8 SOILS OF THE SHENANDOAH EIVER TERRACE. 



ticularly along the streams coining out from the mountains, numbers 

 of rounded bowlders of a dark greenish rock, such as is encountered 

 in the higher portions of the Blue Ridge Mountains in association 

 with the red Porters soils, are encountered. Sandstone bowlders are 

 also seen in places. 



Along those portions of the outer margin of the terrace referred to 

 above as having a steeper slope than is characteristic of the terrace 

 as a whole, much of the surface material represents colluvial accumu- 

 lation from the adjacent stony Dekalb soils (originally Edgemont 

 stony loam). 



Occasional exposures of the yellowish to reddish shah' rock are 

 seen, possibly a shah 7 limestone originally, in which decomposition 

 has proceeded to an advanced stage. The soil derived from these 

 rocks is mainly a reddish clay. It has always a rather plastic struc- 

 ture, lacking the friability of the associated old alluvial soils the ter- 

 race soils proper to such a degree that it generally can be distin- 

 guished readily from the latter. In a few places this residual material 

 is reached within 3 feet of the surface, but over a very large part of the 

 terrace it does not come within the 3-foot soil "section; in other words, 

 the alluvial material is 3 feet or more in depth nearly everywhere, and 

 consequently the residual soil can here be left out of consideration as 

 having no importance, and not influencing either the soil or subsoil 

 of the terrace lands to any considerable extent. Those isolated 

 patches of residual limestone soil previously mentioned as occurring 

 within the limits of the terrace would, of course, be separated in case 

 of a revision of the soil map as distinct soils, being entirely unlike 

 those derived from the old alluvial material both in character and 

 agricultural value. 



WAYNE SBORO SOILS. 



The soils provisionally classified as the Wavnesboro series are 

 characterized by the light-brown color of the surface soils, by the 

 yellowish-red to red color and friable structure of the subsoils, and by 

 the presence of varying quantities of water-rounded stones and bowl- 

 ders on the surface and throughout the soil section. There are sev- 

 eral distinct types in this series, which differ from one another in tex- 

 tural composition ami in the amount of rock present. The most 

 important are the sandy loam, stony sandy loam, loam, and stony 

 loam. 



WAYNESBORO SANDY LOAM. 



The Waynesboro sandy loam is a light-brown to grayish-brews 

 sandy loam, underlain in most instances at about 8 to 10 inches by a' 

 yellowish-brown sandy loam, which grades quickly into red friable 

 sandy clay. The soil frequently extends to a depth of lo to 20 



