_Cecil Mica Loam._

The Cecil mica loam consists of 12 inches of a friable, micaceous
yellow or yellowish red loam, underlain by a yellow or yellowish-red
loam, whose mica content increases with the depth until at 24 to 30
inches the subsoil is little more than a mass of small mica flakes
which gives it a loose texture. Occasionally the subsoil is a clay
loam for several inches before grading into the unweathered mica
particles.

On the surface there is from 5 to 40 per cent of angular quartz
fragments, ranging from 1 to 6 inches in diameter, some being much
larger.

The Cecil mica loam occurs as one long, narrow strip, occupying the
lower, gentle eastern slopes of the Catoctin Mountain. The southern
end of the strip begins a short distance north of Leesburg, and
extends in a northeasterly direction to the Potomac River, opposite
Point of Rocks, Md.

The topographic features of the Cecil mica loam consist of gentle and
occasionally steep rolling slopes. The surface is well drained and on
the steeper slopes the soil washes badly and deep gullies are formed.
In a season of moderate rainfall the soil and subsoil retain
considerable moisture, but in dry weather crops suffer from drought.

No farms are found entirely on the Cecil mica loam, but those farms of
the Piedmont, extending up the mountain slopes, generally include some
of this soil. Such areas are often farmed, but more generally used as