STUDY OF SMALL FARMS 1STEAR WASHINGTON. 



DESCRIPTION OF AREA. 



Most of the farms visited were located in Prince Georges County, 

 Md., or Fairfax County, Va. A few were in the District of Colum- 

 bia. The farms in Maryland and Virginia were in the districts 

 close to or adjoining the District of Columbia. The most distant 

 farms were 14 miles from the Washington Center Market. None but 

 small farms were visited. 



The basic data for this bulletin apply only to the 152 farms cov- 

 ered in this study. 



SOILS AND TOPOGRAPHY. 



The predominating type of soil in the Maryland area is Leonard- 

 town loam, 1 with small areas of Windsor sand and Susquehanna 

 gravel. These soils are of the same geological formation. Leonard- 

 town loam is a heavy type of soil and is silty rather than clayey in 

 texture. It is capable of retaining considerable moisture during the 

 entire growing season. Windsor sand is a medium to coarse sandy 

 soil, containing a small amount of fine gravel. This soil is loose and 

 friable and does not hold moisture well. Susquehanna gravel is dis- 

 tinctly stony or gravelly and is unsuited for ordinary farm crops. 

 These two poorer soils usually constitute only a part of the farms in 

 this area. The topography of the region is rolling to hilly. 



In the Virginia area the farms were located largely on the Chester 

 loam, soil. 2 This soil is a loam or silty loam that works up easily 

 into a mellow, friable seed bed. It is well drained. 



RAINFALL AND TEMPERATURE. 



The rainfall for the year 1916 in Washington, D. C, was 38 inches, 

 which was 5 inches less than the average. The rainfall for June and 

 July, however, was above normal for those months. The season was 

 cool, but there was abundant rainfall for the early summer vegetables 

 and fruits. The month of August was dry for the late summer crops. 

 The last killing frost in the spring was on April 11, and the first in 

 the fall on October 1. 



KIND OF FARMING. 



The main business of the small farmers visited in this survey was 

 raising vegetables and fruits for the local market. (See Table I.) 

 The distribution of receipts, which is shown in a later table, indicates 

 that about 90 per cent of the receipts were from crops. 



1 Soil Survey of Prince Georges County, Maryland, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



2 Soil Survey of Fairfax and Alexandria counties, Virginia, U. S. Dept of Agriculture. 



