Fertility of some Colonial Soils. 



27 



The most remarkable feature about these soils is that they are all 

 very uniform in texture and fine in grain, as may be noticed on 

 glancing down the column headed ** Fine Earth." The effect of the 

 calcareous rocks is seen in the relatively large proportions of lime in 

 some of the soils ; their irregular occurrence in the very small per- 

 centages exhibited by some others. There is, in fact, much less 

 range in the potash than in the lime of these soils. 



The averages for these Burghersdorp and Stormberg soils are as 

 follows : — 



Lime -233 



Potash = -172 



Phosphoric oxide -078 



The next class of soils that we have to deal with belongs to the 

 Uitenhage series, and more particularly to the geological base of 

 that series, namely, the Enon conglomerate. The formation is of a 

 more recent date than any of those previously considered, and we 

 here pass from the Karroo to the Cretaceous System. The Uiten- 

 hage series consists of shales, clays, and sandstones, with limestone 

 bands and marls. A fair proportion of lime may therefore be 

 expected in the soils to which these rocks give rise, and in the 

 following table this anticipation will be seen to prove correct : — 



XIII. UITENHAGE SEKIES. 



Serial 

 No. 



Division. 



Farm. 



Fine 

 Earth. 



Water. 



Organic 



Matter. 



Lime. 



Potash. 



Phos- 

 phoric 

 Oxide. 



171 



Knysna 



Gaanze Vallei ... 



995 



2-19 



631 



■116 



•054 



■045 



172 





Witte Drift 



90-8 

 84-4 



1-60 

 1-33 



6-42 

 516 



•112 

 •112 



■069 

 ■039 



044 



173 



Matjesfontein ... 



■078 



174 



Gudtshoorn 



Vlakte Plaats 



895 



206 



6-25 



1^170 



•299 



•150 



175 



" 



Riet Vallei 



560 

 69-9 



■65 

 3-73 



1^85 

 433 



■154 

 ■100 



■100 

 •149 



074 



176 



Oudtshoorn 



■058 



177 



,, 



Blaauwboschkuil 



91-5 



1-97 



431 



■530 



•211 



•134 



178 



,, 



Welbedacht 



910 



•87 



250 



■606 



•144 



•124 



179 





Jan Fourie's 



















Kraal 



95-9 



■84 



236 



■172 



■161 



•068 



180 



,, 



Welgerust 



911 



1-57 



2-65 



■170 



■170 



•063 



181 



,, 



Adjoining BufEels 



















Vlei 



81-9 



■44 



164 



•046 



■098 



•049 



182 



Uitenhage 



Upper Landdrost 



99-5 



270 



472 



•182 



■292 



•073 



183 







98-9 



•79 



2^56 



•156 



■197 



•068 



184 





Gouvernements 



















Belooning 



991 



1-92 



5-62 



•718 



■333 



•143 



ia5 





Gouvernements 



















Belooning 



98-3 



107 



330 



•078 



■108 



•075 



186 



,, 



Klaas Kraal 



93-2 



•94 



3-64 



•392 



•239 



•116 



187 







100 



1-35 



363 



•592 



■226 



•086 



188 







98-4 



■90 



2^90 



■066 



•178 



•068 



189 



,, 





99-6 



102 



2^54 



■182 



•185 



•092 



190 





Malmaison 



958 



122 



3-48 



•278 



•276 



•087 



191 



" 





99-2 



118 



373 



■338 



•278 



•132 









It is interesting to note how closely these Uitenhage soils resemble 

 those of the preceding table in respect of their plant-food content ; 

 in each case the average is slightly higher than in the Burghersdorp 

 and Stormberg soils, namely — 



