The Bulletin 17 



CECIL CLAY LOAM 



Tlie Cecil clay loam, locally called "red land," is the largest and most 

 important soil for general farming purposes in the county. It covers 

 53,632 acres or nearly one-fourth of the total land area in Cabarrus 

 County. Large areas of this soil are scattered over all parts of the 

 county, excepting the slate belt, being well developed around Best's 

 Mill, Pioneer Mills, Rimer, to the east and southwest of Concord, and 

 also in the northwestern corner of the county. 



This soil consists of a brown to red heavy loam to clay loam ranging 

 in depth from 6 to 10 inches. The subsoil to a depth of 3 feet or more 

 is a bright red stiif clay, plastic when wet and hard and crumbly when 

 dry. To the west of Concord the subsoil contains a noticeable amount 

 of small scales of mica. In the northwestern part of the county the 

 surface soil for the first 2 or 4 inches may be a heavy sandy loam. In 

 other localities the surface soil is a dark brown to reddish brown clay 

 called "push land" or ''dead land," because it does not turn easily from 

 the moldboard. On eroded knolls and slopes spots of clay are of fre- 

 quent occurrence. 



The Cecil clay loam surface varies from nearly level or undulating 

 to rolling and broken, the more level areas occurring in the vicinity of 

 Kimer, Five Pines, and Barrier School. The more rolling and broken 

 areas are found usually along Cold Water, Dutch Buffalo, and Irish 

 Buffalo creeks and Rocky River. In places the smaller streams have 

 cut deep gullies in the hillsides and given a rough and broken surface. 

 Much of this soil, however, lies beautifully for farming purposes, par- 

 ticularly the broad interstream areas. All of the type possesses good 

 natural drainage, the run-off being excessive on the steeper slopes. 



This soil is best suited for the growing of wheat, corn, oats, cowpeas, 

 clover, and grasses, although cotton and all crops common to the county 

 are successfully produced. The best yield of cotton, potatoes, sorghum, 

 and garden vegetables are obtained from the lighter areas or those hav- 

 ing considerable sand in the surface soil. Cotton yields from V4 to 1 bale 

 per acre; corn from 15 to 50 bushels; wheat from 15 to 25 bushels; and 

 oats from 20 to 60 bushels per acre. 



The amount of sand usually present in the surface soil of tlie clay 

 loam renders it more friable and easier to till than the heavy red clay. 

 To improve this land and to increase the yields, deeper plowing, more 

 thorough pulverization of the soil, together with the addition of manure 

 or other vegetable matter, are recommended. When green manuring 

 crops are turned under a liberal application of lime gives beneficial 



results. 



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