66 BULLETIN 677, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
New Jersey, letters were sent to nearly 4,000 farmers, principally 
located within the sections where the detailed soil and crop surveys 
were made, but also distributed to some extent over other sections of 
the region. | 
In these letters inquiries were made concerning the individual 
preference of each farmer for a sand, sandy loam, loam, or “clay” 
soil for the growing of each of 14 crops. Additional inquiries were 
included concerning yields, the use of cover crops for green manur- 
ing, the use of stable manure, and the amount and formula of the 
commercial fertilizer commonly used for the more important crops. 
Answers were received from about 1,000 persons. The material 
thus obtained was classified with regard to the preference for par- 
ticular soils in the growing of each crop. 
Table XIII shows, in terms of the percentage of all answers re- 
ceived, the soil class preferred for the various truck crops: 
TABLE XIII.—Number of answers received, and percentage of preference for 
each soil class for the various truck crops. 





: Amswers Sand 
Crop. eed, Sand. 1 Bae Loam. | Clay. 
Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent. | Per cent. 
Sweet potatoes 5 sash ccecae pes see steaesse eee. see sk EE 245 61 BO hata eae ee far. Mie Hee 
WWiaterimelons east Saar ae oe eee Sarees eee el eee 151 56 41 30 eee 
IAS PAPAS sey eile oie tiers Ieee aie ve no slaeeniete rae oe 163 26 62 10 2 
Cantaloupesnsec wee Sessoee elect eA eases ane be weer 178 25 63 PA eens 5 cee 
TRG BS Sarasota Se oe era ase Res ok eterna eee sees 142 17 62 20 1 
@ucumbersey. 55. Se5s2 os ee hs eee eee a ee see ee 82 10 65 23 2 
Bn eeplante. yas- eee = eos orice eae eee at 69 29 45 26 jlo eee 
I CANS Rye oie aos Serene cree cies s Soe cee ele ee eee ne 147 13 60 QT lees 
IEG UGS S shades asdept oo cess dons sudeoaoe SaoueEsooseHE 114 7 47 44 2 
PROMALOCS See cee cee ese ine ee reetae e rete tye eee 359 3 49 42 6 
SNC CHICO 2 eee hose Rete ered sermon Sane emery ee 201 3 38 55 4 
CQ) TU GOSS ee aaa ate Mme eI ey pc 96 5 33 57 5 
RO GATORS ope See ec A Se ees eae ea aes ae alae ADO WP eseee ses 34 60 6 
Wat DW ae ee rials ya cae Weve es Sees so ate CSU Se eee 187 1 17 71 11 

‘The largest number of answers was received concerning the potato 
crop. In slightly less than one-half the replies received a definite 
choice of soil was expressed and 450 decisive answers were tabulated. 
The answers with respect to tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and sweet corn 
were also numerous. These four crops lead in acreage among the 
special crops grown within the territory under consideration. 
Some explanation is needed with regard to the soil-texture terms 
used In connection with these inquiries and answers. In the first 
place, only soil texture is considered. The classification into soil 
series is not yet well enough understood nor generally enough used 
among farmers to permit of more than a broad application to the 
answers submitted. In the case of the texture of soils the soil survey 
classification so closely parallels the common usage of farmers that 
there is little chance for mistake, except where the survey classifica- 
tion goes into greater detail than in the common usage. Hence only 
four groups were included in the inquiry, 

