THE ORANGEBURG FINE SANDY LOAM. 13 



the small turn plow but rather with the spiked tooth cultivator and 

 the sweep, so that weed growths may be prevented and the surface 

 inch to inch and a half of soil may be kept thoroughly pulverized to 

 form a dust mulch for the prevention of excessive evaporation. 

 During the earlier period of growth of the cotton the older methods 

 of cultivation are not particularly harmful and deep tillage in the 

 center of the " middles " will not be detrimental, but after the cotton 

 reaches a height of more than 1 foot, shallow cultivation, especially 

 near to the rows, should be the only kind permitted. Otherwise the 

 surf ace- feeding roots of the cotton plant will be destroyed and the 

 power of the individual plant to secure moisture and nourishment 

 from the soil materially lessened. 



It is true that these methods of tillage apply to practically all 

 sandy loam and fine sandy loam soils of the cotton-producing States, 

 but their greatest efficiency in increasing the yields of cotton is most 

 apparent upon such soil types as the Orangeburg fine sandy loam, 

 the Orangeburg sandy loam, the Norfolk fine sandy loam, the Nor- 

 folk sandy loam, and other types with sandy surface soils. 



The Orangeburg fine sandy loam is considered better adapted to 

 the production of cotton than to the growing of corn, and the yields 

 of the latter crop are relatively low as compared with the average 

 yields for cotton. Nevertheless the Orangeburg fine sandy loam is a 

 fair corn soil if the average yields of corn in the cotton-growing 

 States are taken as a basis for comparison. The crop is seriously 

 neglected upon practically all cotton plantations, and the ability of 

 the Orangeburg fine sandy loam to produce corn under proper 

 methods of tillage has rarely been tested. In the coast region along 

 the eastern portion ef the Gulf of Mexico yields range from 8 to 30 

 bushels upon the Orangeburg fine sandy loam, while maximum yields 

 of TO and 80 bushels per acre have been reported. This variation in 

 yield in itself indicates differences in the efficiency of tillage rather 

 than any deficiency in the soil itself. 



The requisites for cotton production, as given above, apply with 

 almost equal force to the growing of the corn crop. It should be 

 possible, with proper preparation of the land and proper tillage of 

 the crop, to maintain average yields of not less than 30 bushels per 

 acre. Wherever possible, corn should be planted upon those portions 

 of the type which possess the deeper surface soil, since corn in general 

 requires a deeper zone for root growth than does cotton. Thus level 

 or gently inclined areas of the Orangeburg fine sandy loam, lying 

 at the foot of slopes, which have accumulated something of a wash 

 from higher lying soils, which usually show an organic matter content 

 in excess of the average of the type, and which possess a tendency 

 toward subirrigation through the seeping of water from higher 

 levels constitute the areas upon which corn will give its largest yields. 



