150 THE SOILS OF CALVERT COUNTY 



small pebbles. Locall}^ the material frequently becomes finer-grained, 

 forming a sand}^ loam type, but this is more usual near the boundary 

 with some other type where rain-wash has brought in finer local ma- 

 terial. The subsoil is a rather coarse-grained, yellow sand mixed with 

 pebbles and broken iron crust and usually very loosely coherent. The 

 soil varies in depth from eight inches to about one foot, Avhile the sub- 

 soil may be three feet or ten feet in thickness, depending upon the 

 amount of the material originally deposited and upon the progress of 

 what little erosion takes place over the area. It is very uniformly under- 

 lain by the finer-grained sands and sandy loams of the Choptank or 

 St. Mary's divisions of the Chesapeake. The contact between the 

 Windsor sand and the underlying material is frequently well shown 

 in the deeper road cuts. 



The natural growth of this type of soil in Calvert and nearby counties 

 consists of forests of pitch pine and yellow pine, which give it a dis- 

 tinctive character so pronounced that where the forest still remains 

 it is usually easy to recognize the boundaries and extent of the areas 

 by the tree growth. It is also noticeable that the most sandy roads of 

 the county are, with few exceptions, found in areas of Windsor sand. 



In Calvert County this soil type supports some of the finest peach 

 orchards of the region. The fruit is noteworthy for its fine color and 

 flavor, and peach orchards in the county remain in bearing over periods 

 of twenty-five or thirty years. Tobacco produces a good texture of 

 leaf upon this soil type, though the amount raised per acre is some- ? 



what less than on heavier soils. In especially dry seasons the plants j\ 



are more liable to " fire " on the Windsor sand than on soils more retentive | 



of moisture. The Windsor sand is well adapted to the pro- 

 duction of early truck crops. Increased rapid transportation facilities 

 should permit of the more general introduction of such crops on this 

 and other light soil types in the county. 



The inability of so light and porous a type of soil to maintain a 

 sufficient amount of soil moisture for plant growth during periods of 

 drought may be corrected in part by the more general use of green 

 manures plowed under, crimson clover and cowpeas being well adapted 

 to such uses. 



