D uruc*TE« 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION 
 
 BERKELEY, CAL. 
 
 E. W. HILGARD, Director. 
 
 BULLETIN NO. 102 
 
 ANALYSES Of FIGS /cND fIG SOILS. 
 
 The growing importance of the fig industry 
 in California calls for a full investigation of 
 this fruit, in order to determine as quickly as 
 possible the peculiarities of each variety as 
 grown in the different sections of the State, and 
 thus to gain an insight into their probable com- 
 mercial adaptations, as well as their nutritive 
 values. In accordance with this plan, already 
 outlined and exemplified with respect to other 
 fruits in bulletins 93, 97 and 101 of this station, 
 such figs as were obtainable of the crop of 1892 
 have been examined and are here reported 
 upon. The comparatively limited number of 
 samples received thus far does not justify an 
 extended discussion of the practical bearings of 
 the results; yet the fact that they embrace a 
 few of the most important varieties, as well as 
 a number of new ones grown at the University 
 Experiment Stations, lends interest to them. 
 Marked differences will be noted particularly 
 as regards the proportions of juice, sugar and 
 acid, as well as in the nitrogen contents which 
 so essentially determine the nutritive value; 
 points of direct importance to the grower as 
 well as to the consumer. The farmer is also 
 specially interested in the amount and kind of 
 ash ingredients and nitrogen taken from the 
 soil by the fruit, since these represent what 
 sooner or later will have to be replaced by fer- 
 tilization, according to the character of the soil 
 
 selected for the orchard. In this connection 
 the result of the examination of typical soils 
 that for ages have been used in the production 
 of the best figs of commerce presents great in- 
 terest, since we are thus enabled to compare 
 them with those of this State that have been or 
 are likely to be used in fig-growing, thus gain- 
 ing a definite basis for their selection. 
 
 Producers of these fruits are again invited to 
 communicate with the station in regard to the 
 examination of their product during the com- 
 ing season. E. W. H. 
 
 Description of Figs Received. 
 
 No. 1, White Adriatic, from Fresno, name of 
 grower not obtained ; sample received on Aug. 
 19th. Condition, good ; color, greenish yellow ; 
 fruit very tender, fairly juicy and very sweet; 
 a typical fruit of its kind. 
 
 No. 2, White Adriatic, Kern Co. — Grower, Geo. 
 A. Raymond ; sample received Sept. 2d. A large 
 fruit; in excellent condition; delicate, juicy and 
 very sweet fleshed; color, almost cream yellow. 
 On pp. 5 and 6 will be seen a description and 
 analysis of the soil upon which these figs were 
 grown. 
 
 No. 3, Smyrna ( t ). Solano Co.— E. R. Thurber, 
 grower; sample received Aug. 6th. Condition, 
 good ; a medium sized fruit ; color, dark yellow ; 
 flesh, not very tender or sweet. 
 
 No. 4, Smyrna Bulletin, Tulare Co. — Grower, 
 San Joaquin Valley Experiment Station; 
 sample received Aug. 17th. A much smaller 
 but sweeter fruit than No. 3 ; coarse-fleshed ; 
 
color good. This fruit is from young trees and 
 is marked as frost-proof. 
 
 No. 5, California Black, Solano Co.— E. B.. Thur- 
 ber, grower ; sample received Aug. 6th. Condi- 
 tion, good ; a medium sized fruit with coarse 
 flesh and rather hard ; tough skin, taste not 
 very sweet. 
 
 No. 6, Hirtu du Japon, Tulare Co. — Grower, 
 San Joaquin Valley Experiment Station ; 
 sample received Aug. 17th. Condition, only 
 fair; size, medium; color, purple; flesh, white 
 in color, tender ; juicy and quite sweet. A pro- 
 lific bearer and frost-proof. Trees young. 
 
 No. 7, Constantine, Tulare Co. — Grower, 
 San Joaquin Valley Experiment Station ; sam- 
 ple received Aug. 17th. Condition, good ; size, 
 small; color, striped green and purple; flesh, 
 hard and fibrous, but quite sweet ; sample from 
 voung trees ; another frost-proof variety at Tu- 
 lare. 
 
 No. 8, Du Roi, Tulare Co. — Grower, San 
 Joaquin Valley Experiment Station; sample re- 
 ceived August 17th. Condition, good ; color, 
 cream ; fully ripe ; flesh hard and rather dry ; 
 taste, quite sweet. A new variety which also 
 proves its ability to withstand frost ; from trees 
 young. 
 
 No. 9, Doree Narbus, Tulare Co. — San Joaquin 
 Valley Experiment Station, grower; sample 
 received Aug. 17th. A very small fruit ; con- 
 dition, good, but flesh dry and tough, although 
 very sweet ; variety, frost-proof ( hardiest of 54 
 varieties at the station ) ; sample grown on 
 young trees. 
 
 No. 10, Pasteliere, Tulare Co.— San Joaquin 
 Valley Experiment Station, grower ; sample re- 
 ceived Aug. 17th. Condition, only fair ; size, 
 small; flesh, fibrous and rather tough, although 
 quite juicy and sweet ; variety frost-proof; 
 sample from young trees. 
 
 No. 11, Brunswick, San Luis Obispo Co. — Sins- 
 heimer Bros., growers ; sample received Oct. 
 25th. A very large fig of dark color and tender, 
 juicy flesh ; taste, very sweet. 
 
 Soil of Nos. 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, see pages 5 and 6. 
 
 The large table, page 4, shows the results of 
 the analytical work for the season 1892; sub- 
 division A gives the physical and proximate 
 analyses ; B, the analysis of the ash of White 
 Adriatic and Smyrna fig. 
 
 In this table it will be noted that we have not 
 tried to draw any average3, for the reason that 
 the number of samples is too small to justify 
 it. We will, however, in a brief way point out 
 and discuss a few of the data. 
 
 PROPORTION OF JUICE TO PULP IN THE FRUIT. 
 
 The juiciest fruit— No. 2, White Adriatic, has 
 over 85 per cent, juice; that of No. 11 — Bruns- 
 wick — with 82, and No. 6— Hirtu du Japon— 
 with 80.6, being the only ones which nearly 
 approach it. The driest sample — No. 4, Smyr- 
 na (Bulletin)— contains but 64 per cent juice. 
 The pulp as here given contains the skin and 
 seeds as well as the pressed flesh. 
 
 SUGAR AND ACID CONTENTS OF THE JUICE AND 
 
 The determination of sugar is confined to the 
 total amount of ihat substance, no effort having 
 as yet been made to find the proportion of the 
 different sugars ( dextrose, levulose, cane sugar, 
 etc.) in these fruits, for lack of time. 
 
 On the whole fruit, the hiehest sugar is seen 
 in No. 2, White Adriatic; however, the juice of 
 
 No. 4, Smyrna, shows 29.90 per cent sugar, which 
 when referred to the fresh fruit is still over one 
 per cent, less than that of the White Adriatic, 
 or as 19.20 to 20.45 per cent. No. 9, Doree Nar- 
 bus, and No. 7, Constantine, with respectively 
 27.40 and 24.04 per cent sugars in their juice, 
 show, on account of their dry flesh, much less 
 sugar, on whole fruit, than either of the Adri- 
 atics. No. 3 Smyrna ( ? ), has the lowest sugar 
 percentage, amounting to but 8.0, on the 
 whole fruit ; some 4.5 per cent less than the 
 California Black ( No. 5 ) with 12.40. 
 
 European data at hand do not give any re- 
 port upon fresh figs, but from the German an- 
 alyses of dried figs it is easy to calculate, ap- 
 proximately, that the sugar in the whole fresh 
 fruit amounts to about 20.00 per cent., thus 
 showing no advantage over our largely grown 
 White Adriatic figs in sugar contents. 
 
 The table below makes it evident that among 
 California fruits, the^s — White Adriatic espe- 
 cially — hold no mean place in sugar contents. 
 
 PERCENTAGES OF SUGAR AND ACID. 
 
 jtjic e. I Flesh. | Whole f r't. 
 
 Figs, White Adriatic 
 Other tigs, fm Tulare 
 
 Apricots 
 
 French Prunes 
 
 Plums 
 
 Peaches 
 
 Grapes 
 
 Oranges 
 
 10 to. 
 
 Sugars, Per Cent. 
 
 23.90 
 10 to 29 
 13.31 
 23.69 
 17.9/ 
 17.00 
 24.00 
 10.68 
 
 11.93 
 19.70 
 13.25 
 13.40 
 23.00 
 7.12 
 
 19.20 
 8.0 to 19.20 
 11 10 
 18 53 
 12.89 
 12.50 
 20.70 
 5.40 
 
 The acid of the figs, expressed in terms of sul- 
 phuric ( S0 3 ) for the sake of comparison, seems 
 thus to be very much lower than that found in 
 any of our other fruits. 
 
 NUTRITIVE VALUES — NITROGEN CONTENTS. 
 
 Without repeating what has already been pub- 
 lished by This' Station in its fruit bulletins, Nos. 
 93, 97 and 101, relative to the importance of 
 the flesh-forming ingredients ( albuminoids ) of our 
 fruits, we give below, in tabular view, the aver- 
 age amounts of these materials contained in 
 some of the fruits we have examined and con- 
 sidered. Added to this are such data from 
 European sources as are at hand. 
 
 AVERAGE PERCENTAGES OF ALBUMINOIDS 
 
 FIGS. 
 
 California- 
 White Adriatic... 
 Others 
 
 European 
 
 ORANGES. 
 
 California 
 
 European (Sicilian) 
 
 apricots. 
 
 California 
 
 European 
 
 PRUNES. 
 
 California 
 
 European 
 
 APPLES AND PEARS. 
 
 European 
 
 &3 
 
 1.50 
 1.20 
 1.42 
 
 1.14 
 1.78 
 
 1.25 
 
 .49 
 
 1.012 
 
 .375 
 
 In the Fresh 
 Flesh, or 
 Edible Por- 
 tion. 
 
 In Fresh Pits 
 or Rind. 
 
 Calculated to Whole Fresh 
 Fruit. 
 
 (1.50) 
 (1.20) 
 (1.42) 
 
 .76 
 
 .837 
 
 .162 
 .175 
 
As heretofore pointed out in bulletin 101, the 
 fig rates first in flesh- forming materials among 
 our fruits; apricots and plums, second; prunes 
 and oranges, third. 
 
 It is interesting to reproduce, at this 
 point, a summary of the food constituents of 
 some of our dried fruits as compared with the 
 dried fig — results already published in bulletin 
 No. 101. In addition, the analysis of a sample 
 of California raisin is here reported. 
 
 PERCENTAGE COMPOSITION OF DRIED FRUITS. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 3 
 
 CD 
 CO 
 
 > 
 
 V 
 
 3. 
 
 o 
 
 55" 
 
 p 
 
 on' 
 
 e 
 
 IB 
 
 *4 
 
 2 
 
 "2. 
 
 •2 
 
 PER CENT. 
 
 Dri 
 
 Edibh 
 tic 
 
 ed. 
 i Por- 
 
 c 
 a 
 
 : > 
 
 : a 
 
 •O CO 
 CD 2 
 
 g 
 
 CD 
 
 s 
 
 Water 
 
 Ash 
 
 25.20 
 1.50 
 
 2.80 
 
 32.44 
 1.38 
 
 2.90 
 
 18.95 
 1.55 
 
 4.00 
 
 25.00 
 2.24 
 
 4.50 
 
 21.06 
 1.8 
 
 4.06 
 
 33.00 
 1.40 
 
 Albuminoids (Crude 
 Protein ) 
 
 1.70 
 8.30 
 
 Nitrogen — free ex- f 
 
 29.77 
 
 32.18 
 
 2.3j 
 
 10.11 
 
 10.18 
 
 21.60 
 
 
 
 Sugar 
 
 Free Acid, calculated 
 as Sulphuric ( S0 2 ) 
 
 40.53 
 
 .40 
 
 29.L9 
 1.51 
 
 72.50 
 .70 
 
 57.60 
 .45 
 
 62.50 
 
 .40 
 
 32.00 
 2.00 
 
 To*al 
 
 100.00 
 
 100. CO 
 
 100.00 
 
 100.00 
 
 100. OG 
 
 100.00 
 
 necessitate an analysis by us of the ash of an 
 imported fig. The results obtained are given in 
 the accompanying tables, and it will be noted 
 that the figures agree, within the limits to be 
 expected, with those we report for our figs. 
 Thus we are able to correct the data, given in 
 Bulletin No. 101, relating to European fig ashes. 
 The following small table gives the amounts, 
 in pounds, of vital soil ingredients extracted by 
 the different fruit crops ( for fruit alone) that 
 will have to be replaced by fertilization. Bul- 
 letin No. 101 gives more data relating to Euro- 
 pean fruit than we need for the present discus- 
 sion. 
 
 SOIL INGREDIENTS EXTRACTED BY DIFFERENT 
 FRUIT CROPS. 
 
 Fruits. 
 
 •Samples from the vineyard of Prof. R. H. Loughridge, 
 Woodland California. 
 t Analyzed at this Station. 
 
 As stated in previous fruit bulletins, these 
 results are too meager to serve as the basis 
 for a general discussion of the relative 
 food values of the fruits examined. How- 
 ever, we note some wide differences among 
 the nutrients. For instance, the sugars and al- 
 buminoids, or crude protein, show considerable 
 variation ; the apricots, like the apples, yielding 
 less than one-half as much sugar as the Muscat 
 raisin, which contains nearly twice as much 
 sugar as the prunes and li times as much of 
 that substance as the fig. European analyses 
 of raisins show figures for sugar contents 
 which differ but little from those we give here. 
 Both raisins and figs, with respectively 4 
 and 4.5 per cent, albuminoids ( flesh-forming 
 materials), stand from li to 2 times above the 
 other fruits in this respect. The fig yields 
 nearly twice as much ash as the other fruits 
 here reported. 
 
 ASH COMPOSITION AND NITROGEN CONTENTS. 
 
 According to previous bulletins relating 
 to fruits (Nos. 93, 97 and 101), the fig 
 stands second in amount of mineral matter 
 withdrawn from the soil for equal weights 
 of the various fruits. From European data we 
 place grapes first in this respect, and from our 
 own findings the orange third, and the prune, 
 apricot and plum, fourth. We report, in the 
 large table on p. 4, an ash analysis of the White 
 Adriatic fig from Kern county, and as the fig- 
 ures there represent a considerable district, we 
 can take them as a fair guide, the analysis of 
 the ashes of other fruits from different locali- 
 ties in California having shown that the varia- 
 tions will not be great enough to vitiate the 
 conclusions. But few European analyses of fig 
 ashes are at hand and their great discrepancies 
 
 FIGS. 
 
 *Europe — 
 
 In each 1000 lbs 
 
 Crop of 15,000 lbs 
 
 California (White Adriatic) 
 
 In each 1000 lbs 
 
 Crop of 15,000 lbs 
 
 GRAPES. 
 
 Europe— 
 In each 1000 lbs 
 
 CALIFORNIA APRICOTS. 
 
 In each 1000 lbs 
 
 Crop of 30,000 lbs 
 
 CALIFORNIA PRUNES. 
 
 In each 1000 lbs 
 
 Crop of 3>,000 1bs 
 
 CALIFORNIA. ORANGES. 
 
 In each 1000 lbs 
 
 Crop of 20,000 lbs 
 
 H 
 
 *t 
 
 hj 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 fcf 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 oo 
 
 
 > 
 
 sr 
 
 > 
 
 jy 
 
 5* 
 
 
 & 
 
 
 3= 
 
 ED 
 
 8.00 
 
 3.89 
 
 .89 
 
 120.00 
 
 58.35 
 
 13.35 
 
 7.81 
 
 4.69 
 
 .86 
 
 117.15 
 
 70.45 
 
 12.90 
 
 8.8 
 
 5.00 
 
 1.52 
 
 4.91 
 
 2.90 
 
 .64 
 
 147.30 
 
 87.00 
 
 19.20 
 
 4.86 
 
 3.10 
 
 .68 
 
 145.80 
 
 93.00 
 
 20.40 
 
 4.32 
 
 2.11 
 
 .53 
 
 86.40 
 
 42.20 
 
 10.60 
 
 2.27 
 34.05 
 
 2.38 
 35.70 
 
 1.70 
 
 1.94 
 
 52.20 
 
 1.62 
 48 60 
 
 1.83 
 36 60 
 
 ^Imported— analyzed at this station. 
 
 With the exception of the grape, it seems that 
 the fig draws rather more heavily upon the 
 mineral ingredients that will need to be re- 
 placed by fertilization than do any of the other 
 fruits we have examined; following closely the 
 amounts taken up by the grape and fig of 
 foreign growth. As compared with the fig, 
 apricots and prunes, like oranges, do not 
 in any case draw nearly so heavily upon the 
 mineral matters; lemons and plums, how- 
 ever, very nearly approach it. And among 
 the figs we note that the White Adriatic stands 
 somewhat above the other figs in this respect. 
 As to nitrogen, it is readily seen that among 
 our fruits the figs, on the whole, draw decid- 
 edly the highest amount and are quite like 
 those of foreign production in this regard. 
 Here, again, the White Adriatic appears to 
 lead. 
 
 Potash. — In the ashes of the fig, as in the 
 prune, apricot, orange and lemon, we find 
 potash to be the leading ingredient, amounting 
 to about three-fifths of the whole ash. From the 
 partial ash analysis, given above, of the im- 
 ported Smyrna fig, we find the potash to be 
 four-fifths as much as is contained in the ashes 
 of figs of California growth. We may, how- 
 ever, say for the fig, as for other California 
 fruits, that although potash constitutes so 
 large a portion of the ash of these fruits, its 
 replenishment to the soil will be delayed long 
 beyond the addition of other fertilizing in- 
 gredients, because most California soils are 
 naturally so well stocked with it that available 
 
Oh _i 
 
 Total. 
 
 SSS :S§ :S 
 
 o'oo "oo -o 
 
 O O — • • O o -o 
 
 Ash, Per Cent \'Sl 
 
 Organic Matter, Per Cent . 
 
 39 :8& 3 
 
 
 £ Water, Per Cent 
 
 g £ In Whole Freeh Fruit, Per S^co 
 Cent 
 
 Albumino-'ds in Whole Fresh \%%< 
 Fruit (Equivalent to Nitro- * > : <r " 
 gen), Per Cent ="" 
 
 In Whole ±'resh Fruit, Per I 2S£* o>« 
 Dent -" 
 
 — O rH li>c 
 
 Acid, in Juice, in Terms of (80 3 ) 22222°°Er22S2 
 Sulphuric, Per Cent 
 
 In Whole Fresh Fruit, Per 
 Cent 
 
 
 £ In Juice, Total by Copper 
 Test, Per Cent. 
 
 tO LO — / O ^* *J* O — -^P O 
 
 MlOOOStCN'OlO'^OIX) 
 
 M'*O0>eOO'*ON00 0» 
 
 <] 
 
 H 
 fi 
 P 
 
 O 
 
 
 H 
 
 so 
 
 s 
 
 o 
 O 
 
 Total 
 
 1*: 
 
 
 Leas Excess of Oxygen due to 
 
 
 
 Total 
 
 1 o> • 
 
 i a> '• 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 m - 
 
 oo - 
 
 •** - 
 
 
 Sulphuric Acid 
 
 
 Phosphoric Acid 
 
 ^g 
 
 Br. Oxide of Manganese 
 
 OS '. 
 
 Peroxide of Iron 
 
 00 | 
 
 
 
 IO - 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Soda 
 
 
 
 
 
 Potash 
 
 89 
 
 
 
 Percentage of Pure Ash. 
 
 E: 
 
 « ; 
 
 *^ 0> 
 
 Si 
 
 
 <$ 
 
No. 51; Slate Soil, Twelve Inches; Au- 
 burn 
 
 No. 764; Valley, Loom is Station. 
 
 No. 766; Hill Pine, Loomis Station. 
 
 »» coomo nTf05,.o r-i 
 
 o co -<r it C5 «d ©-*t>-oo 
 OS OS 00 ITS 
 
 «<oinotooo 050CS1COIM 
 
 No. 110; Soil, Putah Valley; Dixon, Solano 
 Co 
 
 No. 972 ; Subsoil 971 ; Twelve to Twenty-four 
 Inches 
 
 No. 971 ; Soil, Twelve Inches; Mountain View, 
 Santa Clara Co 
 
 No. 1159; Soil, Twelve Inches; Experiment 
 Station, near Tulare City 
 
 No. 570 ; Soil, Fancher Creek Alluvium ; Eisen 
 Vineyard, Fresno Co 
 
 No. 1466 ; Soil. Twelve Inches ; S. W. £, S. 17, 
 T. 26 S. R , 23 E., Miramonte, Kern Co 
 
 -CO<Nt--C7> rt^to. 
 
 t~ I t-in 
 
 >C*CT5C5 OOHHO 
 
 <MSv<OCX|r»CTJ OOOHHO 
 
 liOOOCO OOOSIHO 
 
 i^t-m i«Mo>i<t» 
 
 CO CO •* OS OS 1< M b- OS <M 2| 
 
 c. 
 
 Soil, Erbeili, Aidin District. 
 
 INitcDi^- 
 
 Soil, Erbeili District. 
 
 
 Soil, Smyrna. Sect from Department of Agri- 
 culture, Washington 
 
 SS 
 
 inioN«os 
 
 (ININCOOtfi -«i< 
 
 NN&IM 
 
 : a : 
 
 : c« :, 
 
 . ojd .; 
 
 • a •• 
 
 ifeoT 
 
 :%% 
 
 o- 
 
 :^»<. 
 
 a 8 
 
 «*3 a 
 
 " a 
 
 •O 3 a 
 
 £•« 2 S .; 
 
 :•» • *. 
 ■'3 : eS 
 
 '•< :-3- 
 
 : »^ 
 
 : f - 
 2 :£ J o S 
 
 a'tH cS fc, to 
 
 Mis©--*?* 
 
6 
 
 potash for the current demand will be ade- 
 quately supplied for many years. 
 
 It will be noted below in the soil discussion 
 that the average percentages of potash for both 
 California and Asia Minor soils is nearly iden- 
 tical. 
 
 Phosphoric Acid. — The fig, like the lemon, ap- 
 pears to range a little below the other fruits 
 in its draft upon this material, for we find the 
 ashes to stand in the following order in their 
 phosphoric acid percentages, viz., prunes 14.1, 
 apricots 13.1, oranges 12.4, and lemons and figs 
 11.1. The European data relating to this sub- 
 ject give for phosphoric acid a figure about the 
 fame as that we have obtained far our figs. 
 Since our soils usually contain a very limited 
 supply of phosphoric acid, on the average only 
 about one-fourth that given below for Asia 
 Minor soils, our fig, as well as prune, apricot 
 and orange orchards, will require phosphatic 
 fertilizers first. 
 
 Nitrogen. — As above stated, the fig leads 
 among our fruits in its demand upon the soil 
 for this substance, apricots only coming near 
 it in this respect. 
 
 Thus we find that, for the southern localities 
 especially, the same necessity of early replace- 
 ment of nitrogen in the fig and stone fruit as for 
 orange orchards, and partly for the same reason, 
 viz., that California soils are usually not rich 
 in their natural supply of this substance; how- 
 ever, they contain about double that found in 
 the Asia Minor soils, as indicated by the 
 humus. Of the other ash ingredients, lime 
 in the fig ranges about twice that in the prune 
 and three times that in the apricot, while the 
 orange and lemon show some 2.5 to 3 times 
 more. As our soils usually contain plenty 
 of lime, even for oranges, only in exceptional 
 cases would there be any necessity of replacing 
 this ingredient by fertilization. 
 
 Soils. 
 
 It is not our purpose to make a complete 
 discussion of fig soils, but merely to present 
 the analyses of the soils from the Asia Minor 
 districts whence comes the Smyrna fig of com- 
 merce; and, by way of comparison, we give some 
 analyses of typical soils from different regions 
 in this State where fig culture seems to succeed. 
 
 With the exception of the analysis of soil 
 No. 1466, from Miramonte, Kern Co., published 
 here for the first time, all the descriptions, 
 analyses, etc., of the California soils are taken 
 from previous reports of this station. 
 
 Unfortunately, we have for the Asia Minor 
 soils no data regarding the area which each soil 
 analyzed represents, the depth of the soil, dis- 
 tance to water, the natural growth, etc. 
 
 ASIA MINOR SOILS. 
 
 A. Soil from Smyrna, Asia Minor, received 
 at the University May, 1891, with some fig cut- 
 tings, imported by the U. S. Department of 
 Agriculture — a calcareous loam, dark gray in 
 color; somewhat plastic on wetting and knead- 
 ing; contains fragments of limestone, together 
 with considerable fine quartz gravel. 
 
 B. Soil from Erbeili, Asia Minor, said 
 to grow the finest commercial figs. Sample 
 sent by Geo. C. Roeding, Fresno, Cal. This is 
 a micaceous sandy soil, of light buff tint, does 
 not become plastic on wetting and kneading, 
 and consists almost entirely of fine earth. It 
 shows effervescence with acids. 
 
 G. Soil from Erbeili, Aidin district, Asia 
 Minor. Sample sent by D. Van Lennop, 
 Auburn, Cal. A sandy, gravelly loam, light 
 color; showing no plasticity upon wetting and 
 kneading. The soil contains quite a large 
 amount of coarse gravel, and does not effer- 
 vesce upon the addition of acids. 
 
 It will be seen from an inspection of the 
 analyses of the Asia Minor soils that they are 
 all exceedingly well supplied with lime and 
 phosphoric acid, and in the case of soil B from 
 Erbeili district, notably also with potash. 
 This latter soil appears, apart from the humus 
 contents, to be the richest, with its 1.09 per 
 cent of potash, 1.96 of lime and .29 per cent 
 of phosphoric acid. It does not contain as 
 much lime and phosphoric acid as soil A, which 
 shows 4.44 and .37 per cent respectively, but 
 the potash percentage is just double that found 
 in soil A, and figs draw quite heavily on this 
 very important ingredient. Soil B. has another 
 very striking advantage over both soils A and 
 C, in that while they have 35 and 40 per cent 
 respectively of coarse materials, soil B has only 
 one per cent of these. 
 
 The percentages of potash and lime in soil C 
 are somewhat below those of the other two; 
 while in phosphoric acid It rates the same as B. 
 
 When comparing the nitrogen contents as 
 indicated by the humus percentages, we note 
 a marked deficiency in soil B, with only .27 per 
 cent. The figure for soil C, .44, about 1§ times 
 that of soil B, is only fair; and in soil A, 
 showing nearly three times as much humus as 
 does soil B, is satisfactory. 
 
 The moisture absorption is low in both 
 soils B and C and only fair in soil A. The 
 higher factor in A was to be expected, 
 owing to its rating so much ahead of the other 
 two in humus. 
 
 CALIFORNIA SOILS. 
 
 No. 1466. Sandy loam soil from S. W. i Sec. 
 17, T. 26 S. R. 23 E., Miramonte, Kern Co. Sent 
 by Geo. A. Raymond. Consists almost entirely 
 of fine earth. Original vegetation, tar weed and 
 pepper cress. It is of a dark buff tint, becom- 
 ing somewhat plastic on wetting and kneading. 
 Mr. Raymond writes, under date of September, 
 1890, regarding this soil: 
 
 " Top soil of a fine fig orchard, a quite large 
 streak running from S. E. to N. W. and compris- 
 ing about 200 acres. Everything does well in this 
 soil, even when new and without previous culti- 
 vation. The growth of weeds last spring was 
 tremendous. The figs (White Adriatic) are 
 now in the third year from the nursery, with 
 trunks from four to six inches in diameter and 
 corresponding tops. The trees have made a 
 heavy growth this year, though setting but lit- 
 tle fruit. The soil bakes hard when flooded, 
 but is tillable when moist." 
 
 The analysis of this soil shows it to contain 
 high percentages of potash, lime and phos- 
 phoric acid, the latter approaching very nearly 
 to three times the average for California soils. 
 The nitrogen as indicated by the humus is 
 in a fair supply. 
 
 No. 1159. "Sandy soil from the Experiment 
 Station tract near Tulare City, of a buff tint, 
 quite sandy, not assuming any plasticity on 
 wetting and kneading, and capable of tillage at 
 all times. Originally timbered with scattering 
 but large white oaks. Sample taken to the 
 depth of 12 inches; at 18 to 20 inches the color 
 changes slightly toward yellowish, but texture 
 
continues unchanged; at 36 inches to 40 inches The analysis of this soil confirms the experience 
 
 there underlies a more compact material or 
 hardpan, fairly coherent and of somewhat finer 
 texture, preventing leach iness. Effervesces 
 with acid." 
 
 This soil, as may be seen from the analysis 
 given in the table below, is rich in potash and 
 lime; contains an adequate supply of phos- 
 phoric acid. It is very low in humus in the 
 the spot sampled, but doubtless this is not the 
 
 stated above relating to the fertility of the soils 
 of this section. The amount of potash is large 
 and those of lime and phosphoric acid adequate. 
 No. 766. Granite soil, from near Loomis (for- 
 merly Pino station,) C. P. Railroad, Placer Co.; 
 sent by E. W. Maslin of Sacramento, who thus 
 describes the soil: " There are about 80 square 
 miles of such land lying between Boulder ridge 
 and the North Fork of the American river and 
 
 case throughout, judging from the appearance between Roseville on the south and Auburn 
 
 of the land. Its high percentage of soda tells 
 of the vicinity of alkali spots. So far as can be 
 judged this soil is fairly representative of the 
 higher portion of the sandy plains generally 
 from Kern to Stanislaus connty. 
 
 No. 570. Alluvial soil, 12 inches; Eisen vine- 
 yard, Fresno Co.; reddish-brown, only moder- 
 ately heavy, with much coarse sand intermixed; 
 easily tilled, except when very wet. This soil 
 represents the alluvium of the minor streams 
 heading in the foothills. The phosphoric acid 
 in this soil is very low, but this deficiency is in 
 some respects modified by the great depth and 
 perviousness of the soil. The supply of lime is 
 abundant and that of potash above the average. 
 
 Nos. 971, 972. Dark gravelly loam soil and sub- 
 soil, from vineyard and orchard of Mr. J. 
 Sladky, Mountain View, Santa Clara Co., Cal. 
 The soil is a mouse-colored clay-loam, inter- 
 mixed with a good deal of gravel, some of the 
 latter quite coarse, and both rounded and an- 
 gular. The lumps of dry soil can be crushed 
 between the fingers with some difficulty, and 
 on wetting it becomes only moderately ad- 
 hesive. 
 
 This soil represents the extreme western edge 
 of the sloping, gently rolling plain that forms 
 
 the western portion of the Santa Clara valley, soils from the depression or vallevs seem 
 
 southward of Mountain View. Along the 
 streams the soil is of great depth, sometimes 
 showing hardly a perceptible change for 12 or 
 15 feet in depth, and the roots of trees are found 
 penetrating freely to such depths in the gravelly 
 material. This great depth, perviousness and 
 perfect drainage would constitute alone no 
 mean advantage if the soil were only of moder- 
 ate fertility. But the analyses show a very 
 good supply of plant food. The potash, lime 
 and humus are high, and the phosphoric acid 
 is found in very fair amounts. It is true that 
 these percentages apply to only one-half of the 
 soil mass, the rest being gravel. But the great 
 depth and easy permeability of the soil more 
 than make up the difference in comparison, 
 e. g., with an adobe soil of similar composition. 
 
 These soils may be considered as well adapted 
 to the production of almost any fruit consistent 
 with the local climate. 
 
 No. 110 
 
 ravine on the north. The ground is gray when 
 dry; when damp, brown or reddish. In places 
 the soil is from 9 to 10 feet deep; in some places 
 not over one foot. The subsoil also varies in 
 depth and character. On the hills the subsoil 
 rests on a red, rotten granite, into which the 
 roots of trees and shrubs penetrate. It has been 
 dug with the pick to the depth of 20 feet. In 
 the valleys there underlies a gritty clay, here 
 called ' cement,' but also penetrable by roots. 
 Water is within 10 to 12 feet of the surface of 
 the hills in summer. The natural growth is 
 live oak, white oak, digger and nut pine, chap- 
 arral 8 to 10 feet high, abundance of poison oak 
 and California holly." 
 
 " The growth of the fig tree is very satisfac- 
 tory. I do not irrigate, and my observation is, 
 that the fig tree as a producer of first-class figs 
 does better in the foothills than in the valley. 
 Where the soil is too rich the tree is apt to 
 overgrow and go to wood instead of fruit." 
 
 The hill soil, which seems to be a typical 
 one, is a reddish-gray sandy loam, the sand 
 mostly coarse, and consisting largely of granitic 
 debris; it should till easily at all times. The 
 subsoil below the depth of 12 inches is some- 
 what lighter colored and more sandy. The 
 
 to 
 
 differ from the hill land mainly in being some- 
 what heavier and also of a darker tint. 
 
 No. 764. Valley soil from same locality as 
 No. 766; a brownish dun-colored, rather sandy 
 loam, darkening materially on wetting and be- 
 coming but slightly plastic. Contains much 
 coarse granitic debris. Sample taken to depth 
 of 12 inches. 
 
 The subsoil of this land is more reddish and 
 somewhat sandier than the surface soil, the 
 sand being decomposed micaceous granite, in- 
 creasing downward. Beneath the subsoil at 
 depths varying from 3 to 10 feet is a porous, 
 sandy hardpan (cement) quite coherent from 
 clayey binding material and not readily pene- 
 trable bv roots. Beneath this comes " rotten " 
 granite (sometimes to 20 feet depth) in which 
 the feldspar masses are kaolinized. 
 
 These two granite soils show the usual large 
 
 amount of inert material (granitic sand or de- 
 Soil of Putah Valley, near Dixon, bris) which naturally depresses the plant food 
 bolano county, sent by Mr. J. M. Dudley from percentages. The valley soil differs from that 
 ftu mid( Jle land " of the plain, on the slopes of the ridges, as might be expected, in some- 
 i l ? e s ^ ale ?- about three feet above the lowest what higher percentages of lime— of which sub- 
 land. Depth taken, 12 inches. The soil is rep- 
 resentative of the rich alluvial plains of Yolo 
 and Solano counties, the soils of which are of 
 pre-eminent fertility, being a mixture of the 
 finest natural sediments of the Sacramento 
 
 stance, however, there is enough in both — and 
 of phosphoric acid, of which the supply is small 
 in both, and will doubtless be the first de- 
 ficiency to be supplied. Potash is present in 
 . adequate amounts, and humus is in fair supply, 
 river with those carried by the streams heading especially in the valley soil, causing the higher 
 1D u • u J° ic * mo portion of the Coast Range (of absorption of moisture as compared with the 
 which Cache and Putah creeks are the chief), ridge soil. In both, however, that factor is 
 ±ne plain is scarcely broken by the slight low, henee irrigation would doubtless be very 
 swales or undulations coming down from the beneficial to the thrifty growth of the crops, 
 lootnuis; but the region is thickly settled and The somewhat slow progress of vines and trees 
 is largely occupied by orchards and vineyards, in the granitic soils of the foothills is at many 
 
points a matter of popular remark and com- 
 plaint. 
 
 No. 51. Red surface soil from near Auburn, 
 Placer Co., taken 12 inches deep; sent by Mr. 
 N. S. Prosser of Auburn; original vegetation, 
 oak, pine, maDzanita and chaparral. 
 
 This is a fair sample of the red soil of the 
 placer mines, which seems to contain a small 
 amount of gold everywhere, and has been 
 washed on a small scale ever since the discovery 
 of gold in California. It is of a dark orange 
 color, rather light in tillage, and pulverulent 
 when dry, forming a very fine reddish dust. It 
 contains throughout numerous fragments of 
 slate, more or less decomposed, of all sizes, and 
 is usually underlaid by the same, or its debris, 
 at a variable depth, rarely less than several 
 feet, unless lying on steep slopes. The soil be- 
 comes slightly plastic on wetting, and can be 
 worked soon after rains; its color darkens con- 
 siderably on wetting. When dry, its lumps 
 are easily crushed between the fingers. 
 
 The Auburn soil— a typical slate one— differs 
 from the granitic soils of Pino in one very es- 
 sential respect — it has on the ridge land over 
 five times as much phosphoric acid as the soil 
 and four times as much as the subsoil, derived 
 from the granite. In other respects it does not 
 differ widely except that it contains much less 
 inert matter as indicated by the insoluble mat- 
 ter. But its well-known high production, both 
 in quantity and quality, and its thriftiness con- 
 firm the forecast given by the analysis. Prac- 
 tically the same soil prevails near Newcastle 
 and to the southeast of Penryn — all localities 
 noted for the production of fine shipping fruits. 
 
 table of soil analyses.— (See page 5.) 
 
 The comparison of the analyses of the Asia 
 Minor soils with those from this State shows 
 very strikingly the richness in phosphoric acid 
 of the former over the latter. The lowest per 
 centage of this ingredient in the Asia Minor soils, 
 .29 found in Soil B, is more than one and one- 
 third times as much as the highest, .22 shown 
 in soil No. 1466 from Miramonte, of the Cali- 
 fornia sjils, and the average, .32 per cent of the 
 
 three Smyrna soils, is almost exactly four times 
 the average for all California soils examined 
 (about 200 in number) and nearly three times 
 the figure .113, denoting the average of phos- 
 phoric acid for 466 soils of the humid region 
 (east of the Rocky mountains) of the United 
 States. 
 
 With reference to lime, the average for the 
 Asia Minor soils is 2.60 as against 1.08 for Cali- 
 fornia. The figures .690 for Asia Minor and 
 .644 for California, representing the averages 
 for potash, show that both sets of soils are 
 about equally well supplied with this element 
 of plant food. 
 
 A marked difference, in favor of California 
 soils, is at once seen when the humus percent- 
 ages are compared. The average for the Asia 
 Minor soils is only .47, being less than one-half 
 that, 1.08 per cent, found for the average of 198 
 California soils. 
 
 Below is a tabular view of the averages just 
 discussed: 
 
 AVERAGE PERCENTAGES OF THE IMPORTANT INGRE- 
 DIENTS IN SOILS OF ARID AND HUMID REGIONS. 
 
 
 Arid. 
 
 Humid. 
 
 
 Q 
 
 i> 
 
 q 
 
 
 
 so g> 
 
 £go o es 
 
 
 
 as 
 
 
 Soil Ingredients. 
 
 £i 
 
 cap 
 00 £ 
 
 
 
 oofs* 
 
 
 : S£2 
 
 
 S 1 ® 
 
 :"£ 
 
 : to o ., 
 
 
 
 : ? 
 
 
 Potash 
 
 .644 
 1.078 
 
 .083 
 1.040 
 
 .690 
 
 2.600 
 
 .320 
 
 .470 
 
 .216 
 
 
 .108 
 
 
 .113 
 
 Humus 
 
 2.390 
 
 The above little table conveys a forcible 
 illustration of an arid region showing far 
 greater amounts of potash and lime in its soils 
 than does a hnmid one. 
 
 M. E. Jaffa, 
 George E. Colby. 
 Berkeley, June 22, 1893.