M NORTH-CAROLINA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



Sand or silex, 70.50 



Organic matter, 25.20 



Peroxide of iron and alumina, 0.76 



Lime 0.01 



Magnesia, trace, 



Water, 2.70 



Soluble silica, trace. 



The silex is a perfectly white marine sand. 



Although this analysis is not carried through, yet it is evi- 

 dent that the available matter for crops is extremely small. 

 The seventy-six hunclredths of a grain of peroxide of iron 

 and alumina is too small a quantity to have much chemical 

 or mechanical influence upon the organic matter with which 

 it is mixed; neither can it furnish phosphoric acid to supply 

 the wants of vegetation if put under cultivation. This variety 

 of gallberry land belongs to the poorest class of soils. It is not 

 expected it would pay a profit if cleared, and hence all such 

 lands should remain wild, or in their natural state. . 



Another variety of low ground soil is of a better quality, 

 though still it ranks low for the purposes of agriculture. It 

 is of a light color, and hence contains much less vegetable 

 matter. It is a marine sand, intermixed with a small quanti- 

 ty of clay, a portion of which can be dissolved in hydrochloric 

 acid. This soil is from Sampson county. It forms extensive 

 areas in Johnston, Sampson and Duplin counties. There is, 

 however, an improvement in the character of the low grounds 

 towards the east from Johnston county. The color of this 

 soil is a light brownish or purplish drab ; in drying it becomes 

 hard and loses most of its water of absorption. It resembles 

 the green swamp soil in Brunswick county. It is composed 

 of 



Silex, 1 88.40 



Peroxide of iron and alumina, 2.92 



Lime, 0.02 



Magnesia, 0.03 



Water, 3.09 



Organic matter, 4.20 



Potash and soda, traces, 



Phosphoric acid, undetermined, 



