23 



I 



ALBANY. 



(Officially collected.) 



No. Field Coruetcy. Farm or Place. Collector. 



1. Lower Riebeek. Langley Park. A. C. Macdonald. 







3. ,, Highlands. 



The three soils examined were collected in the Highlands district, 

 Sheep running on the two farms whence the samples were taken had been 

 found to be greatly benefitted by giving them a regular supply of bone- 

 nieal mixed with salt. Lamziekte had been prevalent on the same farms, 

 indicating apparently an insufficient supply of phosphates in the food. 

 The theory prevailed, due, in part, to the foregoing facts, that the soil of 

 the Zuurveld generally lacked phosphatic material. The lands on the 

 farm Langley Park, whence the first sample was taken, were being em- 

 ployed as grazing ground for some of the sheep above referred to; the 

 second sample, which is distinctly poor in lime, was taken from the same 

 farm, but from a portion on which sheep which were not habitually and 

 specially provided with salt in their food were stocked; such a provision 

 did not appear to be so much needed there as in the former place. The 

 third sample was taken from the veld near Highlands Railway Station. 

 No. 1 contained a fair reserve of phosphates, but both the other soils 

 were lacking in this respect. The analytical results were as follows: 



(Method II.) 

 No Percentage of Soil sifted through 1 mm. Sieve. P ^centage KuteA through 



Water. Organic matter. Chlorine. Nitrogen. Lime. Potash. Phosphoric oxide 



1. -88 5-62 -0064 -12 -084 



2. *62 2-53 -0167 -065 -036 

 59 5-97 -0106 -11 trace 



Determinations of the readily available phosphoric oxide resulted as 

 follows : 



(Method V.) 

 No. Percentage. 



1 ..................... -026 



2 ............ . ........ trace 



3 ..................... trace 



Magnesia and sulphuric oxide were also determined in these soils, 

 with the following results per cent. : 



No. Magnesia. Sulphuric oxide. 



1 ............... -023 -062 



2 ............... -029 -075 



3 ............... -024 -052 



Research has shown that nitrifying bacteria need phosphates for their 

 development; hence lack of phosphates is apt to go hand in hand with 

 retarded nitrification. This latter process is also stopped by soil acidity, 

 so that the neutralising effect of carbonate of lime not only improves sour 

 soils, in that it removes the cause of their acidity, but it also promotes 

 the production of the soil nitrogen by affording the bacteria facilities for 

 nitrogen-fixation. The supply of nitrogen to the plant is thus dependent 

 upon a, sufficiency of lime and phosphates in the soil. 



