Sentence:  After looking about a bit , Wilson discovered beyond Black Bottom , across the river and far removed from the white city , a considerable tract of <WSD>land</WSD> , and it occurred to him that the church and the better Negro homes might gradually be moved to this plot . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use)