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 
