25 



parts of Australia, and are mostly rich deep chocolate land, well adapted 

 for the growth of Potatoes and many other farm crops. Raspberries, 

 Strawberries, Peaches, and a few other fruits seem to do well upon these 

 soils, but, experience has proved that they are not so well suited for the 

 Apple, Pear, and various other kinds as the clayey and sandy loams. 

 Though the trees grow freely for the first few years, yet they give but 

 poor returns as compared with those obtained from other classes of soilf. _ 



Alluvial Soils. These are formed along the courses of rivers and 

 creeks by the action of water, which has brought down and deposited 

 materials from higher land. Soils of this class are generally very deep 

 and fertile, as they contain a large proportion of vegetable matter. 

 They are, however, less adapted for fruit trees than many other soils, as, 

 lying low, they are usually more subject to sharp frosts and cold fogs 

 when the crops are forming. The trees have also a tendency to make 

 an over-luxuriant growth of wood at the expense of their fruit-bearing 

 powers. 



Vegetable Soils. This class is those soils that contain 5 per cent, or 

 upwards of vegetable matter, and they may be embraced by any of the 

 classes previously mentioned. A proportion of decayed vegetable 

 matter up to about 15 per cent, will materially assist in making any soil 

 fertile. 



Peaty Soils. These contain vegetable matter or humus, in excess, 

 sometimes to the extent of 60 or 70 per cent. As a rule, they are not 

 well adapted for fruit culture, except for Cranberries, unless they are 

 improved by the use of lime and other materials. 



Sub-soils. The sub-soil is of equal importance to the cultivator as 

 the soil, though this fact is too often ignored in planting orchards or 

 vineyards. It must be remembered that the drainage of the soil is 

 regulated to a large extent by the physical condition of the sub-soil. 

 Sometimes the soil and sub-soil are similar in character, but more 

 generally they differ materially in their natures. An open free sub-soil, 

 either sandy, gravelly, or limestone, gives the advantage of good natural 

 drainage, and will, to a large extent, save the cultivator the expense of 

 providing for it artificially. These sub-soils also make the work of 

 preparing the land easier, as there is not the same necessity for deep 

 stirring as in heavy ground. Sometimes sub-soils are too open, as is 

 often the case in limestone country, and as a consequence tbe land dries 

 up too quickly. Heavy clay sub-soils, on the other hand, require 

 artificial drainage, or otherwise they will often be too wet, when the trees 

 must necessarily suffer. Then again, if the surface soil is too compact 

 in texture to permit the air to penetrate to the subsoil, the latter 

 becomes sour, and to some extent poisonous to vegetation. Through the 

 imperfeat decay of vegetable matter, unwholesome acids are generated, 

 which may have injurious effects for a long time. This will account for 

 the unsatisfactory results that so often occur, when a bad sub-soil is 

 brought to the surface in trenching land. 



