8 



general farming than the lighter soils of the series, and is used extensively in 

 the production of cotton, being the best of the Norfolk series of soils for grow- 

 ing this crop. In certain parts of Maryland it is a fine general-purpose soil, 

 giving good yields of wheat, corn, and hay in addition to heavy truck and fruit, 

 principally peaches. 



NORFOLK FINE SAND. 



The Norfolk fine sand in the vicinity of Savannah, Ga., is prac- 

 tically identical with the extensive areas of this type which have 

 been investigated along the Atlantic coast from the Potomac River 

 south. The surface soil to a depth of 8 or 10 inches is a fine-grained, 

 mellow sand containing varying quantities of partly decayed or- 

 ganic matter. Where it has been enriched by large applications of 

 stable manure or still contains the leaf mold derived from original 

 vegetation it is light-brown in color. In the majority of fields where 

 clean cultivation has been practiced for some time, with little or 

 no restoration of organic matter, it is a light yellow or gray. The 

 subsoil from 10 inches to a depth of 36 inches or more is a fine- 

 grained, mealy, light-yellow sand, frequently somewhat loamy and 

 occasionally mottled with gray or orange below 24 inches in depth. 



The Norfolk fine sand occupies the crests of all of the higher ridges 

 west and north of Savannah, stretches along the narrow river ter- 

 races at an elevation of from 6 to 15 feet above tide level, and is 

 also found upon the better drained and more elevated portions of 

 the gently rolling plains to the east and south of the city. 



Because of its considerable thickness over the underlying sandy 

 clay, its elevated position, and its moderate porosity, it is a naturally 

 well-drained, warm, and early soil, especially well suited to the 

 forcing of winter and early spring crops to quick maturity. In the 

 vicinity of Savannah few if any slopes or grades occur within this 

 soil type, such as to render machine cultivation difficult or to impose 

 the necessity of contour cultivation to prevent erosion. As a result, 

 the greater portion of the Norfolk fine sand is either cultivated or 

 available for clearing and cultivation whenever the possibilities 

 of profitable market gardening and trucking may warrant an ex- 

 tension of the tilled area. The native timber growth is chiefly pine, 

 and the cost of clearing timbered fields would be nearly or quite met 

 by the value of the lumber and wood secured. The stumps left 

 after clearing decay rapidly and offer little obstacle to cultivation 

 after the second or third year of agricultural occupation. There is 

 some undergrowth, but in general not sufficient to interfere seriously 

 with the utilization of this type for farm purposes. 



Soils of the United States. Milton Whitney. Bulletin 55, Bureau of Soils, 

 U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. Pp. 104-105. 

 [Cir. 19] 



