12 NORTH-CAROLINA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



to a supply of food simply, but will extend to the mechanical 

 cultivation : each plant will no doubt be found to do or grow 

 better under a certain mode of cultivation. 



8. Sandy soils predominate to a great extent over all 

 others in the eastern counties, though there are tracts in 

 which clay is in as great excess as sand. The extreme varie- 

 ties may be summed up as follows : 1st, sandy soil to an excess 

 which destroys cohesion and becomes blowing sand ; 2d, clay ; 

 3d, vegetable soils to such an extent as to exclude earthy 

 matter, or to contain merely some 4 or 5 per cent, of it. 



Between the extremes, as enumerated, there exist mixtures 

 in various proportions, as usual, except that, as a general 

 rule, the proportion of sand is somewhat greater than in the 

 soils belonging to other parts of the State. 



As an example of soil in which sand is in greater excess, I 

 may state that the following is an instance worthy of note. 

 The specimen was taken from Bladen county, near Elizabeth- 

 town, and represents a kind common to that section. Thus, 



Silex, 94.80 



Water, 1.20 



Organic Matter, 1.50 



Per oxide of iron and alumina, 65 



Lime, 01 



Magneisa, trace, 



Potash and soda, traces. 



The essential constituents of a good soil in this example 

 exist only in the smallest proportions, and though it pro- 

 duces plants, yet the valuable elements exist in too small 

 proportions to pay for tillage. 



The great excess of sand is, however, palpable, and it is 

 also evident that there is a great deficiency of clay or alu- 

 mina, which gives consistency to soils, and which forms the 

 basis upon which fertilizers may be profitably applied. 



It belongs, it will be conceded, to a particular class, as there 

 is a single element in great excess. Although there is a great 

 excess of sand in these examples, to which many more might 

 be added, still, this excess, in itself considered, does not dis- 

 qualify them for the growth of certain crops, particularly the 



