Agriculture and Soils op the Cape Province. 



661 



the fiankiiig- dolerite-capped Ked Beds. The vegetation of thi> area 

 consits of a mixture of sweet and sour grasses, including rooi plat- 

 blaar and rooi ruigte, but adjoining the spruit which runs thiougli 

 the flat a fair nuniher of Karroo bosjes is to be seen. 



Table II 

 Analysis of Soils froin Kalkfontein. 



So. 607. 



No. 610. 



Colour 



Mechtinieal Aiudifxh.'^ 



Fine earth 

 Coarse sand ... 

 Fine sand 



Silt 



Finp silt 



Clay 



Soluble in N/.5 hydrcchloric acid... 



Reaction to litmus ... 



Carbonates ... 



Humus 



Loss on ignition 



Moisture 



Chi'iiticdl A/inli/.s 

 Nitrogen 



Insoluble inorganic residue 

 Lime ... 

 Magnesia 

 Potash 



"Available" potash ... 

 Phosphoric oxide 



" Avt.ilable '' phosphoric oxide 



0-2:1 



76-97 

 1-09 

 0-66 

 0-57 

 0-019 

 0-114 

 n-021 



0-11 

 84-51 

 0-54 

 0-45 

 i»-58 

 0-022 

 11-053 

 ()-019 



Vlei soils are frequently very clayey, but No. 607 is only 

 moderately so and, furthermore, contains a laig-e quantity (20.6 

 per cent.) of coarse sand, the presence of which — due no doubt to 

 some extent to the "wash" from the frequent outcrops along* its 

 margins of coarse-grained sandstones — will assist materially in 

 counteracting the undesirable properties of the clay. No. 607 also 

 contains an admirable quantity of humus, so that although it contains 

 as much clay as No. 614. Paaidenverlies, the effect of the coarse sand 

 and humus will be to make it an easier working soil than No. 614, 

 and, moreover, should make it better able to resist drought. 



Chemically, the soil is a good one also. It contains a very 

 adequate supply of nitrogen — probably too much for oats and barley — 

 and quantities of potash and of phosphoric oxide which, for South 

 African soils, are, in the total, considerable, and, moreover, satis- 

 factory as regards availability. The soil is alkaline owing to the fact 

 that it contains 0.1 per cent, of calcium carbonate. 



Judging from the mechanical analysis. No. 610 shows a consider- 

 able resemblance to No. 614 — the figures for coarse and fine sands are 

 almost identical in both soils, while the totals for the silts, plus clay, 

 are also nearlv the same. Thev differ, however, in that No. 610 



* For sizes of particles see under " Paarden\erlies," above. 



