A 2-year study to characterize major soil series' used for cotton in Virginia and North Carolina was initiated in 1996. Five soils were determined to represent 49.6% of the acreage used for cotton. These soils were all Paleudults which ranged from extremely well drained to very poorly drained. The soils were sampled form 4 areas - 3 in North Carolina and 1 in Virginia. Eleven farms were used for sampling across the 2 states. Determination of physical properties included bulk density, available water holding capacity, particle size, depth of surface horizon, and depth to water table. Chemical properties included pH, CEC, and base saturation. Tests were conducted on surface and subsurface horizons. The data determined at present gives no indication that these soils are significantly different from each other except in 2 areas. Depth of surface horizon and depth to water table are the only significant differences among these 5 soils at the .05 level. Of the 300 sites selected and sampled less than one third have been tested for all properties presently. All sites are to have yield samples taken for 2 years to attempt to correlate soil properties to yield.