4 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 



that agriculture has not occupied any large proportion of this soil 

 east of the Mississippi River. In the western areas the surface of the 

 type is more gently rolling and a smaller proportion becomes broken 

 or eroded. It is highly valued for agricultural purposes and a large 

 portion of it is under cultivation. The elevation of the type above 

 sea level varies considerably^. In the more eastern areas in the vicinity 

 of the Gulf the surface lies at altitudes of 200 to 250 feet above tide 

 level. In the central portion of Alabama and in eastern Mississippi 

 the'altitudes range from 350 to 500 feet above the sea, while in north- 

 ern Louisiana and in eastern Texas the greater portion of the type 

 lies in the vicinity of 500 feet above sea level. 



Owing to the rolling surface and the considerable elevation of this 

 type, the natural surface drainage is well established. The drainage 

 of the surface soil is always sufficient, but the proximity of the stiff 

 plastic underlying clay frequently gives rise to areas of poor drain- 

 age upon the more level portions of the type. 



The chief difficulty in the agricultural occupation of the Susque- 

 hanna fine sandy loam, however, arises from its liability to excessive 

 erosion upon all of the steeper slopes. Xot only the surface configu- 

 ration of the land, but also the character of the soil and subsoil itself 

 favor the rapid removal of the surface material. The stiff plastic 

 clay subsoil prevents the rapid downward percolation of the rain, 

 and upon all the steeper slopes the soft sandy soil becomes saturated 

 and is easily eroded. As a result, over considerable areas the under- 

 lying clay reaches the surface in numerous gullies and in small eroded 

 areas upon all of the steeper slopes. This tendency toward excessive 

 erosion has resulted in keeping a considerable part of the type in 

 timber and in the abandonment of thousands of acres which were 

 first cleared, then farmed for a short period of time, and with the 

 development of active erosion again permitted to grow up to second- 

 growth timber of various classes. 



LIMITATIONS IN USE. 



The Susquehanna fine sandy loam is primarily a general farming 

 soil used for the production of staple rather than special crops. The 

 presence of the stiff clay subsoil at no great depth is generally unfa- 

 vorable to the growing of special truck or fruit crops. The subsoil 

 drainage is not sufficiently well established, and in general the soil is 

 somewhat too cold and late for the production of vegetables or any 

 of the fruits. In some areas where the surface soil is deeper and 

 where drainage has become well established, crops of this character 

 are grown for the local market or for home use. Otherwise the type 

 i> principally devoted to cotton and corn production. 



It has been generally observed in connection with the tillage of the 

 Susquehanna fine sandy loam that the type is fairly productive when 



