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United States Department of Agriculture, 



BUREAU OF SOILS CIRCULAR No. 17. 

 MILTON WHITNEY, Chief of Bureau. 



MANURIAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE PORTSMOUTH SANDY LOAM OF 

 THE DARLINGTON AREA, SOUTH CAROLINA. 



The Portsmouth series of soils, of which the Portsmouth sandy loam 

 is the most extensive type, occurs mostly along the outer edge of the 

 Atlantic Coastal Plain, occupying level, slightly depressed areas in the 

 uplands. The soils are the result of sedimentary deposits modified by 

 swampy conditions, which have in recent times been lessened by the 

 establishment of better drainage. 



The Darlington area of South Carolina, lying wholly within the Coastal 

 Plain, is situated northeast of the center of the State and includes all 

 of Darlington County and a part of Lee County. Its climate is mild, 

 with a well-distributed rainfall ranging from 40 to 50 inches annually. 

 For further information relating to the soils and agriculture of the area, 

 see Soil Survey of the Darlington Area, South Carolina, Field Operations 

 of the Bureau of Soils, 1902. pp. 291-307. In that report Portsmouth 

 sandy loam is described under the name of Goldsboro compact sandy 

 loam, a name which has since been discarded. It is the most exten- 

 sive and important soil type of the Darlington area, embracing an area 

 of about 118,000 acres. It is also the least understood soil of the area, 

 considerable of it being uncultivated and only indifferent yields being 

 secured from most of the fields under cultivation. 



The soil used in the wire-basket tests, the results of which are reported 

 in subsequent pages, was collected from one of the best farms in the 

 Darlington area. Before selecting the location for sampling, a detailed 

 soil map of the whole farm was made and the fullest possible informa- 

 tion obtained in regard to its past history and the methods in use under 

 its present management. The owner and manager of this farm is looked 

 upon as one of the most up-to-date and successful farmers of Darlington 

 County, and inspection of his farm and the measure of success attained 

 will justify such a statement. It will be interesting, therefore, to note 

 the following brief sketch of the historical and natural features of this 

 farm, and the reader may also profit by the methods that have been 

 recently used to increase the productivity of the soil. . 



HISTORICAL. 



The farm, consisting of about 430 acres, is situated about 6 miles 

 east of Darlington, the county seat. The first fields were cleared from 

 the virgin forest growth at least seventy-five years ago, and, being natu- 



