The Cecil loam is devoted entirely to general farming. The crops grown
are corn, wheat, grass, clover, vegetables, apples, and pears. The
agricultural interests are further diversified by the practice of
dairying and stock raising. The land is one of the best corn soils of
Loudoun, being loamy and easily cultivated throughout the growing
season. The average yield per acre ranges from 40 to 60 bushels. Wheat
does very well, producing from 12 to 20 bushels per acre, and more in
favorable seasons. Grass and clover yield at the rate of from 1 to 2
tons of hay per acre and form good grazing during a considerable part
of the year. Apples and pears are grown everywhere on the type,
usually in small orchards, and good yields of these fruits are
obtained. Oats were at one time grown, and can be produced at the rate
of from 35 to 50 bushels per acre, but the present acreage is small,
the farmers claiming that this crop rapidly reduces the productiveness
of the soil.

Nearly all of the type is in cultivated crops or pasture. The original
timber growth was oak, hickory, and walnut; but little of this stands
now, except on occasional woodlots. The Cecil loam is a soil which
with careful treatment makes a fine farming land; but carelessly
managed it very quickly deteriorates.


_Cecil Clay._

The soil of the Cecil clay consists of a heavy loam, red or brown in
color, and having an average depth of 8 inches. The subsoil generally
consists of a red clay, although it is sometimes a heavy clay loam.
The surface is generally free from stones, though occasional small
areas have a few quartz and granite or schist fragments. In the