12 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 



Fruit. In South Carolina the Norfolk fine sandy loam has been 

 shown to be well suited to the production of strawberries. The soil 

 for the production of strawberries is heavily fertilized with a com- 

 plete commercial fertilizer, and the best growers also prepare the 

 land either by raising some leguminous crop for green manure, or 

 by the application of large amounts of stable manure. With this 

 thorough preparation and fertilization the growers not infrequently 

 secure from $300 to $500 per acre net profit. 



Peaches may also be grown upon the properly drained areas of 

 the Norfolk fine sandy loam having the requisite elevation and air 

 drainage. The development of peach orchards upon the type is 

 becoming important in southern Georgia and northern Florida. It 

 is usually considered best to locate the orchards upon the shallow 

 or medium phase of the type, although satisfactory growth can be 

 made even if the subsoil is present at a depth greater than 24 inches. 



The Eastern Gulf section. In the Eastern Gulf section the Nor- 

 folk fine sandy loam is more extensively used for the production of 

 general farm crops than for the raising of truck. Cotton is the 

 principal crop produced, yielding from one-fourth of a bale to 

 three-fourths of a bale per acre, although it is not so well adapted 

 to cotton as are some of the Houston series or some of the River 

 Flood Plains soils. The variation in yield is principally due to the 

 differences in the preparation and fertilization of the land. Corn 

 is second only to cotton in the extent to which it is grown. The 

 yields are frequently unnecessarily low, ranging from 10 to 20 

 bushels per acre. Cowpeas are sometimes sown in the corn and 

 sometimes grown as an independent forage crop. The average 

 yield is about 1^ tons of cowpea hay per acre. Oats are grown as a 

 secondary winter cover crop, although grain is rarely harvested. 



The production of truck crops has not been extensively developed 

 upon the Norfolk fine sandy loam in the Eastern Gulf section ex- 

 cept in the southern portions of Alabama and Mississippi, and here 

 not to the extent that is justified. Sweet potatoes are produced for 

 home use, and some watermelons are grown either for the local 

 market or for shipment. 



Pecan orchards make a good growth upon this soil in the near 

 vicinity of the Gulf of Mexico. 



Western Gulf section. In this section the Norfolk fine sandy loam 

 is chiefly used for the production of general farm crops. Cotton 

 leads in acreage and produces from one-fourth to one-half of a bale 

 per acre. Corn produces from 15 to 25 bushels. The yields of both 

 crops can readily be increased by careful preparation of the soil and 

 appropriate fertilization. Cowpeas are grown to some extent with 



