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Southern Provice, block area, Lindi and Masasi districts Fangan 1097
Panganyika
This block is roughly contained by the Ruponda-Lukuledi road, the Lukuledi river, the Londo hills, the Mbemkuru river and the Ruponda-Liwale road. It is gently undulating rather than flat. There are few broad open drainage zones, the majority of the streams being incised. Granitic rock of the basement complex outcrops on some of the ridges. A coarse crystalline limestone occurs at Namanga, near Ruponda, and at other places. The main soils range from red and red brown light and medium loams, found on the higher ground and near the bases of hills to rich brown loams and to grey sandy loams, with heavy cracking clays in the depressions. Analyses of a few Block A soils are given in section 11. Vegetation is almost entirely miombo, with bamboo in the wetter sites, particularly on old farms, but the type varies from heavy in the western areas approaching the Liwale-Tunduru scarp, to light in the centre of the block.
Southern Province, Block B area, Liwale district, Tanganyika
This area lies north of the Ruponda-Liwale road, and includes the Mtondo valley and the watershed areas between the Mtondo and the Mbemkuru. This area is again rather undulating than flat, but contains several large open drainage lines with heavy soils and grassy vegetation. Much of the area is light open savannah thickening on the ridges to light miombo. Granite outcrops have been seen, but the area is unsurveyed geologically.
The soils of the higher areas are warm red-brown to brown light loams. (The white sands of the Liwale district, with their heavy miombo and secondary thicket vegetation, are excluded by the western boundary.) There are sections whose pedology is not yet clear, of black humic sandy soils covered by a layer of coarse sand wash, in the Mtondo valley. In general, Block B is a much easier area to clear than Block A.
Handeni area, Korogwe and Handeni districts, Tanganyika
This area in north-east Tanganyika was rejected. It lies at about 1,500 to 2,000 feet above sea level, in the upper valley of the Pangani river. Rainfall is about 30 in. annually. It was found to be inadequate in area, being badly broken towards the east, and the principal soil, a heavy red loam, is unsuitable for the mechanical cultivation of groundnuts.
Malindi area, Malindi district, Kenya
The area, which has been rejected for the time being, lies between 20 and 60 miles north of Malindi on the Garsen road, and stretches inland from the sea for 10 to 30 miles. The soils (red to yellow sandy loams with calcium carbonate in the subsoil at places) are suitable, and the vegetation, an open scrub with much Acacia and Commiphora, is fairly light. The rainfall was, however, regarded as inadequate. Although the average at Malindi is 41 in., the total evidently falls off to the north and west. This total is divided between two seasons in each year, and the risk of a shortfall in any one season was con- sidered serious. Further, communications are very poor. Trial plots have, how- ever, given fairly good yields, and the area is still under observation by the Department.
Mackinnon Road area, Voi district, Kenya
The area proposed here lies about 60 miles from Mombasa on the Kenya and Uganda railway. It is at about 1,500 feet, and the average rainfall for Mackin- non Road station is 28 in. This precipitation is, however, spread over eight months of the year, again with two maxima, and the danger of drought led to the rejection of the area. The soils are mostly bright red light loams, with ironstone concretions in the subsoil. Vegetation is a light Commiphora scrub. Ground water is stated to be saline. The area is now under development as a military base.
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