12 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 



surface soil and through the soil and subsoil is adequate. In general 

 the best planters take great care to cultivate and till the soil to a 

 considerable depth before the orchard is planted, thus assisting in 

 the drainage and aeration of the area selected for the planting. In 

 this connection cowpeas and clover are frequently used, both before 

 the planting of the orchard and after the trees have been set, to 

 increase the organic matter content of the surface soil and to main- 

 tain it in friable and loose condition. Very little other fertilization 

 of the apple orchards is practiced. In this region the Ben Davis 

 is the principal apple planted, constituting probably 75 per cent of 

 all the trees set during the earlier years. This variety is well suited 

 to the soil and climatic conditions, and is also very prolific. More 

 recently the orchard plantings have included a number of other 

 varieties which have shown themselves to be suited to production 

 upon this type of soil. The Arkansas, Arkansas Black, and Gano 

 have been extensively planted. The Red Astrachan is the most 

 important early variety. 



Peaches are also grown to some extent upon the Clarksville silt 

 loam, particularly in the Ozark region. The Elberta is the principal 

 variety planted. The soil is not so well suited to peach culture as 

 to apple orcharding, and it is not thought desirable that any large 

 commercial orchards should be located upon this type. Peaches 

 are better suited to the Clarksville stony loam and to other associated 

 types. 



In Arkansas, Missouri, and some portions of Tennessee, straw- 

 berries constitute a leading small-fruit crop upon the Clarksville 

 silt loam. While the acreage is limited in all of these locations, the 

 profit derived from strawberry culture is considered satisfactory. 

 In general the berries are set out in single rows which later on are 

 permitted to spread to form the matted row. The strawberries 

 are allowed to stand for 4 or 5 years; little fertilizer is used, and 

 the yields are correspondingly low. With better methods of culti- 

 vation the yields could be decidedly increased. Only the better 

 drained areas of the Clarksville silt loam should be used for straw- 

 berry culture. 



The production of cantaloupes, upon the Clarksville silt loam has 

 been begun within the past few years in the highland rim portion 

 of central Tennessee. The moderately well drained areas of the 

 type are well suited to the production of the crop, and with heavy 

 fertilization, satisfactory yields and profits are secured. The grow- 

 ing of cantaloupes should be confined as much as possible to those 

 areas of the Clarksville silt loam which possess the deep mellow 

 dark-gray or brown surface soil underlain by the silty loam subsoil, 

 yellow in color at the shallower depths, but becoming tinged with 

 red below. In such areas the natural drainage conditions are fairly 



