15 



PORTSMOUTH FINE SANDY LOAM. 



The surface soil of the Portsmouth fine sandy loam, to a depth of 

 10 inches or more, is a black mucky loam. It is soft, friable, and 

 absorbent of moisture and at the same time sufficiently coherent to 

 be adhesive and loamlike when tilled in a moist condition. The 

 subsoil to a depth of 30 inches or more is a dark-brown or rusty- 

 brown fine sandy loam, not infrequently mottled with gray or drab. 

 It may contain small gravellike iron concretions. The subsoil under 

 natural conditions is usually saturated with water, and unless drain- 

 age channels have been opened the surface soil is not infrequently 

 wet and swampy during a large portion of the year. 



In position the Portsmouth fine sandy loam occupies the lowest 

 depressions and frequently the centers of the " bays " or swamps. In 

 the immediate vicinity of Savannah many of these swampy areas 

 have been artificially drained as a sanitary measure, and considerable 

 areas of both the Portsmouth fine sandy loam and Portsmouth fine 

 sand are already practically reclaimed. Small acreages are occupied 

 by various market garden crops, oats, vetches, and some cowpeas. 



The Portsmouth fine sandy loam owes its dark mucky appearance 

 and high percentage of organic matter to the causes already given 

 under the Portsmouth fine sand. It is a deeper accumulation of 

 vegetable mold, less mixed with coarse particles of mineral matter, 

 but still containing considerable amounts of fine sand, silt, and clay. 

 Until drained it is practically useless for agricultural purposes, but 

 when adequately drained it is one of the most valuable special truck 

 soils along the south Atlantic coast. 



For celery production no soil in the vicinity of Savannah can 

 equal the Portsmouth fine sandy loam, though profitable crops can 

 certainly be grown upon the Portsmouth fine sand. 



The results of mechanical analyses of the soil and subsoil of the 

 Portsmouth fine sandy loam are given in the following table : 



Mechanical analyses of Portsmouth fine sandy loam. 



The celery plant will grow under a considerable range of soil con- 

 ditions, but the most extensively developed celery production in all 

 parts of the United States has uniformly been upon peat or muck 

 soils in the North, East, and Southwest, and upon mucky loams, or 

 sandy loams, in the Southern and Southeastern States. For profitable 

 production upon a commercial scale celery requires a cool, moist, 



[Cir. 19] 



