been badly neglected, and when cultivated the methods have not been
such as to promote fertility. When properly handled, as it is in a
few places, good yields of wheat, corn and grass are obtained.'"

"That's right," said the Chief, "exactly right. Upon the whole it is
one of the most promising soils of the locality, although it is not
considered so by the resident farmers."

"You mean that it should be handled the same as is done by the
successful farmers of St. Mary County?" inquired Percy.

"Yes, it needs thorough cultivation and the rotation of crops; and
the physical condition of the soil needs to be improved by the
addition of lime and manure, or green crops turned under."

"I have been looking over some of the other Reports of Field
Operations," said Percy." I became interested in the description of
a Virginia soil called Porters black loam. I find the following
statements on page 210 of the Report for 1902:

"'The Porters black loam occurs in all the soil survey sheets,
extending along the top of the main portion of the Blue Ridge
Mountains in one continuous area. This type consists of the broad
rolling tops and the upper slopes of the main range of the Blue
Ridge Mountains. Locally the Porters black loam is called "black
land" and "pippin" land, the latter term being applied because, of
all the soils of the area, it is pre-eminently adapted to the
Newtown and Albermarle Pippin. This black land has long been
recognized as the most fertile of the mountain soils. It can be
worked year after year without apparent impairment of its fertility.