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III 111:1 uy sections of the eotiiity tlie slopes and hillsides have hecoiue 

 guillied and eroded, but with the exception of a few of the steeper and 

 more severely eroded hillsides, practically all of Cabarrus County could 

 be farmed, and even these now abandoned rough spots could either be 

 reforested or shaped up and used for pasture lands. Some terracing of 

 the hillsides is now practiced to prevent washing. This may be neces- 

 sary on the steeper slopes, btit existing terraces could often be eliminated 

 by deeper plowing and by seeding the land to winter cover crops, such 

 as crimson clover, vetch, or even rye, thus returning to profitable culti- 

 vation areas now lying idle. 



There is nothing that will give the farmers larger returns for the 

 labor expended than Avould deeper plowing and a more thorough 

 preparation of the seed bed on the heavy types of soil. Deep plowing 

 in the fall will aid the proper tillage of these soils, the desirable tilth 

 being more easily secured after the frosts have acted upon the rough 

 furrow slices. Fall ploAving, however, leaving the soil unoccupied, can 

 onlj^ be recommended upon lands that are not subject to erosion. These 

 stiff, intractable soils need to be loosened up and aerated in order to 

 give the plant roots a larger feeding zone. Such manipulation allows 

 more of the rainfall to be absorbed, thus insuring a better supply of 

 moisture during dry seasons and giving better drainage in wet seasons. 



Throughout Cabarrus County there are large areas of soil, particu- 

 larly the light sandy loams and silt loams, which are decidedly de- 

 ficient in humus. This important element may be supplied by the 

 growing of cowpeas, crimson clover, and vetch, or by applying barn- 

 yard manure. The addition of these organic materials tends to make 

 the light soil more loamy in character and greatly increases their power 

 to retain water, while it loosens up the compact, heavy, clayey and 

 silty soils, permitting more complete aeration and easier tillage. 



More systematic rotation, growing a greater diversity of crops, should 

 be practiced by a majority of the farmers, especially those who now 

 depend mainly on cotton. While all of the necessary products are 

 grown to some extent for home use, considerable quantities of corn, hay, 

 flour, and meat are shipped into the county. All of these products could 

 be produced on the farms, and Cabarrus County could easily be made an 

 exporting rather than an importing county. 



Another important means toward obtaining large yields is the secur- 

 ing of good stands of plants. In order to accomplish this, much at- 

 tention is necessary to the selection of seed. It is a waste of time and 

 money to cultivate a field with only a partial stand. On some of the 

 soils, particularly tlie heavy clays and in the slate belt, cotton sometimes 

 fails to mature before the early frosts. It should be the endeavor of 

 every farmer in selecting his seed to secure for such soils an early 

 maturing variety. Varieties suited to the clay soils will not give the 

 best yields on the lighter sandy soils, and vice versa. 



