Agriculture and Soils op the Cape Province. 



665 



Lucerne is growing on a part oi this land, and in the opinion of 

 the owner is doing quite well ; this soil is, however, better suited to 

 wheat than to any other crop. 



The natural vegetation of this vlei consists for the most part of 

 rooi platblaar grass, togetlier Avith a fair amount of clover, the roots 

 of the latter being well infested with bacillus radiciroln . 



Table IV. 

 Analysis of Soils from The Willows. 



No. 615. 



No. 616. 



Mechanical Analysit. 



No. 615 contains a moderate amount of clay and a fair quantity 

 of humus. It is quite permeable to water and. unless underlain by 

 a more impermeable stratum, would probably need rain at fairly 

 frequent intervals. It contains a very large percentage of fine sand 

 which would tend to make it dry hard at the surface. Chemically, 

 the soil is somewhat deficient in total phosphates, from which one 

 would conclude that phosphatic manuring would give a good response 

 after the land had been cropped several times. That this soil is 

 suited to potato culture is evident from its mechanical composition 

 and the climatic conditions ; the chemical composition is also favour- 

 able to potato culture, excepting that the soil is rather deficient in 

 jdiosphates, both total and available. 



No. 616, the vlei soil, is a very strong calcareous loam containing 

 plenty of organic matter and a very large quantity of calcium carbo- 

 nate. It would appear to require no manurial treatment other than 

 such as may be required for special crops. Oats grow too rank and 

 barley and some varieties of wheat get laid if grown upon this soil. 



