NORFOLK FINE SANDY LOAM. 



frequently somewhat more sandy than the normal condition of the 

 type. At higher elevations near the inland margin of the Coastal 

 Plain the topography frequently becomes more rolling or even hilly. 

 Slight surface depressions and the margins of " bays " and swamps 

 are not infrequently poorly drained, while the more extensive flat 

 areas would frequently be benefited by the establishment of open 

 ditches bordering the cultivated fields. These ditches are easily con- 

 structed, and the banks can be maintained without great labor if 

 they are made sufficiently sloping when the ditches are first dug. 

 With these exceptions the Norfolk fine sandy loam is a well-drained 

 and warm soil. At the same time the presence of the sandy clay sub- 

 soil at a depth not usually exceeding 18 inches tends to maintain a 

 favorable moisture supply within reach of the growing crops and 

 also prevents any leaching effect in the case of the application of 

 fertilizers. In those areas where a favorable amount and condition of 

 organic matter in the surface soil is maintained the soil is distinctly 

 loamy and possesses very favorable conditions of texture and struc- 

 ture both for ease of cultivation and for the maintenance of proper 

 moisture supply. 



LIMITATIONS OF YIELDS. 



In the general discussion of the Norfolk fine sandy loam and its 

 uses it must be held in mind that there are certain limitations to the 

 yields of the various crops which are suited to the soil in the different 

 localities' where it occurs. The limitations apply to practically all 

 of the crops produced, and are inherent with the characteristics of 

 the soil itself rather than with the character of the crops. 



With the general farm crops, particularly cotton and corn, the prin- 

 cipal limitations upon the yields which may be secured seem to lie in 

 the care with which the land is prepared for the crop, in the amount 

 of organic manure which may be supplied for the production of the 

 crop, and in the care exercised in the frequent tillage of each of these 

 crops during the growing period. 



IMPROVEMENT IN CROP YIELDS. 



A crop rotation which will permit of the introduction of some 

 leguminous crop, like cowpeas or peanuts, into the rotation and which 

 will provide also for a winter crop to prevent the washing of the soil 

 invariably increases the yields of both corn and cotton above the nor- 

 mal for the region. 



The application of complete commercial fertilizers, particularly 

 those containing a fair percentage of potash in their composition, 

 is also attended with profitable increases in the crop. 



Upon the lands which are excessively level or slightly depressed, 

 thorough artificial drainage, either by the less expensive means of 



