195 



THE CULTIVATED SOILS OF 3 ^WMQK( continued.)* 



By H. H. Cousins, M.A., F.C.S., Island Chemist. 



COFFEE (Blue Mountains.) 



This soil represents an average sample of the lands at an 

 elevation of 3,000 to 4,000 feet in the Blue Mountains upon which 

 the best coffee in the world is produced. The fertility of these 

 lands is mainly supix)rted by the continuous supply of fresh 

 material from the upper areas of the Mountains. The stability of 

 the fine soil is greatly promoted by the stony nature of the surface 

 soil of which about f consists of coarse stones and the remainder 

 of fine soil showing a very high standard of fertility on analysis. 

 It is not reasonable to expect that commercial fertilisers could be 

 either effective or profitable upon a soil of such a special character 

 as this. 



SOIL ANALYSIS. 



Reference Number — 91. 



Source Details — Soil from Blue Mountain Coffee Estate. 



Depth of Sample — 9 inches. 



Physical Aiialysis. 



Per Cent. 



Stones ... 72 83 



Giavel ... 43-121 



Sand ... 6-61 



Fine Sand ... 17 64 | 



Silt ... 21-29 V Fine 



Agricultural (Fine Silt ... 6-66 I Earth. 



Clay. \ Clay ... 0-73 | 



Moisture ... 3 -95 J 



Total lOO-OO 



Per Oent. 



Retentive Power lor water ... 56 



Chemical Analysis. 



(Soil passed through 3 m.m. "-ieve dried at 100'' C.) 



Insoluble Matter ... 51-48 



Soluble in Hydrochloric Acid 48-52 



f Potash 0--297 



I Li.ne 1-83 



■{ Phosphoric Acid U-168 



[ Carbonic Acid as ] ^ ^j, -. 



l^Ci.rbouateof Li.iie J ^'^'^^ 



Combined \N'ater and organic matter 19 92 



Humus (soluble in Ammouia) 83 



Nitrogen 52 



Hygroscopic Moisture 4-11 



Fertility Analysis. 



Available Potash ... 0143 



Available I'iios, horic Acid 0-U3I8 



* For previous reports on J.iraaica Soils, see The Banana Soils of Jamaica: 

 Bull. Bot. Dept.. VIlI,0cr.,I9»l,p 145; audBull. Dept. Agri.,I,.lan., 1903, p. 1. 

 r- Tlie Sui,'ar Cane -Soils of Jamaic:i : Bull. Dapt. Agri., 1, Apr., 1903, p. 70 ; and 

 I, May, 1903, p. 97. 



