y phases are adapted to
corn, but the type as a whole is a much better wheat land than corn
land. The soil is also well adapted to apples and pears. Bluegrass
grows well and makes fine pasturage, and stock raising and dairy
farming are other industries to which the Cecil clay is well suited.
Care has to be used in the cultivation of this soil, for if worked
when too wet it dries in large, hard clods that give trouble
throughout the season and interfere with cultivation for a long time
afterwards.

_Cecil Silt Loam._

The surface soil of the Cecil silt loam consists of 12 inches of a
light gray or white silt loam. This material is underlain by a subsoil
of yellow silt loam slightly heavier than the soil. The type is
locally termed "white land," and is closely related to the Penn loam
and the Iredell clay loam, these types surrounding and grading
gradually into it. In some areas the soil is quite free from stones,
while in others from 10 to 30 per cent of the soil mass is composed of
small rock fragments.

The type occupies several small areas in the Piedmont region, in the
southeastern part of the County. The largest of these areas lies about
2 miles east of Leesburg, and a considerable part of the type is
adjacent to the Potomac River. It occupies high, rolling, ridgy, or
hilly lands, and has some rather steep slopes, though in general the
surface is only gently sloping.

The drainage is good, but wherever the slopes are steep erosion
proceeds rapidly, making gullies and washed-out places that hinder or
entirely prevent cultivation. The type is well watered by small
streams which flow the year round.

Probably one-half of this type is cultivated. The remainder is
covered with a growth of scrub oak, pine, and some cedar. The soil is
thin and only fairly productive, and consequently is not greatly
desired for agriculture. It is very easy to work, but has to be
cultivated carefully to avoid washing. The crops raised are corn,
wheat, grass, and some apples. Corn yields from 25 to 35 bushels,
wheat from 12 to 15 bushels, and clover and timothy hay from 1 to 2
tons per acre. Small fruits and vegetables do well.

Although naturally a thin soil, the Cecil silt loam is fairly well
adapted to the production of the crops just named. Of the small
fruits, peaches, plums, and berries do best. On the whole the type is
considered much better adapted to wheat than to corn. It is limed and
fertilized to a considerable extent,