REPORT OF THE CHEMIST. 



169 



NOVA SCOTIA. 



Soil No. 59. — A reddish, sandy soil, from Hansford, Cumberland county. It is 

 below the average in the more important elements, and to be regarded as a poor soil. 

 It would probably, however, respond well to judicious culture and manuring. 



Soil No. 60. — A soil from South-west Mabou, Inverness county ; very similar in 

 appearance to No. 59, but analysis shows it to be much richer. The small percentage of 

 lime is particularly noticeable in both these soils ; the knowledge of this fact has 

 assisted towards the economical treatment of them with fertilizers. 



PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND. 



Soil No. 61, — This soil partakes of the same colour as the light red Triassic sandstone 

 from which it has been derived, and in this respect at least this sample is representative 

 of the characteristic soil of the province. It differs from the preceding specimens in that 

 it is not a truly virgin soil. Some difficulty was experienced in procuring a sample which 

 had not been cropped or manured ; indeed, no guarantee of such could be obtained. The 

 soil, however, is said to fairly represent the unmanured but cultivated soil that extends 

 over a large area in the eastern portion of the island. It is a light sandy loam, the 

 texture of which is fairly good. Though containing more than the average amount of 

 potash, this soil could not be ranked, from a chemical standpoint, with our richer 

 Canadian soils — possessing but small percentages of nitrogen, phosphoric acid and lime. 



This agricultural province is justly known as a fertile one ; and we therefore presume, 

 judging from such data as we have, that this fertility is due rather to good soil texture 

 and favourable climatic influences than to richness of its land in plant food constituents. 



The last table (Table VII) that is presented for consideration, showing the average 

 amounts of fertilizing ingredients in the surface soils that have been examined, taken 

 province by province, has been prepared with no little diffidence. If it were to be 

 interpreted as placing before you data from which deductions could be made as to the 

 average soil fertility of the yet untilled areas of the respective provinces, it must be 

 regarded as misleading. It is not my intention that such a conclusion should be drawn. 

 A hundred or so samples, though they are typical, and, as far as possible, thoroughly 

 representative of large areas, taken from the thousands of square miles of uncultivated soil 

 in the Dominion, do not afford sufficient basis for such generalizations. They are not 

 provincial averages, they are rather averages from large untilled areas in the several 

 provinces, and may therefore serve to indicate the general character of much of the yet 

 unoccupied lands of Canada. 



TABLE VIL 



ANALYSES OP SURFACE SOILS — AVERAGES. 



i 

 02 



o 



2; 



21 

 7 

 6 

 6 

 5 



46 



Province. 



British Columbia . . 



North-west Territories and Manitoba 



Ontario (Muskoka only) 



Quebec 



Maritime provinces 



Average of all 



o 



•42 

 •44 

 •22 

 •44 

 •44 



•39 



'2 

 'S 



< 



a 

 •^ 

 O 



-a 



m 



O 

 J3 

 P4 



•27 

 •19 

 ■15 

 •20 

 •11 



18 



a 



ea 

 bo 

 o 



•262 

 •537 

 •1.S5 

 •226 

 •130 



•268 



117 



108 



■44 



■52 



•11 



■66 



