92 



ample No. 4, a loose red sandy clay, was collected on the right of the 

 road before entering this village. It represents the predominating soil 

 all along the valley, which, like several others, is well cultivated, mostly 

 for garden purposes, all sowing being done on the slopes of the surround- 

 ing hills, capped as they are with a fairly deep layer of rich " Karroo ;> 

 oil. 



On leaving the Langtouw River valley, a very hilly tract is traversed 

 to Heuning Bosch, where No. 5, a sour soil, representing the upper and 

 more mountainous parts, was taken from old lands adjoining those just 

 under the plough. It was said to be a very poor soil, but yielded fairly 

 satisfactory crops when manured with guano. The same type of soil is 

 also to be found at Ruiters Kraal and Goedmoed. These poor soils are 

 all derived from the sandstone formation to the north. Keeping along 

 this ridge, a series of undulating plateaux is crossed over; they consist 

 mostly of sour veld, with some occasional tracts of rich land, alternately 

 " zwart turf" and natural red "Karroo" soil. Nos. 6 and 7, respectively 

 typical of each, were secured at the farm Hagel Kraal. The " kweek " 

 oil along the river is literally covered with the grass which obtains for 

 it its vernacular appellation, a.nd proves a great inconvenience and draw- 

 back to the growth of lucerne. At Roode Krans and Kouma a more 

 or less similar soil is to be found, possibly somewhat more acid. At 

 Ruiterbosch a sample of very acid soil, No. 8, was taken. Both at this 

 farm and at Hagel Kraal, basic slag had been widely used as a fertiliser 

 for cereals, but too sparingly, for it is a well-known fact that these acid 

 soils, or " zuur veld " as they are locally termed, require principally lime 

 .and phosphates. 



Between the last mentioned farm and Hartebeeste Kraal, there is 

 not much sowing carried on ; at the latter place, however, several 

 varieties of soil were under cultivation, of which only two were selected, 

 namely, No. 9, a " broken " red sour soil, not very fertile, and No. 10, 

 a black sour soil, inferior to No, 9. These two soils were taken from, 

 above the mass of granite which commences north-west of Mossel Bay, 

 and extends over a considerable portion of the George Division. The 

 relatively large amount of potash in No. 9 is, not improbably, due to 

 the felspar of the granite.* 



From this point a course was laid for Great Brak River, the pic- 

 turesque little hamlet situated on the river bearing that name, the boun- 

 dary between the divisions of Mo&sel Bay and George ; practically the 

 whole of this hamlet is owned by Messrs. Searle Bros. In the valley 

 on the right bank of the liver, between the latter and the main road, 

 there is a very level tract of an intermediate " broken vlei soil " ; two 

 amples were collected here, Nos. 11 and 12; the former of these is a 

 loose, rather sandy clay, about nine inches deep, lying upon a bed ol 

 yellow clay ; the other sample represents a loose sandy loam, which, after 

 sowing for three successive years, becomes so " brack " or alkaline, thai 

 its owner is compelled, through poverty of the crops, to let the land lie 

 fallow, for a year or two, until entirely covered with grass, when it is 

 again ploughed over, well manured, and sown; fairly good results have 

 thus been obtained. 



At KHpheuvel there are several varieties of " broken vlei soil " 

 under cultivation. Only Nos. 13 and 14, the former a rich dark loaooo, 

 the latter a red sandy soil, were taken. Of these two soils, the latter ha* 

 constantly been subject to visitations of rust; it is in every respect 

 chemically the poorer soil of the two. Proceeding about three or four 

 miles south-east of KHpheuvel, sample No. 15, a loose brack soil, 



* A reference to this feature has already hem made in connection with the 



bury oils. See ppe 89. 



