
sam¬ 
ple 
No. 13 
Sept. 
19, 
sam¬ 
ple 
No. 26 
Sept. 
22 . 
sam¬ 
ple 
No. 27 
Sept. 
22 , 
sam¬ 
ple 
No. 31 
Sept. 
25, 
sam¬ 
ple 
No. 44 
Sept. 
30, 
sam¬ 
ple 
No. 54 
Oct. 
13, 
sam¬ 
ple 
No. 76 
Oct. 
13, 
sam¬ 
ple 
No. 78 
Oct. 
14, 
sam¬ 
ple 
No. 84 
Aver¬ 
age 
Salt content. 
Feet. 
1 
>2.50 
>2.50 
2.18 
0.93 
0.07 
>2.50 
2. 30 
0. 76 
0.23 
1. 55 
2 
>2. 50 
2.10 
1.13 
1.18 
. 12 
.20 
1 . 60 
1.04 
1.36 
1.25 
3 
.38 
1.22 
1. 56 
1. 36 
.16 
. 11 
.80 
1 . 66 
.64 
.89 
4 
.34 
1.06 
1. 32 
1. 24 
.20 
.06 
1.04 
1.18 
.52 
.77 
Water content_ 
1 
m b 
m 
d 
d 
d 
w 
d 
d 
d 
2 
m 
m 
m 
m 
d 
w 
d 
sm 
m 
3 
m 
m 
m 
m 
sm 
w 
sm 
m 
m 
4 
m 
m 
m 
m 
sm 
w 
sm 
w 
m 
Soil type--. 
1 
fle 
fsl 
si 
s 
fsl 
fsl 
fsl 
si 
fsl 
2 
fl 
fsl 
si 
si 
fsl 
si 
fsl 
si 
fsl 
3 
1 
fsl 
si 
si 
fsl 
si 
fsl 
si 
si 
4 
cl 
fsl 
si 
fsl 
fsl 
s 
fsl 
si 
s 
• No soil moisture or moisture equivalent determinations were made on the soil samples taken in 1914. 
The data given are the field notes on samples. Salt content data are stated in percentages of the dry weight 
of the soil. 
6 m=moist soil; sm=slightly moist soil; d=dry soil; w=»wet soil, 
c s=sand or sandy; l=loam; fsl—fine sandy loam; c=clay. 
Seepweed land is excessively saline. In addition to this, one type of seepweed 
land also has a high water table. Both of these conditions must be corrected 
before this type of land can be profitably used for crop production. This land 
requires drainage first of all, for an attempt to leach out the salts by irrigating 
would make the land too boggy to be tillable. 
ADAPTATIONS TO PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 
Seepweed thrives best on land where available moisture is present all the 
year, at least in the third and fourth feet. On land at one time cultivated or 
on “seep” land the seepweed grows in tangled clumps, but on virgin desert soil 
the growth is much more sparse. Wherever the third and fourth feet become 
dry in summer the plants are very small and scattered, leaving open spaces of 
bare soil. The seepweed is dormant during the winter, and a large part of the 
plant above ground dies. The new leaves and branches begin to show about 
March. The root system is not extensive, but usually extends through the third 
and fourth feet of soil (PI. 7,A). 
VARIATIONS FROM THE TYPICAL ASSOCIATION 
Seepweed with Desert-sage 
This mixture, the most important one of those formed by seepweed, occurs 
generally on the lower edge of the desert-sage lands. In many of these areas 
neither the seepweed nor the desert-sage are at their best. The land is too 
dry during certain periods of the year for a good growth of seepweed, while the 
desert-sage finds the salt content too high for the best growth. The salt content 
(Table XXIX) is higher than that of the desert-sage land but lower than that 
of the seepweed land. 
