102 



the Malmesbury and Paarl Divisions, but also iu other parts of the South- 

 Western Districts of the Colony. The soil of such hillocks has usually 

 been found to be richer than the soil round about. Whilst the rhenoster- 

 bosch, a bush moire or less typical of rather poor soils of the Cape Penin- 

 sula,* is found all around these hillocks, on the hillocks themselves we 

 find the " distel doom," which generally seeks the richer soil. No. 15, 

 from Brandenburg, represents the soil north of Kuilenberg. When pro- 

 perly treated it appears, from all accounts, to yield very satisfactory 

 results. " Laoiiziekte " is unknown on the farm, and on the pasturage 

 goats thrive well. This, it was thought, would seem to be evidence of the 

 presence of lime or phosphates in the soil in sufficient quantity, and, 

 curiously enough, the proportion of phosphates found higher than in al- 

 most any of the other soils from this division confirmed anticipations in 

 this respect. The geological formation of this area is that of the Malmes- 

 bury series. 



In the area represented by the Paardeberg Field Cornetcy, a similar 

 geological formation prevails. Three samples were taken as typical of 

 the soils of this portion of the Paarl Division; of these, Nos. 17 and 18 

 represent the hillock and lower soil respectively at Knolle Vallei. It 

 has been found that barley grown on these hillocks withstands the 

 attacks of rust to a much greater extent than the barley on the sur- 

 rounding soil. No. 18 is somewhat more sandy, and appears generally 

 poorer than No*. 17. 



In the JFiald Cornetcy North Paarl, sample No. 19, taken on the 

 farm Vrede Hof, is a type of the soil at the foot of the Paarl Mountain. 

 Here the intrusive granite, which constitutes the Paarl Mountain, will, 

 if sufficiently decomposed, bring about a change in the composition of the 

 soil. 



No. 20 is a type of hillside soil from the farm of Mr. Stucki, part of Kee- 

 bok Kloof at Blauwvallei, in the Wellington Field Cornetcy, No-. 21, taken 

 from underneath the oaks on the farm, resembles in colour the black soil 

 known in the district as " turf." It is, however, a coarser soil, and contains 

 more lime than any other of the samples taken in the same district. This 

 soil was designated by Mr. Stucki as " vet heuvel grond." No. 22 re- 

 presents what is known locally as " turf " or " zwart grond " ; the sample 

 was taken from the side of a poplar plantation on the farm Welbedacht, 

 belonging to Mr. W. P. van der Merwe. It was somewhat mixed with 

 sand. No. 23 was a sample of what is called " doode turf " from the vine- 

 yard adjoining the homestead on the same farm. This " doode turf," 

 which exists in patches about the vineyard, appears to be less fertile than 

 the soil around it. This must evidently be ascribed to physical causes, 

 rather than to difference of chemical composition. The soil is stiff and 

 compact, and more clayey than that represented by the previous sample. 

 It would naturally, therefore, hold more water, and so become cold 

 in spite of its warm black colour. It will be noticed that the sample 

 contained more than three times as much water as No. 22. There 

 would seem to be some similairity here to the cause of the trouble in the 

 vineyards of the Graaff-Reinet Division, already alluded to.f No. 24 

 was a sample of stiff black soil from the edge of a plot of ground which, 

 with suitable manipulation (such as an admixture of gravel from the hill- 

 sides, etc.) and manure, had borne sweet potatoes for upwards of forty 

 years. It was found to overlie a subsoil of gravel. The soil represented 

 by this sample is locally known as " Blauw pot clay." 



* See pages 56, 68, and 96. 

 f See page 61. 



