REPORT OF THE CHEMIST 135 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. t6 



Available Constituents. 



A determination of the amounts of phosphoric acid, potash and lime soluble in a 1 

 per cent solution of citric acid, and consequently to be considered as more or less 

 immediately available for plant use, yielded the following data : — 



Phosphoric acid 0192 



Potash -0142 



Lime -376 



This soil appears to be very fairly well supplied with all the essential elements of 

 fertility, save phosphoric acid, which latter is somewhat below the average found in our 

 better and more fertile soils. The proportions of these constituents present in an 

 assimilable condition indicate that it would prove productive. 



In humus and nitrogen this soil may be said to be particularly rich, though no 

 doubt much of the latter exists in a condition not immediately available to crops. 



Considered from the chemical, as well as the physical, standpoint, this soil miglit 

 be expected to be one that would yield remunerative crops, provided climatic conditions 

 were favourable. 



Mr. Wilson, in his ' Summary Report ' for 1901, speaking of the locality from which 

 the soil was taken, says : ' A half-breed family named McDougall have a neat house 

 and small clearing at this point, where they have planted a patch of potatoes which 

 promised an abundant crop. An average stalk measured 42 inches in length and some 

 of the potatoes were quite large.' 



In another place in the same report Mr. Wilson makes the following observations 

 regarding the quality of the land and the climate : ' I am convinced that there are 

 large areas of agricultural land of excellent quality, especially in the river valleys, the 

 soil being in most cases a clay loam, free from stones and easily cleared. The climatic 

 conditions also seem favourable for farming operations, and these would improve with 

 the clearing and drainage of the land. When it is remembered that Lake Abitibi is 

 further south than the southern boundary of Manitoba, it will be seen that there is 

 nothing in the latitude to prevent the successful cultivation of the soil, and further, it 

 has been practically proved for many years that vegetables of all kinds can be success- 

 fully grown at Abitibi.' 



NEWFOUNDLAND. 



This soil was forwarded by T. A. Maher, Esq., St. John's, who furnished the 

 following particulars : — 



' Soil from farm at Nagle's Hill, 2 miles from St. John's, under cultivation for 20 

 years ; was seeded down to clover and timothy seven years ago and remained undisturbed 

 since. During this seven years it has been continually cropped, but has not received 

 any manure. It was originally a marsh. Surface soil about 8 inches deep ; subsoil of 

 brown clay with white and blue stones. The sample indicates the nature of the soil in 

 and about the suburbs of St. John's, which consist of small farms. Surrounding locality 

 wooded with fir and spruce.' 



This soil is essentially a gravelly loam, of a dark yellowish gray colour. When 

 air-dried and sifted (using a mesh of • 5 mm) the soil was found to consist of : — 



Per cent. 



Gravel, pebbles, small rock fragments 42-65 



Fine soil 57-35 



The rock fragments appeared to be Aveathered and partly disintegrated feldspar ; 

 the fine soil was chiefly sand, the amount of clay and silt present being small. It is con- 

 sequently to be regarded as a ' light ' soil, with a very loose, open texture and conse- 

 quently not well adapted to all classes of crops. 



