Railway east of Nakuru Township in a direct 

 northerly direction to a few miles north of Lake 

 vSolai, or about lo miles north of the equator. It is 

 bordered on the east by the Laikipia escarpment, 

 the southern portion having on its western side the 

 extinct Menengai Crater, while the northern portion 

 joins up with the Lower Molo district. The Solai 

 district is situated almost exactly in the centre of 

 the healthy Highland Zone. 



SOIL. To-day, with East Africa as a vigorous and 



prospering colony, the Solai is one of the most 

 attractive centres, in which all the staple crops of the 

 Highlands can be seen flourishing. Its soil ranges 

 from ordinary black sandy loam and the richer loam 

 of the elephant grass country to red sandy loam and 

 the staffer red iron soil typical of other parts of East 

 Africa, and the climate varies in sympathy with the 

 altitude. 



The most predominant forage plant is the red 

 grass {anthesteria-hnberbis), and where heavy grazing 

 has taken place this has been replaced by such 

 valued forage plants as Rhodes and Rescue grass and 

 the Ikoka of the Wakikuyu (cynodon-dactylon) . 

 Paspalum dilatatum grows in great luxxiriance 

 wherever it has been introduced, while ordinary 

 cocksfoot, ryegrass, the fescues; crimson, alsike and 

 white clover, trefoil, sainfoin, etc., all thrive on the 

 sandy loams. The lower portion of the valley is 

 famous among stock owners as being as good cattle 

 grazing as can be found anywhere. 



STAPLE CROPS. All the red soil parts grow as heavy crops of 



coffee as any of the other coffee districts of East 

 Africa, and both red and black soils produce heavy 

 crops of maize, and the appearance of specimen plants 

 of sisal augurs well for the future of the prospective 

 sisal planter. The upper part of the valley, including 

 the black sandy loam district, with its well-distrib- 

 uted rainfall, has been characterised as flax country 

 par excellence, and crops of exceptionally high 

 quality have been reaped. Black wattle flourishes, 

 as also does sugar cane in some parts, and broom 

 corn produces switches equal to the best Italian. 



FRUIT POSSi- Some of the orchards in the Valley shew promise 



BiLiTiES. of its becoming a good fruit country. The black 



98 



