OUDTSHOORN. 



(Officially collected.) 



No. Field Cornetcy. Farm or place. Collector. 



1. Low*r Olifants River. Vlakte Plaats, C. F. Jurita. 



L>. Riet Vallei. 



3. ,, Hazenjacht. 



4. Grobbelaars River. Schiedam. 



5. Oudtshoorn. 



6. Wynands River. Gamtoos Berg. 



7. Blauwbosch Kuil. 



8. Welbedaoht. 



9. Attaquas Kloof. Nooitgedaeht. 



10. Hottentots Laagte. 



11. Saffraan Rivier. 



12. Garnka Flats. Jan Fouries Kraal. 



13. Welgerust. 



14. Adjoining Buffels Vlei. 



15. Caugo West. Lemrick. 



16. Welgevonden. 



17. Matjes Rivier. 



As one passes from the Uniondale Division to that of Oudtshooru, 

 through Roode Krans Poort (an immediate change in the character of the 

 soil becomes noticeable. A closer resemblance to the Karroo soil than 

 on the eastern side of the " poort " begins to be traceable. The rheno*- 

 ter bush, which is much in evidence in the north-western portion of the 

 Uniondale Division, disappears completely, and the Ganna bush of the 

 Karroo is frequently to be seen. It is generally believed that where the 

 rhenoster bush flourishes lime is deficient in the soil, while the Ganna, on 

 the other hand, indicates a lime soil: as will appear from the sequel, the 

 analyses of the Uniondale and Oudtshoorn soils tend to give confirmation 

 to this popular idea. Of such a soil, where the Ganna bush grows, a sam- 

 ple, No. 1 in the above list, was taken on the farm Vlakte Plaats. Fur- 

 ther west, on the adjoining farm Kruis Rivier, a change in the character 

 of the flora would seem to be indicative of a corresponding change in the 

 nature of the soil ; the ganna thins out, in fact dies away practically alto- 

 gether, and the rhenoster bush reappears ; but as one approaches the town 

 of Oudtshoorn the soil again becomes more akin to that of the Karroo, 

 and sandier than is the case further east. Of this last class of soil, two> 

 ajpmples, Nos. 3 and 4, were taken at Hazenjacht, 13 miles from Oudta- 

 hoorn (this soil, by the way, proves chemically rather poor for an Oudts- 

 hoorn soil), and Schiedam, two miles from Oudtshoorn, respectively, 

 while one collected at Riet Vallei, No. 2 (14 miles W.S.W. of Vlakte 

 Plaats, and 4 miles north-east of Hazenjacht), was more of the nature of an 

 alluvial or " vlei " soil. 



Underlying the surface soil throughout the Olifants River valley, ato 

 timea appearing on the surface, but generally within from four to eighteen 

 inches thereof, is a very stiff red clay, here and there showing bands of 

 limestone. This clay has the local reputation of being the cause of the 

 great fertility of the Division,* and a sample of it was taken (No. 5) from 

 Mr. E. T. L. Edmeades' property, just outside the town of Oudtehoorn. 

 From the level tract of country south-west of Oudtshoorn, sample No. 7, 



* It is, of course, river alluvium, originally brought down from the Karoo. 



