EEPORT OF THE CHEMIST 141 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



taining lime and potash. Since marl (carbonate of lime) is obtainable in the neigh- 

 bourhood, it might be tried, though if first burnt its effect will be more immediate. 

 The continued or excessive use of quick lime, especially if unaccompanied by other 

 manures, is not to be recommended, for though such treatment might give larger yields 

 for a few years, it would tend eventually to exhaust the soil. The value of clover as a 

 fertilizer has in past reports been fully dealt with in all its phases, and it is only ne- 

 cessary to remind our readers that clover is a moisture-loving plant, and consequently 

 it is practically impossible to ensure its vigorous growth unless the soil contains a 

 sufficiency of* moisture. It is possible that alfalfa, being a deeply-rooted legume, 

 might give a better return than clover, but being of a slower and somewhat more diffir 

 cult growth, it does not offer itself as a desirable substitute for the purposes of ' green 

 manuring,' when the land is being worked under a short rotation. The question of 

 rotation is also one that has much to do with the maintenance of fertility, for there is 

 no doubt that land continuously under one crop — and especially one demanding the 

 active cultivation of the land and making great demands on the store of available plant 

 food — will fall off in productiveness much more quickly than one under a system 

 which calls for a due succession of crops. 



The physical texture of this soil, judged from the sample forwarded, appears to be 

 excellent, no doubt due largely to the favourable proportion of organic matter present. 

 A mechanical separation shows, approximately, 55 per cent of coarse sand — a fact that 

 places it in the category of soils well adapted to general cultivation. 



No. 2. In the larger number of the determinations this subsoil shows that plant 

 food is abundantly present, though the fact that the soil bakes into hard masses indi- 

 cates that drainage is desirable, and that a dressing of lime would be beneficial. 



ONTARIO. 



Welland County. — Two samples of soil from South End, Welland county, and 

 which were fairly representative of the cultivated lands of the district, have been 

 examined with a view of obtaining information as to their character, their possible 

 deficiencies and most economic methods of treatment. Most of the soils in this dis- 

 trict — which has long been favourably known as adapted to fruit growing — have been 

 tilled for a number of years, and consequently where not kept up with manures they 

 are to be considered as ' partially exhausted.' It is of the latter order that the soils 

 examined are to be considered. 



Our correspondent in forwarding the samples furnishes the following particulars 

 regarding them : — ' No. 1. This has been in grapes for several years, perhaps twelve. 

 To my knowledge it has not received any manure or fertilizer for at least four years, 

 and probably for a still longer period. It has been well cultivated. It would average 

 about one foot in depth, and is underlaid by a heavier clay. No. 2 was cropped — blue 

 grass and timothy — three or four years prior to 1897, when it was ploughed and sown to 

 fall wheat; crop, 20 bushels to the acre, 1898. Oats, 1899, potatoes and turnips, and 

 trees (orchard) planted in 1900 with no crop, but well worked. Subsoil, clay, as in 



No. i: 



Analysis of (air-dried) Soils. 



No. 1. No. 2. 



Grapery. Orchard. 



Moisture 1-23 1-47 



Organic and volatile matter 4 -91 7-07 



Clay and sand (insoluble in acid) 84-25 81:74 



Lime -23 -32 



Potash -35 -39 



Phosphoric acid -10 '11 



Nitrogen, in organic matter -126 ^231 



Available phosphoric acid '0112 *0141 



Available potash :0098 --0195 



Available lime ^110 ,-188 



