MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SUKVEY 181 



Jersey large areas of this soil produce 30 to 35 bushels of wheat, 45 

 to 60 bushels of corn, 8 to 9 tons of tomatoes, and 2 tons of hay per 

 acre. It is the soil most preferred for stock raising and dairying, 

 and possesses an average value of $50 to $65 per acre. On the East- 

 ern Shore of Maryland extensive tracts of Sassafras loam are devoted 

 to peach and pear orchards, while tomatoes, sugar corn, and green 

 peas are raised for canning. The type there is valued at $35 to $60 

 per acre. In southern Maryland, including Prince George's County, 

 a much smaller range of crops is cultivated on this type, though the 

 climatic, soil, and market conditions are nearly identical in the three 

 regions. The type is valued at only $12 to $25 per acre on the aver- 

 age in the county. It is thus seen that the opportunities for improve- 

 ment in agricultural methods, for the introduction of new crops, for 

 the development of new industries, and for the profitable investment 

 of capital are many and great. 



The Leonardtown loam constitutes the nearest approach among 

 Maryland Coastal Plain soils to the heavy wheat and grass producing 

 soils of limestone regions. In spite of its level surface and its 

 advantages of drainage this type has been allowed to grow up to pine 

 and oak forest to a considerable extent since the civil Avar. It is not 

 adapted to the production of tobacco, and its capabilities in other 

 directions have remained unknown or unappreciated. This soil type 

 needs extensive applications of lime and green manures to make it 

 highly productive. It should produce good crops of wheat, com, and 

 grass, and form the basis of dairying or stock-raising activities. It 

 is the most extensive of the soil types in the county, and it can be 

 bought for $1.50 to $5 per acre in the unimproved state or for $5 to 

 $10 per acre improved, within a few miles of the District of Colum- 

 bia line. Experiments in other areas have shown that proper man- 

 agement will make this soil produce from 15 to 20 bushels of wheat, 

 from 35 to 50 bushels of corn, and from 1 ton to l^/o tons of hay per 

 acre. The only means employed to secure these yields have been tlie 

 application of lime and stable manure. 



The Norfolk sand is a typical Atlantic Coast truck soil. It is a 

 mealy, porous, warm sand, well drained and easily cultivated. In 

 regions where trucking forms an important part of agriculture this 



