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The Bulletin 



which forms a large belt in that part of the State. These slates are 

 usually fine-grained, being either massive or breaking up into thin 

 flakes. The surface features of this belt vary from gently rolling to 

 rolling, and in places, steeply rolling to hilly. The Alamance series 

 differs from the Georgeville mainly in the color of soil and subsoil, and 

 also in agricultural value. 



Only two types have been mapped in the Alamance series: the Ala- 

 mance silt loam and the slate loam. 



ALAMANCE SILT LOAM. 



The surface soil of the Alamance silt loam to a depth of 2 to 3 inches 

 consists of a light gray to almost white silt loam, passing gradually 

 into a yellowish-gray or yellow silt loam which extends to a depth of 6 

 to 10 inches. The uniformly mellow, smooth, silty texture of this soil 

 together with its whitish surface, gives it somewhat the appearance of 

 flour, and for this reason, it is locally called "white floury land." The 

 subsoil of the typical areas is a yellow silt loam to silty clay, which in 

 the lower portion of the 3 foot section presents a reddish cast, or 

 shows mottlings of red. Occasionally in the flatter and poorer drained 

 areas the subsoil is a pale, yellow, silty, clay mottled with gray and 

 white. However, all variations in color, from a beautiful yellow to 

 light red, may be seen in the subsoil. This type is so closely associated 

 with the Georgeville silt loam, that in many places it contains spots of 

 the latter. Frequently on the small ridges or knolls, the surface has a 

 considerable sprinkling of white quartz rocks, and in many places slate 

 fragments are of frequent occurrence. 



The Alamance silt loam is one of the largest and most important soils 

 in the south central part of the State, or in the slate belt. In its natural 

 condition, it is not highly productive, but when supplied with vegetable 

 matter, limed and fertilized, it is adapted to corn, oats, wheat, rye, 

 clover, grasses and cowpeas, and in the southern counties to cotton. 



Sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, sorghum and garden vegetables do well, 

 and these together with a few apples, peaches and pears are grown for 

 home, and to a limited extent for local markets. 



AVERAGE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF ALAMANCE SILT LOAM. 



