4 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 



always in excess of 3 feet, and considerably greater depths are at- 

 tained in the larger areas. Upon the more elevated portions of the 

 type the surface soil is frequently gray, with accumulations of medium 

 sand. Upon the slopes the type is apt to be more loamy in its surface 

 characteristics, while at the foot of the slope, or in certain slight hol- 

 lows within the area of the type, there is usually some accumulation 

 of organic matter, with the surface soil a darker brown and more 

 loamy in character. These variations are due almost entirely to the 

 effect of soil erosion and deposition over the cultivated fields. 



The Orangeburg sandy loam is easily distinguished from members 

 of the Norfolk series through the fact that the subsoil is always red. 

 It is distinguished from the sandy loam of the Greenville series from 

 the fact that the latter series is red in the entire section from the 

 surface down. It is easily distinguished from the soils of the Sus- 

 quehanna series in that their subsoils are always stiff, plastic clnys. 

 The Orangeburg sandy loam is very closely related to the Orangeburg 

 fine sandy loam in all respects except the texture of the .surface soil. 

 The subsoils are almost identical, but the surface soil of the Orange- 

 burg sandy loam is usually coarser grained and more porous than 

 that of the fine sandy loam. This characteristic gives rise to certain 

 distinctions in the crop adaptation and methods of treatment to be 

 practiced upon the two types. 



SURFACE FEATURES AND DRAINAGE. 



In the majority of areas where the Orangeburg sandy loam is en- 

 countered its surface is rolling to hilly, with many steep slopes. In 

 certain areas of considerable agricultural importance the 'declivities 

 within the area of the type are less, and the surface must be charac- 

 terized as rolling to gently sloping. These latter areas are the ones 

 which constitute the most valuable agricultural lands. 



Practically none of the areas where the type is strongly developed 

 lies at an altitude of less than 100 feet above tide level. All of the 

 more inland areas in central Alabama, in northern Louisiana, and in 

 northeastern Texas lie at altitudes from 150 to 350 feet above tide 

 level, with some exceptional areas near the inland border of the 

 Coastal Plain which reach altitudes of nearly 500 feet. Thus there 

 is considerable difference both in the elevation and the topography 

 of the different localities where the "Orangeburg sandy loam is 

 typically developed. These differences have a direct effect upon the 

 drainage and erosion characteristics of the soil type, and consequently 

 upon the crop adaptations and the extent to which it may be cul- 

 tivated. 



Throughout its entire area the Orangeburg sandy loam is well 

 drained. In fact, in the more rolling sections it is liable to be ex- 

 cessively drained, since the surface sandy soil is not particularly 



