32 BULLETIN 1005, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Cucumbers. — Out of a total acreage of 70.2 acres of cucumbers, 

 43 acres, or 61.2 per cent, consist of the Sassafras and Keyport fine 

 sandy loams. 



Spinach. — Spinach is the most extensively grown winter truck 

 crop in the Norfolk district. The total area in the two areas mapped 

 is 328.3 acres. The Sassafras loam carries 54.7 acres, or 52.1 per 

 cent of its total area, in spinach; the Sassafras coarse sandy loam 

 65.7 acres, or 23.5 per cent of its. area; the Sassafras fine sandy loam 

 bears 76.6 acres, or 22.2 per cent of its total extent; and the Norfolk 

 coarse sandy loam carries 48.8 acres, or 16.6 per cent of its total area. 

 From this it follows that the best-drained soils of the Norfolk dis- 

 trict include nearly 75 per cent of the spinach area mapped in the 

 two surveys. 



Kale. — Kale is the other winter crop of importance in the Norfolk 

 district. A total area of 188.2 acres is accredited to this crop, 

 chiefly in the Churchland area. The Norfolk, Sassafras, and Key- 

 port fine sandy loams carry a total of 148.7 acres, or 79 per cent of 

 all of the kale mapped. They cover about 42 per cent of the area 

 surveyed. 



Only the more sandy soils are desired for the growing of water- 

 melons and cantaloupes. 



Sweet potatoes, cucumbers, and peas show quite a range of desir- 

 able soil conditions, with a rather marked preference for sandy loams 

 and even for sands. 



The preferred soils for potatoes and beans are very decidedly the 

 sandy loam types. The production of the latter crop on loams is 

 also indicated. 



The preferences of soils for strawberries range toward the sandy 

 loam and the loam soils, although heavier soils may be used. 



Spinach and kale are preferably grown upon the heavier and more 

 loamy soils. 



SOIL PREFERENCES EXPRESSED BY FARMERS OF THE NORFOLK DISTRICT. 



To ascertain the preferences of local farmers for the different 

 classes of soils in growing the more important truck crops, a series 

 of circular letters was sent out. The more important facts in the 

 replies to these letters are discussed below. 



Potatoes. — Replies were received from 32 growers who reported 

 upon a total acreage of 1,636 acres. Twenty-five growers, or 78 

 per cent of those reporting, express a preference for sandy loam soils 

 for potatoes, while the remaining 7. or 22 per cent, prefer a loam. 

 In several instances distinction is made between the crop grown for 

 extra early market and that for later harvesting. In all cases the 

 sandy loam soils are preferred for the early crop. The }-ields reported 

 by these 32 growers range from 30 barrels per acre to a maximum of 



