REPORT OF THE CHEMIST 155 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



come into bearing and greater demands upon the stores of fertility are made by the 

 growth of vegetables and small fruits, careful attention will have to be paid to the up- 

 keep of these soils — and particularly as regards their humus-content. While it will no 

 doubt be advantageous in many cases to use commercial fertilizers, green manuring, 

 i.e., the occasional growing and turning under of a green crop, will be found the 

 most rational and economic method to adopt for maintaining the soil in good heart, 

 even when a certain amount of barnyard manure is available. As a green crop for 

 this purpose clover, or some other legume, will be found more beneficial than buck- 

 wheat or rye, for the reason that the latter are not nitrogen-gatherers. Where diffi- 

 culty, however, at first exists in getting a catch of clover, owing to insufficient mois- 

 ture or other causes, these crops may be advantageously used. 



Nos. 4347, 4348 and 4424 are virgin soils taken in the vicinity of Kaslo, East 

 Kootenay. They are all very similar — reddish clay loams — and scarcely distinguish- 

 able the one from the other. 



No. 4347 is from the rising ground just above Kaslo. The sample represents a 

 depth of eight inches, below which there is a subsoil of gravel. 



No. 4348 is a similar sample from a bench higher up. 



No. 4424 was collected three miles above Kaslo from an uncultivated area, and 

 represented a depth of six inches. The area had been burnt over some few years pre- 

 viously, but was now covered with a strong native vegetation. The subsoil was gravel. 



The analytical data indicate a very strong similarity between these soils ; indeed 

 in all essential particulars, and especially as regards nitrogen and potash, they are 

 almost identical. They would not be considered, judged solely from the chemical 

 standpoint, as ranking with our better soils, except with respect to phosphoric acid, in 

 which element they are well supplied. They are comparatively low in nitrogen and 

 lime, but the proportions of the mineral constituents that are available are very satis- 

 factory. 



No. 4391 was collected on the Covert ranch at Grand Forks in the Boundary dis- 

 trict. It foiined a part of a large accumulation on one of the benches at the foot of 

 the mountain, amd resulted in part from heavy washing of the light loam of the upper 

 plateau by injudicious irrigation. 



It is a black sandy loam of excellent texture, and evidently ofte particularly rich 

 in humus and nitrogen. It was producing, at the time of collection, large crops of 

 vegetables and fruits, and the chemical data corroborate this evidence as to its great 

 fertility. This instance may, however, serve to emphasize the result of careless and 

 excessive irrigation on steep slopes, for, an examination showed clearly the severe 

 denudation that the upper benches had received in the building up of this deposit. 



ALKALI SOILS. 



From time to time we are called upon to examine samples of soil suspected of 

 containing alkali. These, for the most part, are from the northwestern provinces and 

 the semi-dry belt of British Columbia. Our examination has not been exhaustive in 

 every instance, but sufficient analytical data wer^ always obtained to allow of a clear 

 diagnosis as to the nature of the alkali present. 



Duchs, B.C. — This was forwarded for examination by Hon. H. Bostock. While 

 moist it had all the appearance of a rich soil, but on drying — as by simple exposure 

 to the air — evidence of alkali became apparent through the formation of a white 

 incrustation. The following data represent the water soluble constituents of the air- 

 dried soil : — 



Per cent. 



Carbonate of sodium -042 



Chloride of sodium 



Sulphate of sodium 2 



Sulphate of calcium 



Sulphate of magnesium 1 



053 

 235 

 295 

 055 



