DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE SOILS OF VIRGINIA. 13 



derived containing some sediments transported from the area of 

 glaciation and added to deposits of Piedmont- Appalachian origin. 

 This series is developed along flat marine or estuarine terraces stand- 

 ing from 10 to about 250 feet above sea level. The substratum of 

 gravel makes drainage good. These soils are confined to the northern 

 part of the Atlantic Coastal Plains and include some of the most 

 productive soils of the Atlantic seaboard. Under good management 

 excellent crops of wheat, corn, clover, potatoes, melons, berries, and a 

 number of vegetables are secured. They are particularly adapted to 

 canning crops. 



The sandy loam is the only type of the series which has been encoun- 

 tered in the State, and this only to a small extent. 



Elkton series. — The soils are light gray to white and the subsoils 

 are mottled whitish gray and yellow. Gravel or coarse sand, usually 

 saturated with water, is found at a depth of 2^ to 3 feet. These soils 

 are closely associated with the Sassafras, the difference being caused 

 by the intermittent wetting and drying to which the Elkton soils have 

 been subjected, rendering them much lighter in color and lower in 

 agricultural value. They are encountered in that part of the Coastal 

 Plains which has been supplied with Glacial-Piedmont- Appalachian 

 material. 



The fine sandy loam, owing to its poor drainage conditions, has not 

 been developed to any extent. Under good drainage ordinary yields 

 of general farm crops can be secured, but the soil is not as produc- 

 tive as the Sassafras sandy loam. 



Tidal Marsh varies from dark, oozy sediments, interspersed with 

 coarse marsh-grass roots, to a dark-colored clay. This material is 

 extensively developed along the seacoast and along streams subject to 

 tidal overflow. The vegetation consists of salt grass. Reclamation 

 would be difficult and expensive, as it would require diking and 

 pumping. 



Coastal Beach. — This is a light-gray or white, loose, and incoherent 

 sand, 3 feet or more in depth, containing varying quantities of shell 

 fragments. It occurs as beaches, narrow ridges, and islands along 

 the seacoast. It is not adapted to agriculture. 



DESCRIPTION AND USE OF THE SOILS OF THE LIMESTONE VALLEY 

 AND UPLAND PROVINCE. 



Hagerstown series. — The soils of the Hagerstown series are pre- 

 vailingly brown in color, with light-brown to reddish-brown subsoils. 

 In some areas the subsoil is red or dull red, but never so pronounced 

 in color as that of the Decatur series. These soils are most typically 

 developed in the limestone valleys of the Appalachian Mountain re- 

 gion and in the central basins of Kentucky and Tennessee, with out- 

 lying areas in the adjoining Piedmont Plateau region. Fragments 



