De bodemgesteldheid van het ritsenlandschap en van de oude kustvlakte in Suriname

Agriculture developed remarkably in the old and especially in the young coastal plain of Surinam in the 17th, 18th and 19th century and produced such crops as sugar, cotton, tobacco, cocoa and coffee. In the second half of the 19th century activity decreased severely. With the modern sciences including soil science and survey the Surinam government was now trying to extent agriculture.The author surveyed some areas in the coastal plain, where there were sandy beachridges, some rich in shells. In the old coastal plain, he studied clay soils and eroded sand ridges of very fine sands, classified them and considered their suitability for fruit crops. Soil genesis was discussed. In the young beach ridges brown to reddish brown, biologically homogenized deep loamy sand soils were formed with favourable drainage and groundwater podsols with poor drainage. There were all intermediates.- In the older coastal- clay soils textural B horizons developed in planosol-like soils. Also plinthite was present. Better drained soils were well homogenized, giving physically good brown soils suitable for many fruit crops such as citrus, cocos, oilpalm and coffee. These soils are also very suitable for grassland.