lib 



more clayey subsoil, over twenty feet in depth : this soil has a tendency 

 towards alkalinity in parts, and No. 24, in fact, represents an alkaline 

 patch in the area covered by the soil whereof No. 22 is a. type. No. 21 is 

 another red sandy loam of considerable depth, overlying a subsoil similar 

 to that of No. 22. The third type of soil at the station is that whereof 

 No. 23 is a sample. It is a grey calcareous loam, with a subsoil of almost 

 white appearance. In this soil brak water is met with a short distance 

 below the surface. Various parts of the district around possess a 

 " Karroo " type of soil, which inclines to become alkaline, whilst in the 

 direction of the mountains, and along the banks of the larger rivers, the 

 soil is naturally more " broken." No. 25 represents an intermediate, or 

 transition, " broken " alluvial soil from the farm Keur Kloof, off Lange 

 Vallei, on the mountain side of Robertson. At the time the sample was 

 taken the wheat in this valley was quite six feet high, with full ears. 

 Proceeding up the Vink River valley, No. 26, a sample of " vlei turf " soil, 

 was obtained at the junction of the Norree and Vink Rivers, on the Norree 

 side of the same, and another, No. 27, representing the area of the Upper 

 Vink River. The latter was taken close to the river bed, and could not 

 be expected to be as fertile as the other " Karroo " soil, such as No. 19, 

 for instance. Both No. 26 and No. 27 were procured on the farm Hex 

 River. 



No. 19 represents a good " Karroo" soil from the farm Riet Vallei, 

 on the Klaasvoogds River, and No. 20 is what is termed a "doom'' soil 

 from the same area. 



Crossing the Breede River towards Lady Grey, one comes upon two 

 similar valleys : the Konings and Keizers River valleys. No. 28 was 

 taken from the latter, on the farm Vrolykheid, while No. 29 is a sour soil 

 from Riet Vallei, representing the upper mountainous regions: its lime 

 content shows a diminution upon, those of the other soils of this vicinity. 

 Returning eastwards, No. 31 is a type of alluvial soil from the valley of 

 the Bosjesmans River, where there are a number of small farms, and No. 

 30 is a primary hill soil, representing the " Ruggens " on the right bank 

 of the Breede River, and to eastward of the Bosjesmans River. 



The best cultivated section of the Robertson Division is the southern 

 portion of the Field Cornetcy of Achter Cogmans Kloof, and more es- 

 pecially those areas known as The Coo and The Keisie. In the Coo, from 

 the farm Donkerkloof, two samples were taken : No. 1 from lands on the 

 right bank of the Laats River, and No. 2 not far from the homestead. 

 The "veld" here, as well as at the neighbouring farms Concordia and 

 Keerom, all of which are situated along the Coos River is sour, as is 

 frequently the case with a sandstone derived soil. No. 3 was a virgin soil 

 of loose sandy clay, typical of most of the cultivated lands about Con- 

 cordia, and said to be very suitable for potatoes : chemically it proves to 

 be decidedly poor all round : for potatoes it may possibly be suited on 

 account of its physical, that is to say, its sandy nature, but much manur- 

 ing, especially with potash, would be needed to maintain potato crops. 

 No. 4, taken from the rise nearer the homestead, is somewhat more clayey, 

 but is at the same time a more gravelly, and, in local opinion, a poorer 

 soil than No. 3. Judging, however, from the analytical results, both are 

 deficient in plant food, and would require to be well manured with a 

 good all-round fertiliser. The last four samples are typical of the Coo, 

 which, notwithstanding external resemblances, differs inherently from the 

 Keisie, a belt of country running along the Keisies River towards Mon- 

 tagu, and bounded on the north by the Riethoek Mountains and on the 

 south by the Langeberg Range. The line of demarcation between the 

 Coo and the Keisie is the high watershed of the Coos Berg, the Coo being 

 several hundred feet higher than the Keisie, and also drier and more 



