SUGAR CANE SOILS. 



holds the rainfall, so that the cane often suffers from a lack of drainage. In wet 

 seasons, too, it is difficult, or often impossible, to give sufficiently frequent cultiva- 

 tions to keep down the weeds. These troubles are not so obvious when the land is 

 new, as the immense number of decaying roots leave the soil more or less open and 

 porous, so that the surface water passes away more readily. With age the soil 

 settles together and becomes more compact and impermeable. All old lands of this 

 class will be greatly improved by establishing a carefully planned system of 

 drainage ditches and keeping them always well cleaned. Ridging up in cultivation, 

 so as to leave deep water furrows between the rows, will also be very advantageous. 



Queensland Soils. The sugar cane soils of Queensland have been 

 subjected to survey by Maxwell 14 . He divides the soils of Queensland into 

 three districts, the Southern or Bundaberg, the Central or Mackay, and the 

 Northern or Cairns. 



Dr. Maxwell subdivides the soils of the southern district into four classes ; 

 the red soils, derived from true basaltic lavas ; the mixed dark and light red 

 and yellow red soils, derived partly from basaltic lavas and partly from 

 eruptive action upon other rock formations; soils more ratber than less of 

 sedimentary origin, and soils derived exclusively from older rock formations. 



The Mackay soils are of an acidic type formed from the decay of mixed 

 siliceous rocks, and are in sharp distinction to those of the Bundaberg district. 



The average analysis of the soils from the Mackay and Cairns district is 

 thus found by Maxwell : 



Phosphoric Phosphoric 



Lime. Potash. Acid. Nitrogen. Lime. Potash. Acid. 



Per Per Per Per Per Per Per 



cent. cent. cent. cent. cent. cent. cent. 



Total. Total. Total. Total. Available.*Available.*Available.* 



Cairns .. '292 .. -310 .. -141 .. -122 .. -0654 .. -0132 .. -0010 



Mackay.. -829 .. -223 .. -165 .. -122 .. -1119 .. -0222 .. -0020 



Java Soils. De Meijier 15 states that the soils of Java are formed 

 from the decomposition of the volcanic rock (andesite) forming the mountain 

 ranges of Java : the resulting soils are clays, those of West Java being 

 generally very heavy and compact and requiring considerable moistening before 

 ploughing. In East Java there is evidence of the products of vulcanism the 

 soils are lighter and sometimes more fertile. The native term Tanah ladoe is 

 applied to a mixed clay and sand soil, and Tanah lindjad to a heavy clay. 



The soils of Java have, of course, been subjected to rigid examination j 

 the analyses published by Kramers 16 are the most complete. The mean of 

 thirty analyses of East Java soils by him gives: lime T9 per cent.; 

 magnesia *2 per cent.; potash *07 per cent.; phosphoric acid *06 per cent.; 

 nitrogen *07 per cent. A number of soils from West Java 16 give as an average 

 lime *7 per cent.; magnesia *06 per cent.; potash '06 per cent.; phosphoric 

 acid '06 per cent. 



Mechanical analyses of the soil show from 10 per cent, to 30 per cent, of 

 fine sand less than *5 mm., and from 50 per cent, to 90 per cent, of clay. 



* Aspartic Acid Method. 

 53 



