74 



Th proportions of lime and potash in the soils of the Komgha Divi- 

 sion are, taken all round, fairly satisfactory, but phosphates are decidedly 

 lacking : in this respect there is a strong resemblance to the adjoining divi- 

 sion of Cathcart. 



Of the soils in the above list, the three taken; from Field-cornetciea 

 Nos. 1 and 2 are all deiicient in lime and phosphoric oxide: sample* 

 15 and 16 are likewise deficient in potash, while No. 17 is not much better 

 in this respect. The samples from Field-cornetcies Nos. 5 and 6 average 

 poor results all round. Speaking generally, Field-cornetcy No. 3 is the 

 best off with regard to lime and potash, but here too phosphatic material 

 is lacking. To come to details; Nos. 10, 24, and 27 are poor in all of the 

 three inorganic fertilising constituents, and phosphoric oxide, in parti- 

 cular, is almost entirely absent. Nos. 13, 18, 20, 21 and 22, although con- 

 taining a little more phosphoric oxide, are nevertheless poor all round. 

 No. 9 is also characterised by an almost entire absence of phosphoric 

 oxide. 



To summarise, eight, out of the 27 Komgha soils, are deficient in all 

 of the three principal classes of inorganic plant food ; seven others lack 

 both phosphoric oxide and potash, namely : Nos. 2, 4, 5, 9, 15, 25, and 26 : 

 Nos. 7, 12, 14, 16, and 17 are poor in phosphoric oxide and lime. Three 

 samples, i.e. t Nos. 3, 6, and 8, are poor in phosphoric oxide only, No. 11 

 is greatly in need of both lime and potash, Nos. 1 and 19 require potash, 

 and No. 23 lime. Thus it happens that there is not a single soil, of all 

 those taken, regarding which it can be said that it is well or even fairly 

 supplied with all plant food constituents in an available condition. 



It will be noticed that these soils are all of a clayey nature, and they 

 appear to contain, generally, a larger amount of chlorides than has been, 

 found by analysis in the Western Province soils. 



LADISMITH. 



(Officially collected,) 



No. Field Cornetcy. Farm or place. Collector. 



1. Anysberg. Papenkuilsfontein. J. Muller. 



o 



> j> > 



3. Groot River. Buffelsfontein. ,, 



4 



* >J V }) 



5. Zeekoegatsdrift. 



6. Buffels Kloof. 



7. Buffels Drift. 



8. Ladiamith. Elands Vallei. 



9. Huia River. Hoeko. , r 



10. Weltevreden. 



11. Zoar. 



12. ,, Amalienstein. ,, 



13. , ? 



** ' > 



15. Opzoek. 



16. Buff ebf on tern. Buffelsfontein. 



