alleghanyNC1917

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
BUREAU OF SOILS—MILTON WHITNEY, Chief.
IN COOPERATION WITH THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
W. A. GRAHAM, COMMISSIONER; B. W. ICILGORE, STATE CHEMIST AND
DIRECTOR AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION;
C. B. WILLIAMS, AGRONOMIST.
SOIL SURVEY OF ALL E GHANY COUNTY,
NORTII CAROLINA.
BY
R. T. AVON BURKE, OF THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
IN CHARGE, AND H. D. LAMBERT, OF THE NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
W. ED`VARD I3EARN, INSPECTOR, SOUTHERN Dlvisim
[Advance Sheets —Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils, 1915.1
WASHINGTON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
1917.

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
BUREAU OF SOILS—MILTON WHITNEY, Chief.
IN COOPERATION WITH THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
W. A. GRAHAM, COMMISSIONER; B. W. KILGORE, STATE CHEMIST AND
DIRECTOR AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION;
C. B. WILLIAMS, AGRONOMIST.
SOIL SURVEY OF ALLEGRANY COUNTY,
NOR-1 TffCAROLINA.
BY
R. T. AVON BURKE, OF THE U..S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
IN CHARGE, AND H. D. LAMBERT, OF THE NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
W. EDWARD HEARN, INSPECTOR, SOUTHERN DIVISION.
[Advance Sheets —Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils, 1915.]
WASHINGTON:
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE.
1917.

10 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1915.
reduced, on the other hand, to 2,921 acres and that in buckwheat to
186 acres. The number of milch cows had increased to 3,090, that of
other cattle to 6,124, horses and mules to 1,991, and sheep to 8,937,
while the number of hogs had decreased to 7,022.
In the census year 1900 the population was 7,759. Ninety-six per
cent of the total area of the county was then in farms, and 58.5 per
cent of the farm land was improved. Hay was still the leading
crop, occupying 10 per cent of all the improved farm land, or 9,315
acres. Corn, the second crop in acreage, occupied 8,895 acres, and
oats 3,680 acres. The other crops maintained the same relative
importance they held 10 years previously, with the exception of
buckwheat. This cereal occupied 2,016 acres in the 1900 census year,
ranking as the fourth crop in point of acreage. Wheat was reduced
to 1,324 acres. The census of 1900 showed small decreases in the
number of cattle and hogs and increases in the number of horses,
mules, and sheep.
Within the period 1903-1905 the Norfolk & Western Railway
extended its line to Galax, Va. This made the nearest shipping
point for live stock and other farm products only 21 miles distant
from Sparta, and the construction of this line has been an important
factor in the development of the county.
The population of Alleghany County remained practically sta-
tionary between 1900 and 1910, but the 1910 census shows a gain of
13 per cent over 1900 in the total acreage of improved land, and an
increase in the number of farms. The census reports the entire area
of the county as being in farms and 63.8 per cent of the land as
improved.
The agriculture of Alleghany County at the present time consists
of the production of hay, corn, and buckwheat and the raising of
beef cattle.
Hay occupies a larger acreage than any other crop. The 1910
census shows 11,132 acres devoted to tame and cultivated grasses,
with a yield of about 1 ton per acre. The hay consists mainly of
redtop or orchard grass or of these two grasses mixed. All the hay
produced is consumed on the farm in the wintering of cattle.
According to the census, there were 8,649 acres planted to corn in
1909, the crop amounting to 189,666 bushels. Corn is grown for the
feeding of work stock and the fattening of hogs, as well as for
domestic use. Practically no corn is sold.
Buckwheat was sown on 3,650 acres in 1909, with a production of
51,358 bushels. Buckwheat is grown for revenue and the bulk of
the crop is sold in outside markets.
Minor crops of Alleghany County include rye, wheat, oats, Irish
potatoes, cabbage, dry beans, and other vegetables. The cereal crops

SOIL SURVEY OF ALLEGHANY COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. 11
and Irish potatoes are used mainly on the farms, but a small quantity
of cabbage and Irish potatoes is sold in near -by towns. Vegetables
make good yields and the product is of excellent quality.
Of the fruits grown, apples are the most important. The principal
varieties grown are the Virginia Beauty, York Imperial, Winesap,
Limbertwig, and Rome Beauty. The quality of the fruit is high
and indications are that with the establishment of good transporta-
tion facilities apple growing will be extended on a. commercial scale.
Cherries do exceptionally well in this county. A large quantity of
chestnuts is gathered annually from the forests. '
The raising of beef cattle is the most important and in many cases
the sole source of farm income. The census reports the value of all
animals sold or slaughtered in 1909 as $398,326. There are probably
15,000 or more head of cattle in Alleghany County. Nearly every
farmer raises cattle, the number on the individual farms ranging
from a few head to a hundred or more. The principal breeds of
cattle are the Hereford, Shorthorn, and Aberdewn Angus, with their
grades and crosses. The cattle are grazed during the summer and
fall. They are sold in the fall at the age of 2 or 3 years, when they
weigh 900 to 1,200 pounds. Local buyers send the cattle, for finish-
ing, to Pennsylvania or Virginia. A considerable proportion of the
stock goes to Lancaster, Pa., where the animals are fed for 6 to 8
weeks. The cattle from Alleghany County compare favorably in
quality with beef cattle from the Middle West.
Sheep raising is an important agricultural interest. The number
of sheep in the county is more than 12,000. Sheep are raised to be
sold to outside markets. Wool and mohair produced in 1909 reached
a value of over $9,000.
The 1910 census reports 4,432 hogs in Alleghany County. Hogs
are raised mainly for consumption on the farm, but a few head are
sold.
Poultry raising is a source of considerable farm revenue, the census
reporting the value of poultry and eggs produced in 1909 as $56,893.
A large number of turkeys are raised and driven to market.
The surface configuration of the county is not favorable for the
extensive cultivation of crops. The only areas that can be economi-
cally used for cropping are the bottom lands along the watercourses,
the smoother slopes and foothills, and the flat-topped mountain
ridges and rounded knobs. Corn and grain are grown on the hill
and mountain slopes, but the proportion of land occupied by these
crops is very small in comparison with that utilized for pasture.
Some recognition is given by the farmers to the adaptation of
crops to the various soils of the county, but factors others than soil
adaptedness govern in large measure the selection of fields. The

14 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1915.
gration and decomposition of the underlying rocks. The principal
rocks are gneiss, mica gneiss, mica schist, and granite, together with
hornblende and garnetiferous schist and dikes of other hard intru-
sive rocks.
The covering of soil material over the bedrock is generally shal-
low, and in many places the partially decayed rock is reached be-
tween the depths of 18 and 36 inches. Outcrops of the bedrock occur
on slopes where erosion has kept close pace with soil formation. The
quartz occurring in narrow bands or veins in the original rocks has
resisted the agencies of weathering. The veins have merely broken
up and the fragments are encountered on the surface, in the surface
soil or embedded in the subsoil.
In many places mica schist and mica gneiss are associated so closely
in occurrence that difficulty is encountered in distinguishing between
the resultant soils.
With the range in physical and chemical composition of the under-
lying rocks and differences in the stage of decay and oxidation of the
component minerals, soils have been derived which vary in color,
structure, origin, and other characteristics, but a uniformly loamy
texture and dominantly friable structure are characteristic of practi-
cally all the surface soils.
The soils are classed in series which differ in color, structure, mode
of origin, or other characteristics. Five series are recognized. The
upland soils are comprised in the Ashe, Chandler, Porters, and Talla-
dega series, and the bottom -land soils in the Toxaway series.
The Ashe series is characterized by light -brown to yellowish sur-
face soils and brownish -yellow or slightly reddish yellow, friable
clay subsoils. The Ashe very coarse sandy loam and loam are encoun-
tered in Alleghany County. The loam is derived from gneiss, granite,
mica -gneiss, and garnetiferous schist, while the very coarse sandy
loam is derived from coarse -grained granite.
The Chandler series comprises yellow or brownish-yellow-ssurface
soils and dominantly yellow subsoils. The surface soil and subsoil
carry sufficient quantities of mica to give them a greasy feel and a
lustrous appearance. The Chandler soils are derived mainly from
mica schist and more rarely from mica gneiss. The Chandler loam
is the only member of this series mapped in Alleghany County.
The Porters series is characterized by brown to red surface soils
and red or brownish -red subsoils. The members of this series are
derived from hornblende schist, gneiss, granite, and granitoid gneiss,
locally associated with mica schist and mica gneiss. The Porters
loam is the only representative of this series mapped in the present
survey.
The Talladega series differs from the Porters principally in that
the surface soil and subsoil are slightly less compact, are somewhat

SOIL SURVEY OF ALLEGHANY COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. 19
especially where the soil is derived from garnetiferous schist. The
Chandler loam is largely confined to the higher altitudes, especially
the crests of mountains. The drainage is thorough and generally
excessive, being sufficient in places on the slopes to cause soil wash.
The Chandler loam owes its origin to the weathering in place of
mica schist, mica gneiss, and, less commonly, garnetiferous schist.
About one-third of the total area of the type is utilized for agri-
cultural purposes, the remainder supporting a forest growth con-
sisting of mixed chestnut, white oak, red oak, chestnut oak, and
white pine. In some places white pine is the most conspicuous
growth. Only about one-third of the cleared land is cultivated, the
remainder being used for pasturage. The crops grown consist of
corn, rye, buckwheat, and hay. Wheat is seldom grown. Like the
other soils of the county, this type is used in the main for the grazing
of live stock and the production of subsistence crops. As the Chan-
dler loam occupies the highest elevations in the county it is exposed
to more severe winter conditions than the other types, and little fruit
is grown except on south and east slopes. Here fruit can be success-
fully produced.
Crop yields reported for this type are: Corn, 5 to 12-1 bushels
per acre; rye, 8 to 14 bushels; and buckwheat, 10 to 24 bushels. The
hay crop is generally very light.
Corn is usually followed by rye or buckwheat. Grass for hay or
pasturage is generally sown with the buckwheat or harrowed in on
rye in the spring.
Except over small areas on the tops of ridges and on the gentler
slopes, improved farm implements can not be used on the Chandler
loam. The soil, however, is easily worked, it warms up quickly in
the spring, and crops mature early. The type is deficient in organic
matter. The manure available is usually applied to corn and rarely
to other crops. The small grains, however, are fertilized with an
acreage application of 100 to 300 pounds of 16 per cent acid phos-
phate.
The selling price of land of this type ranges from $20 to $40 an
acre.
The Chandler loam is generally less productive of grass and grain
than the Talladega loam, but its productiveness can be greatly
increased by the incorporation of stable manure and the plowing
under of coarse forage, grain stubble, and green manuring crops.
Deep plowing and thorough tillage would do much to increase the
yields.
PORTERS LOA31.
The surface soil of the Porters loam is a dark -brown or reddish -
brown loam, ranging in depth from 5 to 12 inches. The subsoil is a

20 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1915.
friable clay loam to compact clay of a red or light -red color, generally
extending to a depth of 3 feet. In places, however, the disintegrat-
ing bedrock is reached at a depth of 2 or 3 feet, and occasional
ledges are exposed at the surface, especially on the steeper slopes.
The surface soil in general has a mellow structure. The subsoil con-
tains a sprinkling of mica scales, but these are less abundant than
in the Talladega and Chandler loams and do not give the material
a greasy feel.
Included with this type are a number of small patches of Porters
clay loam, formed by the partial or complete removal of the surface
soil by soil wash, and a small patch of Porters stony loam. The
most important developments of Porters clay loam are encountered
near the public road north of Toms Devil Knob and south of Rock
Creek School, as well as near the county line in the northwest corner.
The stony loam differs from the typical loam only in having a
scattered distribution of stones on the surface. A variation in the
Porters loam occurs north of Edwards Crossroad, where the -surface
soil is intensely red in color and the subsoil is a deep -red clay.
Throughout the Porters loam there are included numerous areas and
strips of Ashe loam and Talladega loam too small to separate on
the map.
The Porters loam is the second soil in point of extent. It occurs
throughout the county, but less extensively in the southeastern part.
It is largely developed in two belts, which, however, are not continu-
ous. One of these extends from southwest of Whitehead to Eunice
and beyond. The larger and more continuous belt begins southwest
of Peden and extends to New River.
The Porters loam occupies the lower mountain slopes, and hills and
ridges of moderate elevation. It usually occurs in an intermountain
position, and never on the tops of the highest mountains. The type
in general is well drained, and in places on the steeper slopes the
run-off is so excessive as to have partially or wholly removed the
surface soil and gullied the subsoil. On the other hand, in small
areas the type adjoins the bottom lands so gradually that drainage
in the lowest part of the slope is not well established.
The Porters loam is derived from the weathering or decay in place
of hornblende schist, gneiss, mica gneiss, and less commonly granitoid
gneiss, as well as from other igneous rocks. Slight differences in the
parent rocks are largely responsible for the variations which occur
throughout the type.
About 75 per cent of the Porters loam is farmed, the remainder
supporting a mixed growth of chestnut, red oak, white oak, chestnut
oak, maple, ash, poplar, dogwood, and cucumber tree, with a thick
undergrowth in places of rhododendron, laurel, and wild grape.
About 50 per cent of the cleared land is used for the production of

22 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1915.
tend to a depth of 3 feet or more but generally grades into decayed
rock at some depth between 2 and 3 feet. In spots the rock comes
to the surface. There is generally pre -Sent in both surface soil and
subsoil a sufficient quantity of finely divided mica scales to give an
unctuous or greasy feel to the material. The mica content is usually
more conspicuous in the subsoil in those places in which the parent
rock is near the surface.
The Talladega loam in Alleghany County is not uniform. The
subsoil varies in color from red or reddish yellow to streaked red
and yellow, all of these different colors being developed in some
places within areas of a few square feet. In small depressions and
coves the surface soil is rich brown in color and may exceed 12 inches
in depth, while, on the other hand, on the steeper slopes the color is
lighter and the soil covering more shallow. Not infrequently the
surface -soil material is entirely removed, exposing the underlying
red or reddish -yellow clay loam. If larger these spots would have
been mapped as Talladega clay loam.
The Talladega loam covers only a small total area, though it oc-
curs in small areas in all parts of the county with the exception of
the southeastern and extreme eastern sections. It is typically de-
veloped west of Nile. The largest area occurs in the bend of New
River near Sibyl. Isolated areas lie in the vicinity of Laurelsprings
along the western county line and on the slopes to Piney Fork. The
type is encountered elsewhere in many spots closely associated with
the Porters loam.
Usually the Talladega loam occupies the lower slopes of the moun-
tains and knolls, but occasionally it is encountered on the crests of
intermountain ridges. The surface is generally smooth, although
in places the slope is rather precipitous. Drainage over the type is
thorough and in places excessive. The run-off is rapid and occa-
sionally the underlying mica schist is exposed by erosion.
The Talladega loam is derived from the weathering or decay in
place of the underlying mica schist and mica gneiss and associated
igneous rocks.
About one-half the total area of this type is used in agriculture.
The remainder supports a growth of mixed chestnut oak, red oak,
white oak, dogwood, maple, and poplar, with occasional pine and
hemlock trees. Probably less than one-third of the land farmed is
cultivated, the type being used mainly for pastures. The raising of
beef cattle is the chief interest, and the crops grown are mainly used
for subsistence of the stock. They consist of corn, rye, wheat, buck-
wheat, and oats. In addition vegetables and small quantities of fruit
are grown for home use. Fuller use of this soil for cultivated crops is
prevented by the rough topography.

SOIL SURVEY OF ALLEGHANY COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. 23
Yields on the Talladega loam vary widely with the methods of
farming pursued. Corn yields 20 to 30 bushels per acre; rye, 10 to
15 bushels; buckwheat, 10 to 25 bushels; wheat, 10 to 20 bushels; oats,
20 to 35 bushels; and mixed hay, 1 to 12 tons. Farmers report that
the type gives best yields in wet seasons as it is inclined to droughti-
ness. Oats are reported an uncertain crop.
The crop rotation practiced on the Talladega loam consists gen-
erally of corn followed by wheat, buckwheat or oats, and grass.
Sometimes wheat is used as a nurse crop for red clover when it is
desired to grow this legume for soil -improving purposes, but grass
and clover are more frequently sown with buckwheat or oats than
with wheat. The grass crops include timothy, redtop, and orchard
grass, and red or sapling clover. After the hay is cut the land is
pastured for a period of three years or more.
Plowing on the Talladega loam is generally shallow. Corn is
rarely fertilized, and then only with stable manure. The small grains
are usually fertilized with acid phosphate applied in quantities rang-
ing from 100 to 300 pounds per acre.
The Talladega loam is a good soil for the general farming crops,
especially wheat, under favorable conditions, but it is not so produc-
tive as the Porters loam or Ashe loam, and the pastures are not as
permanent as on the latter types.
The value of land of the Talladega loam ranges from $40 to $80 an
acre, depending on the location and the grazing afforded.
The Talladega loam is capable of considerable improvement,
especially where it occupies favorable topography. Deep plowing,
more thorough tillage, and adding to the generally deficient supply
of organic matter will enable the soil to take up more moisture, so as
to lessen the effects of prolonged droughts, and in other ways will
increase crop yields. The more frequent growing of red clover in
crop -rotation systems would do much to supply organic matter when
the supply of stable manure is short.
TO%AWAY LOAM.
The surface soil of the Toxaway loam is prevailingly a dark -gray
to dark -brown loam, having a depth of about 6 to 15 inches. The
subsoil is somewhat variable in color and texture, but in general it
consists of a light -brown to black loam or clay loam extending to a
depth of 3 feet. Throughout the surface soil and subsoil, in many
places, there is present a sufficient quantity of small mica scales to
give the material a slick, greasy feel.
Included with the type as mapped are spots where the soil is a
black loam. This variation is developed particularly along Piney
Fork and Meadow Fork Creek. Bordering the stream courses in

26 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1915.
The soils of the county are derived from gneiss, and other igneous
and metamorphic rocks, the relation between the soils and the asso-
ciated geological formations being very close. Six soil types and, in
addition, Rock outcrop and Rough stony land are shown on the map.
The upland soils belong in the Ashe, Chandler, Porters, and Talla-
dega series, and the alluvial, first -bottom. soils in the Toxaway series.
The Ashe very coarse sandy loam occurs in one small area in the
southeastern part of the county. It is used for general farming.
The Ashe loam is the most extensive type snapped. It is an excel-
lent soil for the general farming crops, where the surface features
are such that it can be farmed economically. The pastures on this
soil are lasting.
The Chandler loam is the least productive of the upland soils for
general farming, but it is an excellent type, where the surface is
smooth, for light farming and truck and fruit growing, and when
economic factors have become more favorable can be developed along
special lines.
The Porters loam is generally considered the strongest soil in the
county for the general farming crops. About three -fourths of the
type is used for agriculture.
The Talladega loam is very similar to the Chandler loam in agri-
cultural value, but it is slightly more productive for grass and
wheat.
The Toxaway loam constitutes the principal hay land of the
county. This soil is well adapted to grass and corn.
Rock outcrop and Rough stony land are miscellaneous types of
practically no agricultural value.
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