SOILS OF FENDER COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. 9 







have been washed out, leaving mantles of the coarser soil constituents 

 as the medium and fine grades of sand. 



Poor drainage conditions in flat and depressed areas have favored 

 the growth of water-loving plants and shrubbery, the organic 

 remains of which have accumulated in the soil in varying quantities, 

 resulting in the formation of the dark-colored Portsmouth and Muck 

 soils. In the Angola Bay, in the northeastern part of the county, 

 there has been formed in this way a deep mucky soil containing 

 large quantities of organic matter in varying stages of decomposition. 

 On the other hand, the soils of the less poorly drained open savannas 

 or nearly treeless areas are black only in the upper few inches, as 

 organic matter has accumulated here through the decay only of sedges 

 and other grasses and weeds. The subsoils in the poorly drained 

 areas are usually light gray or drab in color and frequently mottled 

 yellowish or reddish yellow, as a result of poor aeration and conse- 

 quent incomplete oxidation of the soil components. 



The soils having intermediate drainage conditions and lying be- 

 tween the better drained lands on the slopes of streams and the 

 poorer drained lands in the depressed and flat areas having imma- 

 ture drainage systems, are gray to dark gray in the upper portion 

 and bright yellow to yellow slightly mottled with drab or reddish 

 colors in the subsoils. These soils belong to the Norfolk series, and 

 in their present condition comprise the best all-round agricultural 

 lands of the area. 



The upland sedimentary materials which have given rise to the 

 Norfolk and Portsmouth soils belong to that formation geologically 

 known as the Columbia. The strictly alluvial soils of the stream 

 bottoms belong to a more recent period. These last have been formed 

 by deposition from overflow water and along some of the larger 

 streams consist of materials washed down from local soils and com- 

 mingled with that transported from more remote areas occurring in 

 the dminage basins of such streams. 



In this preliminary investigation no attempt was made to outline 

 the different areas of the individual types, as is done in case of the 

 regular soil survey. The more important types were examined with 

 the purpose of ascertaining the general characteristics of the lands 

 of the county, their crop adaptations, and capabilities. The most 

 extensive and important types are described in detail in the following 

 pages. 



NORFOLK FINE SANDY LOAM. 



The Norfolk fine sandy loam is the most extensive and, on account 

 of its good natural drainage, the most used soil type in Fender 

 County. Notwithstanding the large area of this type and its admirable 

 adaptation to a wide range of crops, a considerable proportion is yet 



[Cir. 20] 



