The Agricultural Ledger 1901 (Mineral and Metallic Series No. 17)

Doubtless some of the indigenous grasses of the interior plateau region and the great plains east of the Rocky Mountains such as the buffalo and grama grasses as well as several of the wheat grasses (Agropyron) and bunch grasses (Festuca Poa Stipa etc.) will prove resistant to larger proportions of alkali than the meadow and pasture grasses of the regions of summer rains. [...] The salts in this case consist wholly of sulphate and carbonate of soda in the ratio of 54 to 42 implying the presence of nearly 12 000 pounds of salsoda within reach of the treroots ; yet in the absence of common salt no perceptible injury or even stress upon the trees has been noted. [...] l The Nature Value and Utilisation SOURCES The investigations made by the Station have moreover shown OF GOOD WATER FOR that aside from the freqr ently saline character of the well and even IRRIGATION IN the artesian waters of the petroleum-bearing region of the State in CALIFORNIA. [...] The same is true of the artesian waters of the valley of Southern California from Los Angeles east to Redlands and of all the deeper borings of the Antelope Valley. [...] It is hoped that in the future a close comparison of the native vegetation with the chemcal determination of the quantity and kind of alkali corresponding to certain plants or groups of plants naturally occurring on the land may enable us to come to a sufficiently close estimate of the nature and capabilities of the latter from the native vegetation alone or with the aid of test plants pur