22«1 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. [1403, 404, 406. 106, JOT 



wet, stilt permit some access of air to the roots ; but when a heavy soil remains 

 wet for a length of time, the complete exclusion of the air from its lower portion 

 too often becomes evident from the appearance of the fetal blue tint, due to the 

 reduction of the peroxide of iron to the protoxide (see above, 1T384, ff.) ; in 

 consequence of which, rust and hlight soon per'orm their work. 



40;». C tltivation of Heavy Soils. — It is man i'est, from the- above considera- 

 tions, that iu heavy clay soils, deep and frequent tillage is pre-eminently 

 desirable as tending to temper all of the disadvantages referred to, by 

 approaching their physical condition to those of lighter soils. But not only 

 does the work of plowing naturally require more power in heavy soils, but the 

 number of working days throughout the year is necessarily smaller. The 

 profitable cultiv; tion of such soils, therefore, requires a large laboring force, and 

 "intense culture" on an area comparatively sum 11 ; for with shallow and 

 insufficent t llage, the frequent failure of crops on heavy soils becomes ruinous : 

 and in no case is the folly of cultivating too much land (^480) more striking!) 

 exhibited, than when we have to deal with heavy soil. 



404. Heavy Siliceous Soils. — In some instances, "st'ff" soils are formed, even 

 in the absence of any considerable quotum of clay, when a, very large amount of 

 finely divided siliceous matter is present, wh'eh when wet, packs very closely, 

 and renders tho soil difficult to work ; when dry, it is sometimes almost powdery, 

 at others, when drouth follows a very wet season, it will form a very hard 

 surface ciust. Such soils are not very common in the State, though sometimes 

 quite prevalent in bottoms, in the southern portion, and characterized by the 

 prevalence of the Dwarf Palmetto, among a stunted growth of bottom oaks. 

 They are complained of as being " cold," •'stiff"' and "working like putty ;'' 

 •logging the plow very much, even when moderately moist. 



These soils, notwithstanding their "heaviness," are but very slightly retentive 

 of either moistute or manure, and suffer severely from drouth ; and also from 

 long prevailing wet weather, in consequence of the impossibility of tilling them 

 while wet. Thorough drainage is, therefore, a very important step in their 

 reclamation, and next to it, the addition of coarse sand and vegetable matter is 

 indicated, in order to relieve the compactness of the material, and to increase its 

 retentive power. Many of the white soils mentioned (U"387) beloi g to this class. 



405. A great many different classifications of soils have been introduced by 

 different writers, suited, more or less, to the soils of particular districts described 

 by them, and based on differences partly of chemical, partly of physical consti- 

 tution. Rut so innumerable are the modifications, and so insensible the 

 transitions which occur, that special classifications, thus for, are necessarily 

 very arbitrary, and useful chiefly with reference to particular regions. I shall 

 not, for the present, refer to more than one other general class of soils frequently 

 mentioned by agricultural writers, viz; that of, "acid soils;'' although, its 

 distinctive feature being really of a chemical nature, it properly belongs under 

 a different head. 



406. Acid Soils. — This class has often been defined as being characterized by 

 an excessive of vegetable matter; but this criterion will not hold good ; 

 the peculiarly acid soils of the Gallberry Flats of the Coast, for example, are 

 pour in vegetable matter as well as in everything else, except sand. Their 

 peculiarity is to be sought rather in the peculiar of the vegetable 

 matter they contain, which consists partially or wholly of soluble Crenic, 

 Apocrenic, or similar acids (such as color the water of marshes, etc. ; 1[440, ff), 

 instead of insoluble humus — in consequence of the decay having taken place 

 in the presence of a large amount of water, and with but little access of air ; 

 or sometimes, as in the Pine Barrens, in a soil very poor in " basic" constituents 

 (potash, soda, lime, magnesia). The mode of formation of these soils, their 

 peculiarities, and the remedies of their faults, will be found more fully discussed 

 in another place (H539, ff). 



407. Dkainage. — This has been mentioned above as being one of the essentials 



