Proceedings of the South & East African combined agricultural, cotton, entomological and mycological conference held at Nairobi, August, 1926

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1738588467

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-115043

Document type:: Monograph

Title:: Proceedings of the South & East African combined agricultural, cotton, entomological and mycological conference held at Nairobi, August, 1926

Place of publication:: Nairobi

Publisher:: East African Standard

Year of publication:: 1926

Scope:: VI, 337 Seiten; Ill.

Digitisation:: 2020

Collection:: Economics Books

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

Chapter

Document type:: Monograph

Structure type:: Chapter

Title:: Part II. Agriculture

Collection:: Economics Books

PART TI. which this Agenda, which is before you, was drawn up. It was further proposed that the Chairmen of the Sections should make a practice of meeting together at the end of each day’s sitting to discuss and decide what subjects should be dealt with by each Section at its succeeding sitting, also those which should be reserved for the General Conference, so that there should be no unnecessary waste of time, and so that a programme could be arranged enabling those interested to attend discussions. Speaking generally, these were the proposals made, and 1 should be glad to know if they are acceptable to you; also, if you have any suggestions to offer for the work of the Agricultural Section.” These general arrangements, as outlined, were agreed to. CHAPTER II. . SOIL PROBLEMS. SOME SOIL PROBLEMS IN KENYA. Mr. BECKLEY read the following paper (referred to in the agenda as T.C.(C)Ag.8): — Soil investigation in Kenya is a very young branch of scientific endeavour, and in this paper only the superficial aspects are considered. On the whole the soil problems of the Kenya Highlands are general in character but their application to any particular soil is intimately connected with the origin of that soil. A very great deal of the part of Kenya under European settlement is situated upon rock formations associated with the volcanic disturbances that accompanied the subsidences which have given rise to the Great Rift Valley. Tt is only with soils derived from these formations that it is proposed to deal as far as the fragmentary information regarding the geology of the Colony allows. The Kapitian formation is the first of the lava flows. It forms the foundation of the Athi and Kapiti plains, and probably the greater part of the Uasin Gishu Plateau. It also appears in the neighbourhood of Mount Kenya and at Kisumu. The soil derived from this formation is a very dark coloured clay or clay-loam, generally spoken of as ““ black cotton soil.”” The vegetation carried by this class of soil is usually pure grass. The Kapitian formation is overlain by the Doinyan basalts. As far as it has been possible to ascertain, the soils derived from this formation are sandy clays, light grey in colour when dry and black when wet. These soils are apparently poorly supplied with plant nutrients and are hungry soils. The Nyassan formation, a mixture of lake deposits and small lava flows, has, so far, only been studied in the Rift Valley. The soils are silty in character. Later aeolian deposits have, to a large extent, covered the Nyassan soils, greatly modifying their nature. These soils, as far as it has been possible to characterise them. carry a mixed vegetation of thorn bush and grass. The Laikipian lavas, which are the next in age, form the ridged lips of the Rift Valley and also occur in the neighbourhood of Mount Kenya. As their name infers, they form the Laikipia Plateau. In the more settled areas, the soils of the Kikuyu Highlands and those along the Mau and Elgeyo Escarpments are derived from this sroup of 30

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: Proceedings of the South & East African combined agricultural, cotton, entomological and mycological conference held at Nairobi, August, 1926

Monograph

Chapter

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

Chapter

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation