In texture the above soils were all fine grained, and in many respect* 

 resembled those from the adjoining Division of Albert. The geological 

 formation here too almost entirely consists of Burghersdorp beds. All 

 the samples were taken from the municipal area; the first from a rich, 

 wide level flat flanking the Orange River, the last at a spot lying some 

 distance back from the river. Nos. 2 and 3 were taken along the banks 

 of the tributary Kraai River, the latter at some distance from the water 

 side. 



The results of the analyses are as follows : 



Percentage 



of Field 

 No. Sample. 



Fine earth. 



(Method I.) 



Percentage of Soil sifted through 

 1 mm. Sieve. 



Percentage of Soil sifted through, 

 i mm. Sieve. 



1. 



2. 

 3. 

 4. 



99-5 

 99-4 

 98-0 

 97-7 



Water. 



3-23 

 4-07 



3-61 

 ;VOS 



matter. 



3 66 

 4-32 



4-17 



4 73 



Chlorine. Xitrogen. Lime. 



( )! if) 

 Oftl 

 001 

 003 



028 

 113 



098 



376 

 276 



192 

 036 



079 

 123 

 12.S 

 123 



088 

 087 

 Of>7 

 056 



It had been anticipated that the first of these four soils would prove 

 to be chemically of good quality, and the analysis confirmed this view, 

 the proportion of lime being satisfactory, although potash and phosphates 

 are present in only moderate amount. Taken all round, these soils possess 

 the chemical and physical requirements of good fertility. 



BARKLY WEST. 



(Officially collected.) 



No. 

 I. 

 2. 

 3. 



4. 

 5. 

 6. 

 7. 

 8. 

 9. 



Field Cornetcy. 

 Hebron. 



Farm or place. 

 Brady's. 



55 



Patrys Kraal. 



H.V." 75. 







Ganzepan. 

 Zwartputs. 



Collector. 

 E. A. Nobbs. 



These nine samples were collected by Dr. E. A. Nobbs from different 

 farms intended to be irrigated from the Harts River by means of a canal 

 and furrows. The idea was to bring some twenty to thirty thousand acres 

 under irrigation in this way. The specimens were selected with a view 

 to securing types of considerable area below the line of furrow. The first 

 sample, a red loamy alluvial soil, was taken on Brady's farm, at a point, 

 just above high flood level, 2J miles above the railway bridge, and 200 

 yards north of the banks of the Vaal River. The sub-soil is of similar 

 character to that at the surface. The area appeared to be traversed by 

 dolerite dykes, which would probably cause great variation in the depth 

 of the soil, and hinder free drainage. On land adjacent to No. 1 mealies 

 have been grown without manure, at frequent intervals, although not con- 

 tinuously, since 1874. No 2 was a red porous, friable, gravelly loam soil, 

 of somewhat similar type; it was collected on the same farm, about half 

 a mile north of the homestead, and If miles from the border: this sample 

 is representative of the higher-lying undulating veld in the neighbourhood. 



