THE CECIL SANDY LOAM. 13 



of organic matter in the surface soil and to the production of legu- 

 minous crops in the rotation. 



On account of the somewhat elevated position occupied by the Cecil 

 sandy loam, cotton is not generally grown upon it in southern Vir- 

 ginia, and is only produced to a limited extent upon this type in 

 northern North Carolina. In all of the more southern locations, .how- 

 ever, it is a universal crop and produces from one-fourth to one-half 

 bale per acre under normal conditions. Three-fourths of a bale per 

 acre is considered a large yield, and is only attained by those farmers 

 who have practiced unusually efficient methods of crop rotation and 

 fertilization. For the production of cotton the Cecil sandy loam is 

 generally considered to be a more certain soil type than the Cecil 

 clay or soil types of other Piedmont series. While the yields are not 

 so heavy as those normally produced upon the Cecil clay, still a fair 

 yield will be produced every year upon the Cecil sandy loam. Cot- 

 ton will give a fair yield under even more droughty conditions than 

 corn, and it is frequently the case that upon a farm where both the 

 Cecil clay and Cecil sandy loam occur in the more southern regions 

 the cotton will be raised year after year on the sandy soil and the 

 corn as frequently upon the clay. It is a noticeable fact, which has 

 been observed in many locations throughout the cotton and corn 

 growing regions, that the application of even a very light dressing 

 of stable manure upon the Cecil sandy loam has increased the vigor 

 of growth of both cotton and corn, and has increased the yield per 

 acre by 25 or 30 per cent over fields not thus treated. The importance 

 of the application of all stable and yard manures in the production 

 of cotton and corn upon this soil can not be overestimated. 



In southern Virginia and northern North Carolina tobacco prac- 

 tically takes the place of cotton as a staple crop upon the Cecil sandy 

 loam. The quality of tobacco produced upon this soil type is in 

 very nice adjustment with the physical properties of the soil. In the 

 Virginia region where the depth of surface sandy loam material is 

 frequently shallow, not exceeding 4 or 6 inches, and upon the same 

 shallow phase in North Carolina the heavy export and manufactur- 

 ing tobaccos are produced. This shallow phase of the Cecil sandy 

 loam maintains a sufficient moisture supply to produce the thicker, 

 heavier, and darker leaf required for this particular trade. For 

 the production of the export and manufacturing tobaccos the soil is 

 heavily fertilized and yields ranging from 400 to 1,200 pounds per 

 acre are produced. The bright tobacco is only produced to good 

 advantage upon the deeper phase of the Cecil sandy loam where the 

 clay subsoil is not encountered at a depth of less than 12 to 14 

 inches. 



Wheat is almost universally grown upon the Cecil sandy loam 

 throughout the territory where the type occurs. In the more southern 



