35 



from the analyses below, it proved to be exceedingly poor in lime. The 

 farmers in this neighbourhood used, as a fertiliser, lime obtained from the 

 sea-shells of the Bot River Strand, scattering it along with the wheat 

 when sowing. They had also commenced employing artificial fertilisers 

 in small quantity, principally Basic slag. 



On the farm Klein Steenboks River, about six miles east of Muur- 

 ton, a ferruginous clay soil, No. 14, was procured, and about three miles 

 N.N.E. of this farm, No. 15, a sandy clay, was obtained on the farm Wel- 

 tevreden : it had not been cultivated for the last seven years. The soil 

 here is very shallow, extending to a depth of about six inches only, below 

 Tvhich a layer of coarse gravel is met with. Four miles south-east of this, 

 samples of two varieties of clay soils were taken from. Dunghye Park, the 

 farm of Messrs. De Villiers Bros., perhaps the largest and richest farm 

 in this part of the Division. No. 16 represents a stiff clay soil adjoining 

 the vineyard, while No. 17, a loose clay, was taken from brack land on 

 the other side of the river. The former was considered preferable to the 

 latter for sowing purposes during dry seasons. As only imported seed 

 was sown, rust did not appear in the crops. At Klein Wolvegat, about 

 six miles south-east of Dunghye Park, No. 22, a loose clay soil, was ob- 

 tained from the mountain side. Proceeding south from here along the 

 Klein River, the farm Good Hope was touched at, and a stiff clay soil, 

 sample No. 18, was taken from brack land. The next place visited was 

 the farm Paardeberg, about three miles south-east of Good Hope. Here 

 two samples were collected ; No. 19, a sandy, clay soil, which had not 

 been under cultivation for nineteen years, and which the owner of the farm 

 considered to be very poor, and No. 20, a very stiff clay, which practical 

 experience had proved to be very fertile. This sample represents the only 

 stiff red clay in the vicinity. The physical and chemical differences be- 

 tween samples 19 and 20 are mainly these: No. 20 is finer in texture and 

 retains moisture better; it contains more organic matter, and has fifty 

 per cent, more nitrogen and about six times as much potash ; these facts 

 apparently more than compensate for its low proportions of lime and 

 phosphates : it would no doubt be improved by Basic slag. No. 19, on 

 the other hand, which is a purely sandstone derived soil, notwithstanding 

 its possessing more lime and phosphoric oxide than No. 20, exhibits an 

 all-round poverty, without any redeeming feature whatever; hence it does 

 not surprise one to be told that when it is put under cultivation it faila 

 to bring its crops to perfection, the ears of corn generally shrivelling up 

 before attaining maturity. Sample No. 21, a sandy clay, was taken from 

 the farm Weltevreden, "about a mile north-east of the village of Stan- 

 ford. Further south blown sands, similar to those which cover the Cape 

 Flats, are met with : these sand dunes consist of finely divided particles 

 of sea-shells and quartz sand, with occasional compacted limestones. 



Eastwards from Caledon a sandy clay, No. 23, was obtained from 

 Goudini, the farm of Mr. D. H. Kleyn, about 4 miles north of Klein 

 Wolvegat. As a fertiliser Mr. Kleyn was in the habit of using principally 

 bone manure, from which he obtained very good results. This is by no> 

 means surprising, for the analysis shows the soil to be very deficient in 

 lime, while its phosphoric oxide is not much better. Proceeding about 

 seven miles in a north-easterly direction, the farm Roode Vlei was visited, 

 and a stiff clay, No. 24, was sampled. On the farm Jongens Klip, 3 

 miles further W.N.W., sample No. 25 was taken, representing a sandy 

 clay, of somewhat stony character. Sample No. 26, also a sandy clay soil, 

 \vaa procured from the farm Alexanders Kloof, about seven miles E.N.E. 

 of Jongens Klip, and said to be more fertile than the soil represented by 

 the sample taken at the latter spot. From a chemical point of view, how- 

 ever, there is no practical difference between these two soils, nor are they 

 very different physically. Crossing the River Zonder End, about 8^ 



