SOILS AND FERTILIZERS 325 



ing or dairying are industries that might be introduced. This clay 

 often has a veneering of sandy loam, and in such cases is used to 

 advantage for truck and small fruit. The two types, gravelly sandy 

 loam and loam, have so far been found in limited areas. The latter 

 is an excellent soil for cotton and the staple general farming crops. 



Sassafras Seiies. This consists of yellowish-brown surface soils 

 found in some parts of Maryland. The sand and loamy sand are 

 light, well-drained, naturally warm, early soils especially adapted to 

 truck crops like garden peas, asparagus, early Irish potatoes, straw- 

 berries, and dewberries. The sandy loam is widely distributed and is 

 a good soil for general farming. It is considered the best tomato soil 

 of the Eastern Shore. Strawberries, potatoes, asparagus, peaches, 

 pears, dewberries, and other small fruit make excellent yields. The 

 crop adaptations and agricultural value of the fine sandy loam are 

 nearly the same as for the sandy loam. It is, however, better suited 

 to grass than the latter type. The loam is probably the best all- 

 round general farming soil of the north coastal plain and gives fine 

 yields of wheat, corn, hay, tomatoes, and other medium truck crops. 

 The type is easily managed and its productiveness easily maintained 

 if sufficient organic matter is supplied and moisture conditions kept 

 favorable. The silt loam is also an excellent soil best suited to gen- 

 eral farming. It is not particularly well adapted to truck crops, al- 

 though tomatoes, cabbages, and some other vegetables do fairly well. 

 The gravelly loam is easily tilled and is an excellent soil for orchard 

 fruits like peaches, plums, and pears, and is also a fair corn soil. 



There are a number of other soil series and types in the Atlantic 

 Gulf Coastal division, but they are limited in areas and are of small 

 productivity. 



RIVER FLOOD PLAINS. 



An extensive and characteristic group of soils, usually known as 

 bottom lands, is found in the flood plains of numerous rivers and 

 streams of the United States. The largest development of this group 

 occurs along the Mississippi River, where the bottoms are often many 

 miles in width. 



The soils have been formed by deposition from stream waters 

 during periods of overflow. The texture of the material depends 

 upon the velocity of the current at the time of the deposition. Where 

 the current is very rapid, large stones and bowlders are borne along 

 and beds of gravel and sand are formed. Along the swift-flowing 

 streams the texture of the soil changes often within short distances, 

 but in wide bottoms large areas of very uniform soils are often 

 formed. The soil material has usually been derived from various 

 kinds of rocks, but in some instances is closely related to the sur- 

 rounding geological formation. The red soils along the Red and 

 other rivers in the Southwest have been formed by the reworking 

 of the Permian Red Beds. In general, the soils along the streams 

 which flow through the prairie region have a darker color than those 

 along the streams which run onlv through the timbered sections 

 of the country. 



