THE ORANGEBUEG SANDY LOAM. 5 



retentive of moisture in itself and is only enabled to maintain a 

 proper moisture supply for the production of crops through the ex- 

 istence of the underlying sandy clay subsoil. There are no swampy 

 areas within the extent of the type. 



Surface drainage is so rapid in certain of the more hilly and slop- 

 ing portions of the type that erosion constitutes a very serious prob- 

 lem. Practically no slopes of greater than 10 declivity should be 

 planted to intertilled crops. Instead they should be used for pas- 

 turage, after having been covered with Bermuda grass, lespedeza, or 

 some other sod-forming grass. Upon the more steeply sloping por- 

 tions of the type forestation is practically the only remedy for exces- 

 sive erosion which has already been incurred or the only protection 

 for spots now threatened. Even upon the more gentle slopes, within 

 areas at present cultivated, there are certain precautions which must 

 be observed in the tillage of this soil. 



LIMITATIONS IK* USE. 



On account of the somewhat coarse texture of the surface soil of 

 the Orangeburg sandy loam, it absorbs readily the moisture which 

 falls upon it, Because of the same textural peculiarity, this soil 

 moisture is rapidly drained away into the subsoil and the surface 

 soil is soon dried. When this action is not too rapid, nor too com- 

 plete, a favorable condition for crop production is secured. The 

 soil is well drained and easily tilled. It is usually a warm soil, and 

 only moderately subject to drought. 



The crops best suited to the Orangeburg sandy loam are cotton 

 and corn. Winter oats are also fairly well adapted to production 

 upon this type, which is a medium to good soil for three of the great 

 staples of southern agriculture. It is not so well suited to the pro- 

 duction of any special crop with the possible exception of cigar-filler 

 tobacco and peaches, together with such truck crops as Irish pota- 

 toes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watermelons, and cantaloupes. 



The productiveness of the Orangeburg sandy loam is probably 

 limited to the greatest degree by lack of organic matter in the sur- 

 face soil of the tilled fields. This is a prevailing deficiency of this 

 and similar sandy types in the Southern States. Because of its 

 physical properties all of those processes which result in the com- 

 plete destruction of organic matter are accelerated by the continual 

 cultivation of the type to intertilled crops. As a result, the moisture- 

 holding capacity of the soil has been decreased through the destruc- 

 tion of the organic matter content. 



Since the principal areas of the Orangeburg sandy loam lie within 

 the warm temperate region and within a region of abundant rainfall, 

 the type is best suited to the production of the crops common to the 

 more Southern States. Wheat or the northern grasses are not 



