Alleghany County, North Carolina Soil Survey

ASHE VERY COARSE SANDY LOAM

The surface soil of the Ashe very coarse sandy loam consists of a very coarse sandy loam of a light-gray color, grading into a pale-yellow color at about 2 to 6 inches. This material extends to a depth of 8 to 20 inches. The subsoil is a yellow, friattle coarse sandy day or clay, which either extends to a depth of 3 feet or grades into disintegrated granite. The surface soil carries a large quantity of small angular quartz gravel, the particles ranging in diameter from one-sixteenth to one-fourth inch.

This type is limited in occurrence to a small area in the southeastern part of the county around Miles. It occupies the lower mountain slopes, the surface being gently rolling to strongly rolling. The surface drainage and internal drainage are good.

Much of this type can be cultivated. It is used for the production of corn, buckwheat, rye, and potatoes, and a small quantity of apples.

The Ashe very coarse sandy loam is a mellow soil, easily tilled. It responds readily to the application of stable and green manures.

ASHE LOAM

The surface soil of the Ashe loam is a light-brown to brownish-yellow loam, having a depth of about 6 to 10 inches. The subsoil is a brownish-yellow or dull-yellow to slightly reddish yellow or buff colored, friable, crumbly clay loam or clay, which continues downward to the underlying rock, the depth in places exceeding 3 feet. Occasionally the disintegrated rock is encountered between 2 and 3 feet below the surface, and in places immediately beneath the surface soil. Mica scales are generally present in both surface soil and subsoil, but not in sufficient quantities to give the material the greasy feel characteristic of the associated Chandler loam.

Included with the Ashe loam as mapped are two small areas of Ashe stony loam. In both cases the surface soil and subsoil are typical of the Ashe loam, the only difference being in the larger quantity of stone fragments, ranging from 2 to 5 inches in diameter, scattered over the surface and distributed. to a less extent throughout the immediate subsurface stratum.

One of the most important variations in the Ashe loam occurs in the southern and southeastern parts of the county on the crest of the Blue Ridge, largely along the county line. The surface soil and upper subsoil are typical, the surface soil being generally only a little darker in color, but the subsoil, with approach to the underlying rock, at a depth of 2 to 3 feet, becomes micaceous and slightly greasy, the material being derived from garnetiferous schist. Included also with the typical Ashe loam as mapped are patches or strips of Chandler loam, Porters loam, and Talladega loam too small to separate in mapping.

The Ashe loam is the most widely distributed and the most extensive soil mapped. The type occurs in all parts of the county, but it is largely developed in three general belts. One of these extends in a northeasterly direction from the river hank opposite Sturgills Store to New River, beyond Turkey Knob School, in the northern part of the county. Another occurs in the central part of the county on the north and south slopes of the Peach Bottom Mountains, extending northeasterly from near the western county line toward Vox in the northern part of the county. The third and largest belt also extends in a northeasterly direction; it includes the southwest, southeast, and northeast parts of the county. These belts represent only the general distribution of the type, the areas of which are not continuous, but are interrupted by bodies of other soils.

The Ashe loam occupies practically all positions from the lower valley plains to the tops of the mountains, although it rarely occupies the highest crests or peaks. Part of the type is gently rolling, but for the most part the type forms rolling intermountain country, comprising knolls and ridges which have smooth slopes.

Drainage over this type is excellent, and in spite of its position and surface relief little erosion has taken place, bald spots where the surface mantle has been removed by wash being rare.

The Ashe loam is derived from the decay in place of such underlying rocks as gneiss, mica gneiss, and garnetiferous schist, with local intrusions of mica and hornblende schist. The character of the soil from place to place bears a close relation to the geological formations, and the intrusions mentioned are in general responsible for the variation in the type.

Probably 40 per cent of this type is cleared and about one-third of the cleared land is devoted to crops, the remainder being used for pastures. The forest growth consists of chestnut, red oak, white oak, chestnut oak, maple, ash, beech, dogwood, hemlock, and poplar; the undergrowth, particularly near the stream channels, consists of rhododendron and laurel.

The chief type of farming on this soil is the grazing of beef cattle. The crops grown are mainly utilized in feeding work stock, cattle, and hogs. The favored position occupied in general by this type permits the maturity of a wide range of crops. Corn, wheat, rye, buckwheat, oats, hay, fruits, and vegetables are grown. Corn, according to the reports of farmers, yields 20 to 40 bushels an acre, wheat 15 to 25 bushels, rye 10 to 15 bushels, buckwheat 15 to 25 bushels, and oats 20 to 40 bushels. Mixed hay (timothy, redtop or orchard grass, and clover) gives yields of 1 to 1 1/2 tons an acre. Apples, cherries, and grapes are successfully grown, and in some of the protected mountain coves peaches are a profitable crop. Such garden vegetables as Irish potatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, and turnips succeed very well.

As a general practice, one to three crops of corn are grown on this type, followed by one to three crops of wheat. If wheat is not sown rye may take its place as a fall-sown crop. Oats or buckwheat sown the following spring may take the place of rye. The small grains are usually grown on the Ashe loam as nurse crops for grass and clover, which may be sown either in the fall or spring. When hay is harvested the second summer the land is in some cases used as pasture for periods ranging from 3 to 10 years. The pastures on this type are said to be very good, particularly those on the north slopes.

The chief means of maintaining the productiveness of this type consist of turning under pasture sod and grain stubble, and growing red clover with grass. Stable manure is generally applied to corn land and 16 per cent acid phosphate to the grain crops, at the rate of 100 to 800 pounds an acre. A few farmers report good results from the use of lime, especially where the organic content of the soil is high.

The Ashe loam has a friable structure and good tilth can be maintained easily. The type is highly adapted to the general-farming crops and fruit, as well as to Irish potatoes and cabbage. It is not so good for wheat as is the Porters loam, but pastures on it are better and more permanent than on the latter type.

The selling price of land of the Ashe loam ranges from $30 to $100 an acre, depending upon the location and improvements.

Plowing on this type should be deeper and other tillage operations more thorough. Crops should be rotated systematically and arranged so as to shorten the intervals between the seedings to grass. This will do much to maintain the organic content and increase the productiveness of the land. Liming apparently would be beneficial.

CHANDLER LOAM

The Chandler loam to a depth of 6 to l2 inches consists predominatdy of a dull-yellow, brownish-yellow or fight-brown loam which is underlain by a subsoil of yellow, brownish-yellow or faintly reddish yellow, friable, crumbly clay loam or clay. The subsoil usually grades into the partly decayed rock at 2 to 4 feet. Not infrequently the subsoil is lacking and the surface soil rests directly on the rock. Finely divided scales of mica occur in very large quantities in the subsoil and to a noticeable extent in the surface soil. These give the material a greasy feel when rubbed between the fingers and a luster when exposed to sunlight. In many places ledges of rock protrude through the soil.

Closely associated with this type are strips of typical Ashe loam and Talladega loam, too small to differentiate on the soil map. Spots of Chandler clay loam are also included on some of the steeper slopes, developed where the heavy material has been exposed by soil wash. The Chandler loam, however, is much more uniform through-out its distribution than is the Talladega loam and the variations mentioned are mainly negligible.

The Chandler loam has a wider distribution than the Talladega loam, although it is one of the less important types of the county. It occurs in scattered bodies in all parts of the county, generally closely associated with the Ashe loam. It is well developed along the county line north and south of Laurelsprings, and along Brush Creek northeast of Hooker. It is equally typical on the crest of Peach Bottom Mountains, on the slopes of Bullhead Mountain, and on the east slope to Pine Swamp Creek. It is not quite so typical on the crests and slopes of the Blue Ridge near the south and east county boundary lines, where the mica content Is less than usual, 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 agricultural purposes, the remainder supporting a forest growth consisting 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 Chandler 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 successfully produced.

Crop yields reported for this type are: Corn, 5 to 12 1/2 bushels per acre; rye, 8 to 14 bushels; and buckwheat, 10 to 20 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 mantire 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 phosphate.

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 tinder of coarse forage, grain stubble, and green manuring crops. Deep plowing and thorough tillage would do much to increase the yields.

PORTERS LOAM

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 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 disintegrating 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 contains a sprinkling of mica scales, but these are less abundant than in the Talladega and Chandler oams 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 continuous. One of these extends from southwest of Whitehead to Ennice 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 homblende 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 crops and the remainder as pastures. As on the other soils of the county, the type of agriculture consists of general farming, in conjunction with the raising of live stock. The crops grown, named in the order of their importance, are corn, hay, wheat, buckwheat, rye, and oats, with garden vegetables and fruit for home use.

Over much of this type improved labor-saving machinery can be used. Part of the land, however, is too steep and rough for the economical production of crops and is used for permanent pastures or allowed to remain in forest.

The following yields per acre are reported by farmers on the Porters loam: Corn 30 to 50 bushels, wheat 15 to 35 bushels, buckwheat 15 to 30 bushels, rye 10 to 20 bushels, oats 20 to 50 bushels, and hay 1 1/2 to 2 tons.

Crops are usually grown in a succession consisting of corn, wheat or rye, oats or buckwheat, and grass and clover, the land being then pastured for a long period. As many as three or four successive crops of corn and wheat are grown. In general the Porters loam is probably farmed better than the other soils; seed-bed preparation is more thorough and the tillage given is more intensive. Commercial fertilizers are rarely used on corn land, but the small-grain crops are usually fertilized with 16 per cent acid phosphate in applications ranging from 100 to 400 pounds an acre. Stable manure, as far as available, is applied to corn land.

The Porters loam is slightly more difficult to work than is the Talladega loam or Ashe loam. The depth of plowing is usually greater, ranging from 5 to 10 inches. The type is an excellent soil a for the general farming crops and gives better yields of wheat than any other type in the county. Results with oats are rather uncertain, but buckwheat yields heavily and the growing of this crop is said to improve the physical condition of the soil. The Porters loam is one of the most valuable types in the county for apples, on account of its topographic position.

Land of this type has considerable range in selling value, the farms being held at prices ranging from $80 to $150 an acre.

The Porters loam is inherently one of the strongest soils in Alleghany County, and it can be built up to a high and rather permanent state of productiveness. The chief means of improving the type is the systematic rotation of crops to include the more frequent growing of red clover. The use of lime is reported to be beneficial, especially where the organic content of the soil is high.

TALLADEGA LOAM

The surface soil of the Talladega loam consists of a brown to reddish-brown loam, having a depth of 5 to 10 inches. This is underlain by a red or yellowish-red, friable clay loam or clay, which may extend 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 present in both surface soil and subsoil; sufficient quantity of finely divided mica scales to give an unctuon 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 vanes 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 occurs in small areas in all parts of the county with the exception of the southeastern and extreme eastern sections. It is typically developed 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 mountains 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 occasionally 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, buckwheat 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. Yields on the Tall adega 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 1 1/2 tons. Farmers report that the type gives best yields in wet seasons as it is inclined to droughtiness. Oats are reported an uncertain crop.

The crop rotation practiced on the Talladega loam consists generally 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 ranging 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 productive 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.

TOXAWAY 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 places narrow strips or huinnyocks of brown fine sand are encountered. Layers of gravel-and fine sand occur occasionally in the subsoil. Along New River are included with the Toxaway loam a few spots of second-bottom or terrace soils.

The Toxaway loam is a soil of the first or overflow bottoms. It occurs in all parts of the county in Tong, narrow strips, ranging in width from 100 to 1,000 feet, bordering the rivers and streams. The type in general has a flat and almost level surface, favoring the use of improved farm implements. There is a slight gradient toward the channel, except where low ridges of fine sand are developed near the stream course. The flats occupied by this soil in certain places near the uplands have the appearance of depressions; here the drainage is poor and the land remains wet a considerable part of the year. Drainage is fairly well established over most of the type, although all of it is subject to frequent heavy overflows, usually of short duration. The Toxaway loam is an alluvial soil, representing material washed from the uplands and brought down and deposited by the streams in their flood plaixis at times of inundations. Present-day overflows continually deposit new sediments over most of the type, although in places the waters are eroding the surface soil covering instead of adding to it.

About 95 per cent of this land is cleared and farrowed, the type being used principally for the production of hay, although corn is grown to some extent. The hay consists chiefly of timothy, redtop, yields ran and orchard grass, and the yields range from 1 to 2 tons per acre. Corn, without fertilization, yields 25 to 60 bushels an acre, and the type is considered the best corn and hay soil in the county. Wheat does well on the higher lying areas.

Cattle grazed upon the uplands until fall are brought to the stream bottom lands to be wintered, and the bay produced on this type is used principally as subsistence for beef stock. In places this land has been in grass for 20 years or more. Land of thk type sells at $60 to $200 an acre. In the wetter areas of the Toxaway loam the drainage could be improved to good advantage. The type would probably be benefited by the application of lime at the rate of about 1 ton per acre.

ROUGH STONY LAND

The term “Rough stony land ” is used to designate areas of rough topography which are strewn with bowlders and contain numerous outcrops of bedrock.

The type includes the rough slopes along Little River 1 mile south of the State line, the crest and north slopes of Bullhead Mountain, the tops of the highest knobs near Air Bellows Gap, the tops of Fender Mountain and Cheek Mountain of the Peach Bottom Mountains, and areas along the south county line. Rough stony land is mapped elsewhere in isolated bodies throughout the county.

This land is unsuited for farming, though in some places it affords a little grazing. Most of the Rough stony land is forested, and the timber stand constitutes its greatest value, although lumbering could be carried on only at considerable expense.

ROCK OUTCROP

The term “Rock outcrop ” is applied to an extensive exposure of bare rock on the southern county line. This is a barren mass of rock, known as Stone Mountain, with slopes that have an almost perpendicular drop of several hundred feet. On the top of the elevation there is in places a very thin covering of sandy soil but in general erosion has kept close pace with weathering and has prevented the accumulation of soil.

The sandy mantle in patches supports a sparse growth of scrubby timber, but the type has no agricultural value.

SUMMARY

Alleghany County lies in the northwestern part of North Carolina, bordering the State of Virginia. It has an area of 209 square miles, or 133,760 acres. The county is included in the Appalachian Mountain and Plateau Province. Mountainous topography prevails, but there are many rounded elevations of generally smooth surface.

The general slope is toward the north and northeast. Drainage is effected by the New River and its numerous tributaries, and there is little undrained land in the county.

The population of the county, as given by the 1910 census, is 7,745. The population is entirely rural, and settlement is in general well distributed. Sparta, the largest town and the county seat, has a population of 199.

The county is not reached by a railroad line, and the nearest railroad station is Doughton, on the Elkin & Alleghany Railroad, 17 1/2 miles from Sparta. Galax, Va., 21 miles from Sparta, on the Norfolk & Western, is the most important shipping and receiving point.

There are a number of stores and post offices in the county, and churches and schoolhouses are conveniently located.

The climate of Alleghany County is temperate and healthful. Extremes of heat and cold occur only at rare intervals. The precipitation is ample and well distributed throughout the year.

The raising of live stock constitutes the chief interest of the county. The principal crops grown are hay, corn, buckwheat, rye, wheat, and oats.

The soils of the county are derived from gneiss, and other igneous and metamorphic rocks, the relation between the soils and the associated 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 Talladega 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 put of the county. It is used for general farming.

The Ashe loam is the most extensive type mapped. It is an excellent 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 agricultural 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.