12 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 



clusively as a forage crop, is increasing throughout the central and 

 southern regions where the Cecil clay is developed, and the sowing 

 of this crop is highly to be recommended. The growth of the cow- 

 peas tends to loosen and make more friable the surface soil. The 

 incorporation of the roots and stubble adds much needed organic 

 matter. The use of the forage upon the farm also gives rise to larger 

 quantities of stable manure, much needed in the proper handling of 

 the Cecil clay. It is a common experience with those farmers Avho 

 have been using the cowpea crop upon the Cecil clay that all succeed- 

 ing crops in the rotation give increased yields when the cowpeas are 

 planted. This is particularly true in the case of tobacco, corn, and 

 cotton immediately folloAving cowpeas in the rotation. 



The Cecil clay is used to a limited extent in Georgia and Alabama 

 for the production of sorghum for making sirup. It is not so well 

 adapted to this purpose as the Cecil sandy loam. 



Fruit. In both Virginia and Maryland some apple orchards have 

 been planted upon the Cecil clay. In Virginia, particularly, com- 

 mercial plantings have been made of the York Imperial, the Wine- 

 sap, and Ben Davis. Where proper air and water drainage are 

 secured, and where altitudes are chosen within which the fruit buds 

 are not liable to be killed by unseasonable frosts, the Cecil clay is well 

 suited to the production of these varieties of red apples. In general, 

 however, the planting should be upon the scale of home use rather 

 than on the commercial scale, since other types of soil in the Pied- 

 mont section are fully as well suited to the production of apples. 

 Pears are grown to a limited extent on the Cecil clay, chiefly in 

 Virginia. 



FARM EQUIPMENT. 



The inherent characteristics of the Cecil clay render it difficult of 

 tillage with any except heavy teams and the heavier farming tools. 

 The one-horse plow is totally inadequate for the management of this 

 soil, and wherever any large area of the type occurs upon a single 

 farm -the equipment should be that of a heavy two or three horse team 

 and the heavy turnplow or disk plow. The thorough stirring and 

 modification of the surface soil by tillage operations can only be 

 accomplished by equipment of this character. Wherever the con- 

 figuration of the land surface is sufficiently level the disk plow and 

 disk harrow can be used to excellent advantage upon this soil type. 

 These implements cut, break, and pulverize the stiff surface soil with- 

 out leaving an impacted plowsole or " hardpan." They permit of 

 the preparation of a well-granulated and permeable surface soil 

 capable not only of absorbing a large portion of the rainfall over its 

 surface, but also of storing and retaining this moisture supply for the 

 use of corn, cotton, and those other farm crops which are the heaviest 



