NOTES ON SOME LITTORAL AND OTHER SOILS.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XXVII, Issue 5, 20 November 1923, Page 298

NOTES ON SOME LITTORAL AND OTHER SOILS.

B. C. ASTON,

F.I.C., F.N.Z.Inst., Chemist to the Department.

From time to time for various' reasons soils have been analysed fully in the Department's Chemical Laboratory, although this is not the practice unless the work is required in connection with some special investigation upon which departmental officers are engaged, or unless on request from some member of the public who is willing to pay the fee for such work, which is £5 5s. per sample. As a number of soil surveys are at present in progress in various parts of the Dominion, under the control of different chemists, publication of the results of analyses of miscellaneous samples made by this Department during the last three years may be useful to those engaged in the study of the science of the soil,, and are here recorded mainly with that object.

LITTORAL AND SALTY SOILS.

0 809 and 810 (see tables) are two samples, collected under the direction of the district Fields officer, from the Little Shoal Bay Reserve, at Northcote, a tidal reclamation of 30 acres on the Auckland Harbour north shore, which it was desired to convert into a playingfield. O 809, taken among rushes, was a dark soil containing much organic matter. 0 810, taken from the middle area, was a composite sample of a light-coloured soil with little organic matter. Analysis shows that the soils, which are sandy loams, are well supplied with total potash, ■ and available potash is present in excessive amount. The percentage of available and total phosphate is low. The amount of salt present is not on that ground sufficient to deter an attempt to grass the area after it has been protected from further sea submergence. The amount of salt present is under a half of 1 per cent. (0-5 per cent.). Most farm crops, according to Sir A. D. Hall, will grow on a soil which contains one-quarter of 1 per cent. (0-25), and in Egypt grasses grew freely when there was as much as 1 per cent, of salt in the soil. Success with treatment of salty soils in New Zealand is mentioned on page 104 of this Department’s annual report for 1907.

A more serious proportion of salt is contained in M .636, a fine sandy loam, collected under the direction of the district Fields officer from Park Island, an island of 100 acres at Napier, containing land subject to flooding by sea-water at high tides. The amount of the. salt in this soil was 2-8 per cent. All plant-foods are present in very high proportion, especially the available phosphoric acid. It will be interesting to learn at what rate the salt will decrease in the soil when the stop-banks which it is proposed to construct have fully shut out the flowing tides. If this is successful no doubt it will be possible to grow such crops as mangolds and asparagus, and eventually, when the salt has diminished, the whole will become a fertile garden.

O 816 and 817 are two coarse sandy soils, forwarded at the instance of the district Fields officer, from a littoral area at Wharenui, Cape Campbell, Marlborough, between the Wharenui Railway-station and the sea, and about 4 chains from it. These soils are well provided with all mineral plant-foods, but suffer from the extremely coarse texture common to sandy soils. The high content of available phosphoric acid will be again noticed —a frequent character in sealittoral soils. Improvement methods should be based on an attempt to improve the coarse texture by applications of organic manure or by green-manuring, or by applying soils of finer texture, such as those containing finer particles. '

M 651 and 652 are samples from the Te Arai Settlement, Gisborne, Section 5, Block IX. These are soils of very fine texture. M 651 would probably be very hard to cultivate, from the large percentage of fine silt and clay and low percentage of coarse and fine sand. M 652 has a much better texture. The amount of salt present is small, and affords no reason for suspecting that the land would prove infertile from this cause, although further inundation from salt or brackish water might increase the amount of salt present. Owing to the absence of any lime requirement and the high amount of all plant-foods present, this land should grow excellent pasture. The high amount of available potash and phosphoric acid present should be noted.

ORCHARD SOILS.

P 1245 and 1246 are soils from the Huapai Orchard Settlement, North Auckland. P 1245 was a sample of the stiffer soil of the district, considered especially suitable for apples. P 1246 is a much more friable soil found in patches and considered more suitable for citrus fruits. (The occurrence of patches of good soil is most noticeable in all poor gum-land soils. May not each patch mark the previous site of some gigantic kauri-tree, which is known to shed bark' and leaves and so build up a mound of decaying organic matter within the circumference of its spread of branches ?) The analyses of these soils disclose the fact that available and total phosphoric acid is present only in traces, while the other essential plant-foods, especially nitrogen, are present in fair proportion. The application of phosphatic manure must therefore be an essential feature in any fruit-farming operations.

P 399-402 are some orchard sandy-loam soils from the Te Mata Road, Havelock North, Hawke’s Bay. The outstanding feature of these soils is the deficiency of available and total phosphoric acid. Application of phosphates must form an important part of any scheme of improvement.

SOILS OF FINE TEXTURE.

L 974, a fine sandy loam from Tokirima (Wanganui River basin), is an interesting soil, as it is from , a country originally growing fern, and therefore easily brought in to pasture, but which, notwithstanding, grows very good pasture. There are many thousand acres of this type, and it probably owes its low primitive type of vegetation to the fact that the soil is derived from recent volcanic-mud showers.

As one would expect from its high total nitrogen content and low phosphate content, the soil produces excellent yields of all leafy crops, but fruiting-crop yields are not so good. The application of phosphatic manures will tend to balance the inequality which at present exists.

L 973 is a fine sandy silt from the flats on the Ohura River, a tributary of the Wanganui River. This is a very fertile soil, derived from an esteemed kind of papa rock (mudstone), and it contains good amounts of plant-food.

, P 272 and 273 are fine sandy silts from Ruatorea, a little-known district near the eastern limit of the North Island. The deficiency of this soil is one related to texture, which is manifested by a drying-up in summer. Green - manuring will probably be the means by which these soils may be ameliorated, as applications of clay are not feasible.

M 362, a silty loam from Claudelands, Hamilton, is a poor soil with a high lime requirement and a low phosphate content.

O 759 is a fine sandy silt from low terrace land by the Rangitikei River, at Bulks. It was complained that young sheep do not do satisfactorily on pasture grown on this terrace. Plant-foods and lime are present in good proportion except phosphoric acid, which is decidedly deficient, and the writer considers that this is sufficient to account for the ill success experienced with the stock. ' Good dressings of phosphatic manures were therefore recommended.

O 714, 715, and 716 are a series of soils — sandy loams—from an area near Palmerston North. 0 714 was a virgin soil taken in light bush, and bears a marked similarity to the sample K 387 taken in the Palmerston North Esplanade. Gardens, in similar small forest (see Journal, Vol. 21, 1920, p ; 112). The other samples, 0 715-6, were taken in grassed paddocks upon which a curious malnutrition disease had developed in horses. The grassed paddocks adjoined the area containing bush, and therefore the soils were probably at one time of the same composition.

SOILS OF COARSE TEXTURE.

R 58 and 60 are sandy silts from the Parihaka Soldiers’ Settlement, collected for me by the District Inspector of Stock. R 58 was a top soil taken from flat ground of an old Maori clearing. R 60 was from the top of a mound about 40 ft. or 50 ft. above the level of the flat ground. These are sandy silts, apparently deficient in available phosphate. The high amount of lime soluble in hydrochloric acid suggests that superphosphate would effect a considerable increase in the productiveness of this settlement.

P 341, from Waiomoko, Gisborne, is a pumiceous sandy soil of a dark colour, due to the organic matter present. It is well supplied with plantfood, especially that present in an available form. The lime requirement is. high, and liming is therefore recommended, especially for rape and turnip crops, which are found to fail after initial crops have been taken.

Mr. L. D. Foster, Analyst, efficiently carried out the chemical and Mr. R. E. Grimmett, B.Sc., Analyst, the mechanical work described in this article.

No. Laboratory Locality. Matter. Nitrogen. Total Extract, Dyer’s Modification Extract Total Lime Require(Per- ) Chloride. Sodium •Js to cf * Xo O •x0, B -2 °'B 26 0 0 S b£ g d O W P< O ’go 0 d '"S Ph 0 Ph<< g 0 36 'w X <D O Ci bjQ ft d O W Ph O • x: 0 Ph< 0 < co a o-g |5 so’ w -d o Xg O Tj H a O. aT 0 O a he . fg 04 Ph .0 >o o2. O O’ • <7) X <D O bn g fg 01 oW Ph ■H • O Ph< "0 a o.g 0 Cr h O 809 O 810 O 0 817 M M 651 652 R 58 R 60 P 1245 1246 P 399 P 400 P 401 402 L L 974 272 273 P 34i M 759 O 714 O 715 j Little . ..” Marlborough " Island, Napier Settlement, . New Plymouth Auckland . Te . (top (subsoil). (top soil) Ohura Flats . Tokirima . Ruatorea ... Gisborne Claudelands, Hamilton Bull’s Palmerston North .. II-O 18-0 10-0 17-0 5-o 4-o i6-7 16-8 | 7-06 4-64 r-74 i-66 5’76 . 7-80 7’86 7-32 7-80 1-7-7o • 3'78 23’28 3'75 14-56 23-36 4-18-44 4-73-3’87 3-00 ■ 12-4-46 4'50 6-32 n-6o 73'26 22-52 18-14 6-05 13-2-28 6’34 2-87 6-4-45 i7-5i 8-11-40 7-7-8o 0-325 0-115 0-088 0-168 0-473 0'495 0'097 0-822. o-547 0-117 0-191 . 0-066 0-225 0-084 0-221 0-095 0-388 0-529 0'445 0-519 0-450 0-303 0-344 0-271 0-254 O-I35 0-066 0-237 0-195 0-397 0216 1-774 0-212 0-I5I 0-045 0-031 0-126 0-132. 0-140 0-150 0-102 O-X73 0-167 0-094 0-130 0-069 0-400 0-275 o-n6 0-130 0-116 0-082 0-039 0-049 0-199 0-099 0-184 0-076 0-039 O-OII 0-020 0-052 0-043 0-058 0-066 0-033 0-068 0-059 0-034 0-046 0-025 0-057 0-068 0-053 0-074 0-II4 0-148 0-035 0-022 O-2I4 0-063 0-081 0-02/ 0-023 0-012 0-014 0-009 0-020 0-013 0-017 0-031 0-036 0-024 0-041 0'035 0-018 0-049 0-034 0-026 0-028 0-007 0-009 0-040 0-027 0-060 0-032 0-014 0-009 0-002 Trace 0-002 Trace 0-002 0-018 0-007 0-014 0-018 0-022 0-003 O-OOI 0-036• 0-019 0-016 0-52 0-25 i-i7 1-05 1-0-84 2-2-01 i-39 0-13 0-17 0-62 o-55 o-57 o-66 1-05 0-69 o-43 o-53 0-25 0-21 1-46 1-06 0-78 0-84 0-50 0-42 o-8o o-86 1-37 1-32 1-46 o-8o 0-64 0-25 0-20 0-50 o-39 0-51 0-45 0-98 0-70 o-57 0'6r 0-22 0-20 1-04 o-8o ,1 1o-57 o-76 0-30 0'33 0-25 0-31 0-74 0-71 o-54 0-16 0-20 0-22 0-14 0-35 0-29 0-40 0-30 0-42 0-41 0-38 0-42 0-12 0'07 0-56 0-55 0-50 0-52 o-o6 0-05 O-IO 0-09 0-15 0-13 0-09 0-14 0-05 Trace O-OI 0-08 O'OI 0-05 0-06 0-08 0-21 0'10 0-09 0-07 0-03 0-13 0-08 0-08 o-33 0-24 0-02 ■0-05 0-04 -0-05 -0-13 0-01 0-21 0-04 0-18 0-35 0’45 o-45 0-05 o-i7 0-15 0-17 0-36 0-25 0'02 0-05 0-04 -0-05 -0-13 O-OI 0-22 0-04 0-19 0-38 0-47 o-55 0-05 0-18 0-16 0-18 i 0-30 0-46 2-81 0-08 0-26

LITTORAL AND OTHER SOILS.—CHEMICAL ANALYSES. (Results, except, are percentages on soil dried at 100° C.)

Lab. No. Description of Soil. (Classification of United States Department of Agriculture modified.) Analysis of “ Fine Earth ” passing 2 mm. Sieve. Stones and Gravel. Fine Gravel. Coarse Sand. Fine Sand. Silt. Fine Silt. Clay. Moisture and Loss on Ignition. 0 809 Fine sandy loam .. Nil 5-6 28-7 15'4 20-6 ' 13-0 16-8 Nil. O 810 Sandy loam .. 13-8 47’6 8-9 12-4 9-0 8-6 .1 O 816 Coarse sandy soil 24-4 61-9 3'0 2-2 i-9 o-5 5-8 O 817 Fine sandy loam 35'4 40-2 5’6 5'7 4'7 r-7 7'4 ■ " M 636 Nil 3'7 23'9 24-6 16-9 10-9 17’3 M 651 Clay loam 1-0 2-1 22-8 27-1 30-3 i7-i M 652 Fine sandy loam . o-7 27-6 40-2 I2-I io-i 7-9 R 58 Medium sandy silt 3'4 24'9 14-6 14-6. 10-2 2-8 29-8 R 60 Fine.sandy. silt .. 1-2 14-2 - 22-3 24’3 9-o 1-2 * 25'9 P1245-6 Not analysed. P 399 Sandy loam .. .. o-4 20-0 40'5 n-6 10-0 II-I 6-o 7-o P 400 Fine sandy silt ' 0-2 n-4 35'5 23-2 15-2 ■ 5'6 9'1 Trace. P 401 Fine sandy loam . .... o-i 7'5 36-7 18-9 14-2 15'8 6-i 1-0 P 402 Fine sandy silt O-I 9’3 26-4 23'7 19-8. 10-0 ro-3 1-0 P 973 Nil 2-8 44-9 24'7 7-r 4'1 17-1 Nil. P 974 Fine sandy loam 2-7 io-3 26'0 . 16-7 8-7 35-i 1' P 272 Fine sandy silt 0*2 . 8-5 25-7 25-8 15'8 2-6 21-6 34'4 P 273 Not analysed. o-i 10-4 24-9 28-6 15-9 4'1 16-6 ■ 2-6 P 34i M 362 Silt loam .. 0-2 7-r 18-6 ' 34'1 8-2 4-o 27-2 Nil. 0 759 Fine sandy silt .. ■ Nil 0-2 26-8 37'3 12’4 6-6 16-3 O 714 Trace. O 714 Fine sandv loam Fine sandv loam i-7 31'7 28-9 ro-5 n-8 15’4 . • i-7 31'7 28-9 io-5 n-8 15'4 Trace. O 715 .. O-I o-i 5-o 5-o '33'8 33’8 29-8 29-8 12-5 12-5 8-4 8-4 n-3 n-3 «t O ■ 716 5) Nil Nil r-9 i-9 31-3 31’3 34'3 34’3 n-5 ii-5 H’0> II-O io-6 io-6 n

LITTORAL AND OTHER SOILS.—MECHANICAL ANALYSES. (Results are percentages on air-dried soil.)