The Bulletin 



17 



rain waters. The streams have made inroads into practically all of the 

 uplands, thus modifying the surface features and changing the texture 

 of the soils. 



The level areas along the rivers, creeks, and branches mapped as 

 Congaree fine sandy loam and Meadow are of alluvial origin — that is, 

 have been formed and are at present being modified by materials washed 

 down and deposited by the streams. 



The soils of Mecklenburg County, owing to the great variety of rocks 

 and the extent of surface erosion, are complicated. In many cases they 

 grade imperceptibly into one another, and some of the types are so 

 closely related that they could be separated only by boundaries more or 

 less arbitrarily placed. 



The following table gives the name and extent of each of the soil 

 types mapped in Mecklenburg County : 



AREA OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOIL. 



Soil 



Cecil clay loam 



Cecil sandy loam 



Cecil clay.. 



Cecil fine sandy loam... 

 Iredell fine sandy loam 



Meadow 



Iredell loam 



Mecklenburg clay loam 



Soil 



Durham sandy loam. 



Cecil coarse sandy loam .. 



Mecklenburg loam 



Congaree fine sandy loam 

 Alamance silt loam 



Total 



Acres 



7,616 

 6.976 

 5,824 

 3,200 

 1,280 



347,520 



Per Cent 



2.2 



2.0 



1.7 



.9 



.4 



CECIL CLAY LOAM 



The Cecil clay loam soil, locally known as "red land," occupies almost 

 two-fifths, or 131,136 acres, being by far the largest type in extent in 

 the county. It is an intermediate type, varying in texture and color be- 

 tween the red clay and the sandy loam. The surface soil consists of a 

 brown, reddish brown, to red loam or clay loam, having a depth of 4 

 to 8 inches. The subsoil is a red stiff clay extending to a depth usually 

 of several feet, being tough and hard when dry, but sticky when wet. 

 Patches of dark brown or snuff-colored loam, locally called "dead land" 

 or "push land," are common, and frequently spots of Cecil clay are de- 

 veloped, especially on its slopes where surface washing has been active. 

 This type includes patches of sandy loam and fine sandy loam and a few 

 areas with a shallow covering of an inch or two of sandy material. 



The Cecil clay loam is the most important and by far the most exten- 

 sive soil type in Mecklenburg County. It is well represented in about 

 all parts of the county, but is more predominant through the central, 

 eastern, and northern parts where large irregular shaped and continuous 

 areas are encountered. 



The characteristic surface features of the type vary greatly, consist- 

 ing mainly of practically level and gently rolling to rolling areas, though 

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