4 SOILS OF THE EASTEEN UNITED STATES. 



maintains an unusually favorable surface condition, unless tillage 

 operations are carried on when there is so much moisture in the soil 

 that the soil becomes packed and clodded. Even where excessive 

 erosion has removed the surface soil material it requires only two or 

 three years of careful tillage to redevelop a productive soil through 

 the proper working o^f the stiff red clay subsoil. The recuperative 

 powers of this soil after bad management and excessive erosion are 

 remarkable. 



The Cecil clay constitutes the well-known " red lands " or " mulatto 

 lands" of the Piedmont section. It is generally esteemed a strong 

 productive soil for general farming purposes, and with proper treat- 

 ment its value and reputation would be still further enhanced. 



The Cecil clay differs from the Cecil sandy loam in that the latter 

 soil possesses a covering of the gray sandy loam over the stiff red 

 clay subsoil. The soils of the Cecil series differ from all others of 

 the Piedmont region, except those of the Penn series, through the 

 persistent occurrence of the tenacious red clay subsoil under all the 

 types of the series. The red soils of the Penn series are derived 

 from sandstones and shales and thus may be distinguished easily 

 from the Cecil soils, derived from crystalline rocks. 



SURFACE FEATURES AXD DRAINAGE. 



Areas of the Cecil clay are found at all elevations throughout the 

 Piedmont sections. The lowest altitude at which it is reported is 

 about 300 feet above sea level in some of the Virginia areas. It 

 occurs in all intermediate elevations in the Piedmont section up 

 to an altitude of 1,200 feet. It is usually found upon the hilly, 

 rolling, or broken portions of the Piedmont section and in the more 

 southern regions is strongly developed along the stream slopes and 

 other eroded portions of the Piedmont Plateau. In the more north- 

 ern regions through Virginia. Maryland, and in southern Pennsyl- 

 vania it occupies undulating to rolling or hilly locations, and its 

 sloping surface is only interrupted by the channels of the larger 

 streams and by rocky areas where the residual bowlders still persist. 

 Owing to its altitude and elevation, the drainage conditions over 

 practically the entire extent of the Cecil clay are excellent. Only in 

 rare cases is it necessary to practice any form of artificial drainage. 

 In the more level fields it would frequently be advantageous to install 

 some tile drainage systems, in order to carry off excess subsoil 

 moisture. 



Excessive erosion is the greatest obstacle to the tillage of the Cecil 

 clay. In fact, the type may almost be said to originate from erosion 

 processes. Practically all of the rocks of the Piedmont section have 

 been deeply weathered and the original rock masses broken down to 

 form a complex mass of sand and clay. Upon the ridges and the 

 more level sections where erosion is not particularly active, the 



