Hon. W. a. Graham, Commissioner of Agriculture. 



Sir:_I submit herewith the manuscript of a report bearing on an 

 investigation of the soils of the Piedmont Section of the State. In the 

 May, 1911, Bulletin of the Department will be found a similar report 

 for'the soils occurring in the mountains. The work- as carried put has 

 included, (1) a survey or mapping of the soils to show the location and 

 extent of the different types; (2)' the analyses of the soils to determine 

 the amount of their important plant food constituents; and (3) the 

 conduct on the different soils of field experiments to ascertain the fer- 

 tilizer requirements for most profitable crops and their improvement, 

 and the crops to which they were best adapted. 



A similar report is being prepared for the eastern soils. More data 

 is available for this and the eastern report than was for the mountain 

 soils. A general or more comprehensive report of the work on all the 

 soils in the State will follow in due time. 



Acknowledgment is given for making the analyses of the soils to 

 J. K. Plummer, W. G. Haywood, J. M. Pickel, W. H. Strowd, J. Q. 

 Jackson and others in the chemical laboratory of the State Chemist ; for 

 a large part of the labor required in the preparation of the soil maps to 

 W. E. Hearn, L. L. Brinkley, F. P. Drane, S. O. Perkins, R B. Hardi- 

 son, E. B. Derrick and E. C. Jurney ; for writing the description of the 

 soils for this report to W. E. Hearn ; for aiding in conducting the field 

 work to E. L. Worthen, W. F. Pate, F. N". McDowell, F. T. Meacham, 



A. E. Eussell, E. C. Blair and the owners of the outlying experimental 

 fields ; and for early efforts in connection with the inauguration of the 

 work and for kindly interest and aid throughout its progress to Director 



B. W. Kilgore. 



I recommend the publication of this as the March Bulletin. 



Eespectfully, 



C. B. Williams, 

 Chief, Division of Agronomy. 

 Approved for printing: 



W. A. Graham, Commissioner. 



