26 



The Bulletin 



places. The soil lias been derived from the fine-grained granites, 

 gneisses, and schists; the original bed rock in places comes near the 

 surface. 



The Cecil fine sandy loam is a mellow and easily tilled soil when prop- 

 erly plowed and pulverized, and only in the heavier and more clayey 

 spots is there any baking or clodding. The forest growth consists of 

 oak and pine, with some hickory, sourwood, dogwood, and cedar. Per- 

 haps more than one-half of it is under cultivation. It is well suited to 

 cotton, corn, melons, strawberries, potatoes, cabbage, and the heavier 

 areas to wheat, oats, and cowpeas. Cotton yields from one-third to one 

 bale per acre, depending upon the amount of fertilizer applied and the 

 treatment of the soil. Corn, as a rule, gives low yields, but good crops 

 can be easily secured. Sweet potatoes, oats, cabbage, crimson clover, and 

 cowpeas do well. Strawberries grown on this soil yield heavily and have 

 good size, flavor, and shipping qualities. Lady Thompson, Bubacli, and 

 Crimson Cluster seem to be the favorite varieties. They ripen the last 

 of April and first of May. Considerable quantities of vegetables, in- 

 cluding Irish potatoes, are produced. Fruit and sorghum for sirup con- 

 stitute other secondary products of the type. 



On the heavier areas of this soil the small grains, grasses, clovers, and 

 corn can be made to give much larger yields by handling the soil differ- 

 ently. For increasing the productivity of this soil, the same treatment 

 can be followed as outlined under the Cecil sandy loam. From 200 to 

 400 pounds of an 8-3-3 fertilizer is used by the majority of farmers; 

 some, however, mix cottonseed meal, acid phosphate, and kainit, apply- 

 ing this in quantities varying from 150 to 200 pounds per acre. Cow- 

 peas and slover and also barnyard manure improve the soil and always 

 give increased yields in the succeeding crops. This land sells for $20 to 

 $60 an acre. 



The following table gives the results of analyses of the soil and sub- 

 soil of the Cecil fine sandy loam : 



