98 



from the valleys amongst the mountains, and it is therefore probable that 

 disintegrated Table Mountain sandstone enters largely into its composi- 

 tion : as a virgin soil it is declared to be very rich, and capable of pn> 

 ducing magnificent tubers, but after some years of cultivation there is a 

 marked decrease in its productiveness. No. 19 is a virgin Karroo type of 

 soil, very good for most crops excepting potatoes. 



The analyses of the above nineteen soils will be found tabulated 

 below : 



(Method I.) 



No. 



1. 

 18. 

 19. 



2. 



3. 



4. 



5. 



6. 



7. 



8. 



9. 

 10. 

 11. 

 12. 

 13. 

 14. 

 15. 

 16. 

 17. 



Percent, of 



Field 



Sample. 



Fine earth. 



Percentage of Soil sifted through 

 1 mm. Sieve. 



Water. 



Percentage of Soil sifted 

 through J mm. Sieve. 



Phos- 



Organic Chlorine. Nitrogen. Lime. Potash. phoric 

 matter. oxide. 



299 

 080 

 211 

 100 

 071 

 096 

 149 

 165 

 211 

 144 

 141 

 201 

 035 

 161 

 170 

 098 

 194 

 144 

 087 



150 

 037 

 101 

 074 

 054 

 049 

 058 

 123 

 134 

 124 

 139 

 119 

 040 

 063 

 063 

 049 

 123 

 067 

 166 



One cause of the superiority of the Oudtshoorn soils to those of the 

 surrounding Divisions stands revealed, immediately upon comparison of 

 the chemical results : in the former, lime, potash, and phosphoric oxide 

 are all present in much larger quantities than in the soils of other areas. 

 The fertility of the soil does not terminate with the boundaries of the 

 Oudtshoorn Division, but is also clearly traceable in the soils of the Buffels 

 Klip Fiedd-cornetcy, in the neighbouring division of Uniondale. The 

 transition, nevertheless, becomes very striking when passing from the lat- 

 ter division, the moment that the Oudtshoorn boundary is crossed. 



It is, of course, lime that is chiefly abundant in the Oudtshoorn area, 

 and gives their distinctive character to the alluvial calcareous loams of 

 this division and the adjacent division of Ladismith, but the fertility is 

 not- to be ascribed to the lime alone, for both potash and phosphoric oxide 

 are present in satisfactory amount. This is due to the fact that the soils 

 of the Oudtshoorn basin are largely the result of ages of deposition of river 

 silts brought down from the Karroo by the Ganika and Olifants Rivers, 

 and are therefore made up of the finely divided products of decomposition 

 of the rocks of the Karroo system : thus they axe, both physically and 

 chemically, excellently adapted for the agricultural purposes that they are 

 known to serve so well. Strange as it may appear, nitrogenous material 

 is rather less prominent in this fruitful district than, for instance, in the 



This includes carbon dioxide combined as calcium carbonate. 



