800 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXVIII, No. 8 
MESQUITE AND CHAMISO (PROSOPIS GLANDULOSA TORR. AND ATRIPLEX CANESCENS 
(PURSH) NUTT.) 
This land consists of sand dunes, in the Coachella Valley, and low sandy ridges, 
in the Gila Valley. In the former valley the total acreage of the sand dune area 
is large, but in the latter, where mesquite and chamiso are supplanted by chamiso 
the areas are small and scattered. In either case the land is very sandy and 
nonsaline. In the Coachella Valley the more level tracts of this land are being 
used for date and vegetable growing. These are relatively small areas, for the 
greater part of this type of land, the high sand dunes, can not be farmed. In 
the Gila Valley vegetables and grain are grown on this land. 
SALTBUSH AND ARROW WEED (ATRIPLEX LENTIFORMIS (TORR.) S. WATS. AND 
PLUCHEA SERICEA NUTT.) COVILLE 
Because of the high salt content and the high water table it is necessary to 
drain this type of land before it can be farmed permanently. In the Coachella 
Valley this type of land ought to drain readily because of the sandy layers in the 
subsoil while in the Gila Valley drainage may be more difficult since the subsoil 
is very heavy. Most of the land once farmed and later abandoned because of 
the high water table becomes overgrown with saltbush or saltbush and arrow- 
weed. With proper drainage, however, good crops of alfalfa ought to grow 
again on this land. 
PICKLEWEED (ALLENROLFEA OCCIDENTALIS (S. WATS.) KUNTZE) 
This is the most saline of any of the types of land considered. Moreover the 
water table is high, so high that in spring the land is boggy and therefore drainage 
is essential if crops are to be grown. 
SALTGRASS (DISTICHLIS SPICATA (L.) GREENE) 
Meadows of saltgrass furnish a natural pasturage but the water table is so 
high and the salt content so great that drainage is necessary before crops can be 
grown on this type of land. 
AGRICULTURAL POTENTIALITY OF THE LAND CHARACTERIZED 
BY EACH PLANT COMMUNITY 
Probably the best type of land for irrigation agriculture is that characterized 
by a good stand of desert-sage. A good stand of creosote bush indicates land 
which has good drainage and which is free from alkali, but the soil is usually 
more sandy and not as productive as that occupied by the desert-sage. Mesquite 
and chamiso, and chamiso alone, indicate a very sandy soil free from alkali. 
Yucca and cactus lands, and giant cactus and paloverde lands, are too stony or 
the slope is too steep. Seep weed, saltbush, saltbush and arrowweed, pickle- 
weed, and saltgrass lands must be leached and usually drained before they will 
be productive under irrigation. The adaptability of lands, characterized by 
different types of vegetation, for crop production under irrigation is shown in 
Table XXXV. 
