Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean: Vol. 5, Pt. 2

APPENDIX.
The residue consists of
Silica.
Alumina and oxide of iron.
Carbonate of lime.
Carbonate of magnesia.
No. 263.-Soil of Co7huilla Valley, November 18.-According to your instructions I determined
only the sand, organic matter, lime, and saline soluble matter. The soil contains numerous
small shells, which were not separated for the analysis.
Constituents soluble in water:
Alumina and oxide of iron. Phosphoric acid.
Lime. Sulphuric acid.
Magnesia, Chlorine.
Soda abundant. Organic matter.
Potash abundant.
Soluble in acid:
Silica.
Clay and oxide of iron and magnesia.
Magnesia, (unusually large,)
Phosphoric acid.
Total amount soluble in water............................. 1.58 p.c.
Carbonate of lime......................................16.59
Sand...............................................60.00
Total organic matter..................................... 1.30
No. 264.- Saline soil, near Mojave River,-It effervesces strongly with
aqueous extract contains.
Chloride of sodium.
Carbonate of soda,
Sulphate of soda.
Sulphate of magnesia, (little.)
.No. 265.-Soilfrom San Bernardino.-A sandy loam, containing 70 per cent. of sand; consisting of angular grains of quartz; much yellow mica; fragments of a dark, undistinguishable
rock; occasional grains of feldspar, and a notable quantity of magnetic iron. Organic matter
3.26 p. c. Qualitative tests indicated the presence of the following substances:
Silica.
Alumina and oxides of iron and magnesia.
Lime.
Magnesia, (little.)
Soda.
The color of this soil, which seems to possess all the elements of extreme fertility, is a warm
dark-brown.
No. 266.-Sub-soil, Bernardino Valley.-Contains 75.5 of sand, of much the same character
as the foregoing, except that it contains calcareous particles, effervescing strongly with dilute
acids. It contains
Silica.
Alumina and oxide of iron.
Carbonate of lime, 1.09 p. c.
Magnesia, (very little.)
343
Sulphuric acid.
Soda.
Soda.
.dilute acid-.
The
Potash, (traces.)
Chlorine abundant.
Sulphuric acid.
Phosphoric acid.
Sulphuric acid.
Phosphoric acid.
Chloride of sodium abundant.
Potash abundant.