crops of all the staple grains of the County.

The soil in the vicinity of Oatlands, included in this zone, is stiff
and stony, except such as is adjacent to water courses, or the base of
hills, where it is enriched by liberal supplies of decayed matter,
which render it loamy and inexhaustible. In the main, it is of a
generous quality, so pertinaciously retaining fertilizers as to
withstand the washing of the heaviest rains. Still it is an anomaly
that some of the richest areas in this region will not produce wheat;
while, in the cultivation of rye, oats, and corn, satisfactory results
are almost invariably obtained. Likewise there are but a few parcels
whereon white clover does not grow spontaneously and in the greatest
abundance. Than these, better pasture lands are found nowhere east of
the Blue Ridge. Limestone occurs here in vast quantities.

In the Valley of Loudoun, between the Catoctin and Blue Ridge
mountains, the soil is formed from gneiss, clay-slate, hornblend,
greenstone, and quartz. The happy combination of these materials
produces a most excellent and durable soil, containing, in fair
proportions, alumina, silex, potash, lime, and other fertilizing
minerals. Certain fertilizers have been successfully employed in
improving its natural fertility, and when it is partially exhausted by
excessive tillage, rest alone will restore it.


_Loudoun Sandy Loam._

The Loudoun sandy loam consists of from 8 to 12 inches of a heavy
brown or gray sandy loam, underlain by a heavy yellow or red loam or
clay loam. Often the subsoil contains a considerable quantity of