118 



in stiff clay. No. 14 was taken from fallow lands close to the road, on 

 the way to Baden : this was a loose sandy soil, rather poor and requiring 

 good general manuring. No. 15 represents an alluvial soil taken on the 

 farm Riet Vallei. The surrounding " veld " is very sour, and the soil 

 appears to have been thoroughly worked out. All three constituents of 

 mineral plant food lime, potash, and phosphoric oxide are very badly 

 needed. At Kruis Pad two> samples were taken: No. 16, a loose clay soil, 

 said to give good results with cereals when manured with bird guano, and 

 No. 17, a somewhat similar soil, but found to be more productive, and an 

 excellent soil for potatoes. These views, it may be noted, are not borne 

 out by the analyses.* 



From the village of Montagu a north-easterly course was taken: the 

 character of the soil passed over, up to the Wagenbooms Bergen, is very 

 similar to previous samples of " Karroo " soil. On crossing this high 



DIVISIONAL MAP OF 



ROBERTSON 



ridge, a distinct change is at once manifest, the " veld " becomes sour, and 

 the soil very much poorer in appearance. A typical sample of this soil 

 ia No. 18, collected from the farm Brakkefontein, where very little sowing 

 is done; cattle farming is principally carried on, so that there is an abund- 

 ance of manure. As the soil in this vicinity is primary sandstone soil, 

 from the Wagenbooms Mountains, it is probable that most samples taken 

 from this locality would show less lime and potash than No. 18, which 

 may possibly have become affected by manuring, a point regarding which 

 there is occasionally much uncertainty. 



(Privately collected.) 



* Except in so far that No. 17 is rather coarse-grained and therefore more suited for 

 potato culture than fine-grained soils usually are. 



