399 
sand coloured by the very dark red subsoil. He adds “the men 
who brought in the soil say that the soil in which the roots of the 
bush are found is always moist though the surface is dry.” 
Dr. Voelcker has kindly examined the soil and from the details 
given below it will be seen that the successful cultivation of the 
plant should not depend upon richness of the soil. The poverty of 
nitrogen in the soil is one of its features, but this defect is probably 
made good by the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by the plant. 
The detailed results of the analyses of the soils are as follows :— 
“SoILS DRIED AT 212°C, 
Surface soil. Underground. 
Organic matter and loss on heating 16 "62 
xide of iron : ies im 
ae 1°34 
Alumina... a ark ee “56 1:89 
Lime ae ees ae, is 13 37 
Magnesia ... sé ve op *36 "30 
Potash a ; me gy “06 21 
oda... et a a ae “09 "16 
Phosphoric acid... ee se "006 “O12 
Siliceous matters ... ie i OF61- 95°30 
Nitrogen ... eee ves es ‘O11 026 
“The surface soil was of a bright red colour, and appeared to be 
little more than coarse sand or grit, with total absence of clay. 
The sub-soil was of a deeper and darker red colour, but, otherwise, 
much like the top-soil except that it was finer in character and 
seemed, possibly, to have a little clay with the sand. 
“The analyses bring out nothing but the very poor character of 
the soils ; the surface soil is nearly destitute of vegetable matter 
and of nitrogen; it has but very little lime, a mere trace of phos- 
phoric acid, and very little more potash. In no sense could it be 
called a fertile soil; on the other hand, it is just a poor sand. The 
colour of the soil led me to expect the presence of a considerable 
amount of iron, but this did not prove to be the case, and the soil 
has practically no clay—as the analysis shows, close on 98 per cent. 
was siliceous matter. 
‘The ‘ underground,’ or sub-soil, was richer in elements of fertility 
than the surface soil, but even it could only be described as a very 
poor soil, over 95 per cent. consisting of siliceous matter. There is 
a certain amount of clay in it, but it is very deficient in vegetable 
matter and in nitrogen. It is also richer than the surface soil in 
lime, phosphoric acid and potash, though even in this case the 
amounts are only such as would lead one to consider the soil as 
In other words, I do not think that there is any particular connec- 
tion between the growth of the Yeheb plant and the constituents 
which the soils supply, such connection, at least, as would indicate 
