103 



SOIL ANALYSIS. 



Reference Number — 80. 



Source Details —Subsoil D. Cinnamon Hill, St. James. 



Physical Analysis. 



Stones 

 Gravel 

 Sand 



Fine Sand 

 Silt 

 Agricultural f Pine Silt 

 Clay. t Clay 



Moisture 



Total 100.00 



Generalisations on the agricultural features of Jamaica, summing 

 up conditions all over the island under one broad estimate are absurdly 

 impossible. Agriculturally this island represents about six different 

 countries, and what is true of one may be entirely wrong in another. 

 These soils from St. James and the outcome of recent experiments on 

 cane varieties and on manuring serve to emphasize this point. 



Consisting of about 50 per cent of carbonate of lime, the Cinnamon 

 Hill >oils present a condition of moderate granulation and are light, 

 free draining, and yet fairly retentive. Tcie proportion of pliosiihoric 

 acid is extraordinary, some eight times the normal content of a fertile 

 soil. The potash is about normal. In the good soils the nitrogen and 

 humus are high. It is not surprising that in a seasonable year such 

 soils should give good yields of cane of excellent sugar-producing 

 quality. Owing to the small rainfall in this district, crops are fre- 

 quently discounted, and only a part of the natural productivity of the 

 soil is realized. Irrigation on these lands should have marked success, 

 and it is to be hoped that the water at present solely employed for 

 power in grinding the canes may under a central factory scheme be 

 utilized for irrigating the lands. Some such combination is necessary 

 if these estates are to produce regular returns of remunerative crops. 



Soil A. 



This is the land upon which manurial experiments have been car- 

 ried out. Mr. Shore's report shows that the manures depressed the 

 yield and resulted in loss owing to the drought. He states that this 

 has been the experience on these estates in the past. The available 

 potash and phosphoric acid are not strictly comparable with those in 

 the other analyses in this series The neutralization of the large pro- 

 portion of carbonates in these soils as a preliminary to the action of 

 the usual 1 per cent, citric acid solvent has given us figures that are 

 approximately comparative on this particular series, but are in all pro- 

 bability too high in comparison with normal soils on account of the 

 solvent action of the neutral citrate of Lime. An investigation on this 

 matter is in progress. 



On the analyses here presented, it is not reasonable to expect that 

 fertilizers could be profitably used. Even more markedly than in the 

 case of the Vere soils previously reported on, " the water supply do- 

 minates the crop" and not the limit of plant food in the soil. 



