The Bulletin 



35 



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

 soil of this type : 



AVERAGE MECHANICAL ANALYSIS. 



Surface soil. 

 Subsoil 



Fine 

 Gravel, 

 Per Cent 



Coarse 



Sand, 



Per Cent 



2.3 

 .2 



6.9 



1.8 



Medium 



Sand, 

 Per Cent 



7.5 

 3.9 



Fine 



Sand, 



Per Cent 



25.2 

 13.3 



Very Fine 



Sand, 

 Per Cent 



21.7 

 9.5 



Silt, 

 Per Cent 



19.0 

 20.3 



Clay, 

 Per Cent 



17.3 

 51.1 



DURHAM SANDY LOAM 



The immediate surface soil is a grayish or whitish loamy sand which 

 grades into a pale yellow sandy loam. The subsoil beginning anywhere 

 between 8 and 20 inches is yellow, friable clay, carrying sharp particles 

 of quartz sand. There are 7,616 acres of this soil, which lies in an 

 almost unbroken body extending across the north-central part of the 

 county, beginning near Catawba River, west of Superior, and continu- 

 ing to the south of Huntersville. Smaller bodies lie southeast of Mat- 

 thews and south of Newell. 



The Durham sandy loam is derived from coarse-grained granites 

 composed mainly of feldspar and quartz and some mica. The surface 

 of the soil is gently rolling on the crest of ridges and hilly to broken on 

 the slopes. Excellent surface drainage prevails everywhere, and on some 

 of the steeper slopes erosion is pronounced. Only patches of the original 

 forest growth of oaks and hickory remain, while the second growth is 

 mainly old field pine, scrub oak, and sweet gum. 



The Durham sandy loam is universally recognized as one of the best 

 soils in the piedmont region of North Carolina and Virginia for the pro- 

 duction of bright tobacco, although none is grown on a commercial scale 

 in Mecklenburg County. There is every reason to believe that this in- 

 dustry could be profitably extended here as is the case in Davidson, Dur- 

 ham, Caswell, Gi'anville, and other counties. The soil is also well suited 



