THE PRINCIPAL SOILS AND CROPS OF VIRGINIA 



"Porter's black loam." This soil is a loose, deep, mellow 

 loam of chocolate or blackish-brown color and usually con- 

 tains a high percentage of vegetable matter, from which it 

 derives its color. It is a soil formed by the softening or 

 weathering of a special kind of granite rock lying under 

 this land. The local name for this soil is "Pippin-land" 



FIG. 220. APPLE ORCHARD IN VIRGINIA; ORCHARDING is AN 



IMPORTANT INDUSTRY IN THE PIEDMONT AND 



VALLEY REGIONS. 



because of its adaption to the growth of high-class Pippin 

 apples. Piedmont owes much of its fame as a fruit section 

 to this soil and its chief product, Albemarle Pippins. 

 This type of soil is found in large areas along the top of the 

 Blue Ridge, but the typical " Pippin-lands " are more re- 

 stricted and are generally found in the coves of the Blue 



