ered micaceous and talcose schists having a nearly vertical dip and 

 north and south strike. The resulting soils are yellow and gray heavy 

 loams with massive light-red clay subsoils. Quartz veins are of fre- 

 quent occurrence and from their resistance to the forces of weathering 

 many angular fragments of this rock are found in the soil which imme- 

 diately overlies them, rendering tillage difficult at these points. Where 

 thoroughly tilled these areas are fully as productive as the surrounding 

 stone-free soils. 



With the exception of a few narrow stream bottoms, the whole area 

 is high lying and well drained. One of the greatest problems is to pre- 

 vent erosion in the cultivated fields and to produce a sufficient depth of 

 soil in those places where the soil has been washed away and the sub- 

 soil exposed. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE SOIL. 



Only one type of soil of any importance occurs on the place. The 

 only variations which can be detected are the stony areas mentioned 

 and the galled spots, where some or all of the soil has been removed. 

 These are constantly changing, some being reclaimed by cultivation and 

 new ones being formed by destructive rains. 



The soil of the Cecil silt loam, as found in this plantation, has an aver- 

 age depth of 6 inches, and is a yellowish-brown or gray mellow silt loam, 

 usually free from stone. It contains sufficient clay to clod and bake 

 badly if stirred in too wet condition, but if plowed in proper moisture 

 condition it is mellow and fine. The subsoil to more than 3 feet deep 

 is a bright-red, massive silty clay loam or clay, crumbling readily when 

 dry, especially in the upper portion, but becoming more plastic and 

 tenacious in the lower. The soil is usually thinner on the crest of a 

 slope than on the top of the ridge or the lower part of the slope. 



The whole type is well drained ; in fact, the surface drainage is too 

 rapid with the usual heavy rainfall. Both soil and subsoil are of such 

 texture as to be capable of holding sufficient moisture to mature crops 

 requiring a long growing season and large amounts of moisture ; but 

 under the superficial tillage usually given they sometimes suffer from 

 lack of moisture, which has been allowed to escape by evaporation 

 from the baked surface. 



CROPS GROWN AND AVERAGE YIELDS. 



Cotton is the chief crop and yields on the average about one-third 

 bale per acre. It may reach one-half bale on newly cleared lands, but 

 falls below one-third on those portions worked on shares by tenants. 

 Corn is not grown extensively on the upland, but stands next in impor- 

 tance to cotton and yields from 10 to 30 bushels per acre. Some oats, 

 sorghum, and peas are grown, but do not receive the attention they 

 should. 



