185 



that four soils (Nos. 21, 22, 23 and 24) had been collected on 

 the Station.* No. 21 was a red sandy loam and No. 22 a 

 finer loam with a clayey subsoil and tending towards brackness 

 in parts. From one of these brack patches No. 24 was taken. 

 No. 23, a calcareous loam, showed brack water a short distance from the 

 surface. Under these circumstances fuljer investigations into the alkaline 

 character of the soil were made. The spots R and S, whence the samples 

 mentioned below were collected, are identical with those where Nos. 21 

 and 24, above referred to, were taken : in fact, Nos. 21 and 24 represent 

 the surface soil, to a depth of eight inches, at R and S, respectively. 

 In each case, the samples collected represented successive sections of the 

 soil to a total depth of four feet : at R, six samples, each extending ver- 

 tically through eight inches, were taken ; at S, an alkaline patch with a 

 superficial area of about 2,000 square yards, eleven samples were taken, of 

 which the first eight represented three-inch, and the remaining three, 

 eight^inch vertical sections. 



The analyses made resulted as follows : 



Sodium Sodium Sodium Total Calicum Calicum Magne- Magne- Total soluble salts. 



J^T O chloride, sulphate, carbon- alkaline sulphate, carbon- sium sium Calculated. Found, 



ate. salts. ate. sulphate, carbon- 

 ate. 



Rl -024 _ ._ -060 



R2 -018 ________ -044 



R3 -010 _____ .Q70 



R4 -Oil ______ -062 



R5 -Oil - ___._ -056 



R6 -019 -080 



(The blanks in the upper part of this table signify " undetermined.") 



81 T029 -162 1-191 -112 '020 '043 T366 1'400 



82 -942 -114 1-056 '088 '020 '071 T235 1*272 



83 -662 -037 -699 -037 -067 '003 -806 -858 

 S4 -516 -071 -587 -029 '041 '018 -675 '700 



082 -569 -024 -014 '027 '634 '674 



86 -409 -082 -491 -018 '014 -030 '553 '572 



57 -342 -062 -404 -016 '014 '005 -439 '504 



58 -301 -067 -368 -014 '007 -005 -394 -450 



59 -291 -066 -357 -009 -012 'Oil '389 '428 

 BIO '307 -073 -380 -012 -012 -404 -476 

 811 -321 -076 -397 -007 '012 '004 -420 "496 



In the case of the soil R, there was no necessity to push the investi- 

 gation further, the total soluble salts being considerably below the danger 

 limit. At S a very different condition of things exists, and a diagram is 

 attached, showing the curves of the various soluble salts in the soil as we 

 descend from the surface to a depth of four feet.f 



DIVISION or CARNARVON. 



An investigation of the alkaline tracts near the large dam called Van 

 "Wyk's Vlei, 45 miles north-west of Carnarvon village, was conducted on 

 lines somewhat similar to those already indicated. By means of this dam, 



* See page 115. 



t In connection with the curves shown in the accompanying diagram*, it will be 

 noticed, each acid ion is indicated by a distinguishing feature in the line of curve as well as 

 each basic ion : Thus carbonates are shown by dots, sulphates by crosses, and chlorides by 

 +ran*cer*e dashes. These are repeated singly in the case of CALCIUM compounds, in pairs 

 for MAGNESIUM compounds, and unintermittently for SODIUM compounds. 



