bed of limestone. This limestone bed had already been noticed on the 

 farm Klipfonteiu. 



From the farm Geelbeksfonteiii, about 9i miles north-west of Zwart- 

 water, a sample, No. 43, was collected, consisting of hitherto uncultivated 

 humns soil, which was to be sown upon, without manuring, the next 



ti. The only other grain land in this vicinity is granitic. This humus 

 soil as well as most of the sandy soils, and the limestone soils, which will 

 be mentioned presently, is simply ploughed and sown immediately, not 

 being fallowed previously, as has been the practice with the clay soils : in 

 this case, apparently, the opinion is that the productiveness of the soil 

 renders fallowing needless. At Oostenwal, 7J miles north-west of Geel- 

 beksfonteiii, a sample of virgin soil, No. 44 a mixture of limestone with 

 granitic soil was taken. This soil is also cultivated without manuring. 

 The soil of the adjacent faaun, Meeuwklip, resembles that of Oostenwal; 

 at Karnberg sandy soil is again met with, limestone being not far below : 

 over Zoutkuil to Springfontein, about nine miles north-east of Oostenwal, 

 where No. t"> was collected, the sand diminishes and the limestone in- 

 creases. At Springfontein the limestone is exposed to such an extent that 

 the surface of the otherwise hard material has become sufficiently friable 

 to be easily cut up by the plough, and mixed with the inch or two* of 

 sand that covers it. This soil is sown without manuring, and fanners 

 who were questioned 011 the subject, including the occupant of Springfon- 

 tein, state that the limestone soil to a great extent withstands the rust, 

 and that, at times, -when the grain sown on the sandy soil is almost en- 

 tirely destroyed bv rust, that on the lime soil is only slightly affected. 



Leaving Springfontein, and passing over Kersbosch and Klipfouteiii 

 to Spanjaardsbosch, about six miles north of Springfontein, the soil 

 becomes more sandy, and is here of about the same appearance as that of 

 Zooitkuil and Karnberg further to the south-west. From Spanjaards- 

 bosch a sample (No. 46) of uncultivated sandy soil, having somewhat of 

 an admixture of lime, was collected. Thence the journey was directed to 

 Oloete's Kraal, about 3-J miles north of Spanjaardsbosch, where the soil 

 loses its very sandy nature, and here also a sample (No. 47) of unculti- 

 vated soil was procured. The next farm is that of the Brothers Kotze, 

 Lang Riet Vlei, at Berg Stiver, about five miles east of Cloete's Kraal. 

 Here, at the request of Messrs. Kotze, four samples were taken at spots 

 pointed out by them, namely : No. 48, " Vaalbos " ground, where the 

 Cape salt bush grows luxuriantly, a dark grey, somewhat stiff clay soil; 

 No. 49 a looser and lighter clay, said to be the richest grain land on the 

 farm; No. 50, a sandy soil, low-lying and yielding poor returns; and No. 

 51, a sandy soil, similar to the previous one, at a higher situation, and 

 Yielding better crops physically as well as chemically it proves to be the 

 Ibetter soil of the two. 



Between Lang Riet Vlei and Hazenkraal, about eight miles south- 

 east of the former, alluvial vlei deposit stretches all the way along the 

 Berg River, skirted by sand. The way from Hazenkraal to the village 

 of Hopeneld lies along the bed of the Zout River, and the elevated land, 

 under cultivation on either side of the river bed from here to Hopeneld, 



s a coarser sandstone formation than that previously passed over, no indi- 

 cations of the presence of limestone being noticed. A sample of this soil, 

 No. 36, was taken from uncultivated land at Hazenkraal, and again, 

 nearly four miles south of this, No. 37, at Portugeeschfontein. The former 



these two samples contains a slight admixture of clay. These wore the 

 last samples taken on this tour, for on leaving Hopefield the Malmesbury 

 clay beds are almost immediately entered upon. These soils afford a fair 



