3 



ANALYSIS OF POHAKEA SOIL. 1 



Physical Analysis 



Per cent. 



Combined water and 



organic 35-935 



Fine gravel i. — 2. mm. 



16. 511 



Coarse sand 1. — 0.5 mm. 



11.337 



Medium sand 0.5 — 0.25 



mm 6.716 



Fine sand 0.25 — o. 1 mm. 



14.002 



Very fine sand 0.1 — 0.05 



mm 8.339 



Silt 0.05 — 0.005 mm. 5.848 

 Clay 0.005 — 0.0001 " .940 



Chemical Analysis 



Per cent. 



Water 19.540 



Organic and combined 



water 28.360 



Insoluble 19.320 



Fe 2 0 3 I Iron and alu- 



Al 2 0 3 J mina 28.797 



Ca O. .lime 300 



Mg. O magnesia 631 



S 0 ;3 sulph. acid 343 



P 2 0 5 phosphoric acid .703 



K 2 O potash 077 



Nitrogen total 728 



Humus " 12.470 



Humic nitrogen 560 



Nitrogen % in humus 4-49Q 



1 Analysis by Dr. Edmund C. Shorey. 



It will be noted that although the "iron and alumina" content 

 is high the percentage of clay is very low. The "fine gravel" and 

 "coarse sand" are really reducable to "fine sand" and "very fine 

 sand" if the soil is shaken in water for longer than the customary 

 period previous to analysis. There is almost no true clay in this 

 soil, and practically no true gravel or coarse sand. 



The lime is present as a silicate and is too low in quantity to 

 neutralize the acidity. The potash content is very low. Never- 

 theless a dressing of sulphate of potash applied to the experi- 

 mental plots at the rate of 500 pounds per acre produced cigar 

 leaf of exceptionally good burning qualities. The nitrogen al- 

 though high is largely unavailable so that it will pay to use mod- 

 erate amounts of nitrate on the crop. The phosphoric acid is 

 presumably largely unavailable. 



