104 Journal of the Department of Agriculture. 



A South Australian Vineyard Soil. 



Dr. Jiuitz, the Agricultural Research Chemist, furnishes an 

 interesting article, published in this issue, on a sample of vineyard 

 soil obtained by him from the widely famed Chateau Tanunda estate 

 in South Australia. He compares the results of an analytical 

 examination of this soil with those obtained from a large number 

 of samples taken from the Malmesbury, Paarl, Stelleubosch, and 

 other districts, drawing attention to the manurial needs of our vine- 

 yard soils. The subject is dealt with, also in this issue, in the article 

 ' Manuring of Vineyards," which, together with Dr. Juritz's con- 

 clusions, furnishes wine growers with very valuable advice on the 

 important matter of maintaining the fertility of their vineyard soils. 



Examination of Proprietary Articles. 



In anticipation of any contemplated applications to the Depart- 

 ment to carry out tests with any proprietary article, it is notified 

 that the Government cannot undertake the examinaion of proprietary 

 articles except for official purposes. When examined for such 

 purposes a report can only be made available when it is considered 

 necessary to do so in the public interests and in a public manner. 



Representative Transvaal Soils. 



Another valuable addition to our data of the more important soil 

 types of the country is contained in the article under the above 

 heading published elsewhere in this number. It is written by 

 Mr. B. J. Smit, B.A.. of the Division of Chemistry, and deals with 

 Pretoria quartzite sandy soils which occur principally in the Pretoria, 

 Krugersdorp, and Witwatersrand Districts. It contains analyses of 

 several samples of this type of soil and gi%7es practical advice on the 

 fertilizing thereof gathered from experiments. 



Cold Storage Conditions for Export Fruit. 



It will be remembered that considerable wastage occurred in 

 shipments of citrus fruit exported during the 1919 season, and that 

 a report on the investigations into the cause thereof was published in 

 Bulletin No. 2, 1920 ("Wastage in Citrus Fruit Shipped for 

 Export"), which drew attention, among other things, to an 

 unsatisfactory condition prevailing at the Imperial Cold Storage 

 Company at Capetown. Since the publication of this bulletin the 

 Division of Botany has lieen engaged in further investigation into 

 the transit of citrus fruit for export from the orchards to the overseas 

 market and, in the course thereof, occasion arose to make use of the 

 cold storage of the Imperial Cold Storage Company, and upon a 

 mycological examination of the chamber formerly reported unsatis- 

 factory, it was found that its condition is now quite satisfactory. 

 A report on the subject appears elsewhere in this issue. 



