"The generally low estimation in which this land is held is probably wholly unjustified," replied the Chief. "There are two or three farms in the area which, under a high state of cultivation with intelligent methods, will produce from twenty to thirty bushels of wheat per acre and corresponding crops of corn. Those farmers are a credit to the country. They furnish the towns with good milk and butter and vegetables, and they also help to keep the towns clean and sanitary by hauling out the animal excrements, and other waste and garbage that tend to pollute the air and water of the village." "I can see how that might maintain the fertility of those farms," said Percy. "It seems that the general condition of this kind of land is about the same in Prince George County. On page 45 of the 1901 Report of the Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils, I have noted the following statement: "'The Leonardtown loam, covering 45,770 acres of the area, is the nearest approach among the Maryland Coastal Plain Soils to the heavy clays of the limestone regions of Western Maryland and Pennsylvania. The surface is generally level and the drainage fair. The soil is not adapted to tobacco, and has consequently been allowed to grow up to scrub forest, so that large portions of it are at present uncleared. Such unimproved lands can be bought for $1.50 to $5.00 an acre, even within a few miles of the District line. The soil has been badly neglected, and when cultivated the methods have not been such as to promote fertility. When properly handled, as it is in a few places, good yields of wheat, corn and grass are obtained.'" "That's right," said the Chief, "exactly right. Upon the whole it is one of the most promising soils of the locality, although it is not considered so by the resident farmers." "You mean that it should be handled the same as is done by the successful farmers of St. Mary County?" inquired Percy. "Yes, it needs thorough cultivation and the rotation of crops; and the physical condition of the soil needs to be improved by the addition of lime and manure, or green crops turned under." "I have been looking over some of the other Reports of Field Operations," said Percy." I became interested in the description of a Virginia soil called Porters black loam. I find the following statements on page 210 of the Report for 1902: