The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1908-07-09
SOIL SURVEY.

Object of the Work-Ten Dis
tinct Types of Soil in Robson
County Questions in regard to
the Work Answered Rot
eson's Soil Conld Easily Sup
port Many Times the Connty's
Present Population-How the
Soil Maps Will be of Great
Value and How They May be
Obtained Without Cost.
At the request Of the editor
of this paper Mr.. W. E. Hearne,
who is in charge of soil surveys
in this State and who, with his
assistants, is just completing a
survey, which has extended over
several months, Of the soils of
this county, has written for The
Robesonian the following inter
esting account of the work and
what it means. The maps will
be ready for distribution in about
twelve months, Editor.
The work of studying the soils
of the United States and making
soil maps has been carried on
by Prof. Milton Whitney, chief of
the Bureau of Soils, U. S. De-
partment ofAgriculture, for about
ten years. During that time
surveys have been made in every
State except Main and Ne 5ada.
These surveys have been so dis
tributed as to include the most
important geological formations,
areas varying widely in physi-
ographic positions, and sections
of the country where all. the diff
ferent crops Of the country are
grown. In these various areas
and counties nearly 500 distinct
grades or types of soil have been
mapped. Those Of you who are
acquainted with the surface
geology and soils of this country
know that the soils Of the At
lantic Coastal Plain differ from
those of the Piedmont Plateau,
or mountain section, of this State.
The glacial soils OF many Of the
Northern States likewise differ
from those of the limestone val
leys in Pennsylvania and Ten
! nessee; and so the soils of the
. Central West differ from the soil'
in the senli-arid and arid regions
- of the United States, where the
y rainfall varies from 5 to Is inche
c per annum, or from one-tenth t.
one-fourth Of what it is in Nortl
Carolina. In each of these broa(
divisions Of the country are fount
4 a number of different soils, eacl
type having definite physice
u properties and each type varyin
=, from the other in chemical an
, alysis.
Robeson county lies in tn
Coastal Plain region of Mort
- Carolina. This region extend
from southern New York t
Florida along the Atlantic coast
. varying in width from a fe7
miles to $50 miles or more. Tn
soils of Robson county are sin
liar to those occurring throughol
this region. Most of Jou al
= familiar with Eastern Mort
=. Carolina and know that there al
several grades or types Of soil
it, and that these types are sui
,m ed to different crops and reQuil
~ different fertilizers in ordt
" to yield the most profitable r
0' turns. In Robson county te
distinct types Of soil have bee
mapped and the area Of eac
outlined. Considerable care h;
, been taken to locate all tt
ou ~ swamp lands and bays so th
,-a N it will be an easy matter to ca
n,e lle culate just how much land cou
:" W be brought under cultivatio
men m when such places are drained.
''' The soil survey work in Nor
Carolina is being carried on t
the United States Department
/ Agriculture, Bureau Of Soils,
J, cooperation with the North Ca
olina Department of Agricultur
Since the work of making 81
maps is comparatively new, Il
- majority of the people are n
familiar with it and wonder VIII
( those fellows are doing by sigh
Y ing up and down the roads al
boring holes in the ground. 4
kinds of questions are ask
US, but the most common on
are: What are you doing? VIII
good will it be when you finisl
How much does it cost? AS tt
work is done to benefit ca
Is. landowner and the communi
!, in general, it is nothing b
lN' proper that every person in Ro
eson county should know
about it.
We have made an accurs
map of the county, showing t
roads, railroads, towns, house
churches, school houses, strean
n ponds and township lines.
! this base map will be shown t
location and extent of the t
types of soil found in the coun'
Samples Of each type ha
been collected and will be al
Il. lyzed. Each type will be
- scribed in the report. So
of the types of soil h
are identical with the soils on
North Carolina test farms in P
500 Reward. SIC
Pres The readers of this paper will