A "loam" means a soil with relatively equal proportions of clay, silt, and sand. The various adjectives associated with the description alters that relationship. So, The "silty loam" description means it has more silt in relation to the amounts of clay and sand. The extra description "very gravely silt loam" means it's a silty loam with lots of gravel in it.
But, you can do some of these tests yourself. Visit the land with a quart jar, full of clean
water. Dig up a spade full of soil, and first do a "ribbon test". Moisten the soil slightly, and shape it into a ball in your hand. If the soil feels greasy when wet, and floury when dry, it's a silty loam.
Do a ribbon test. Push the soil through your thumb and finger to make a ribbon. If the ribbon can barely support it's own weight, the clay content is somewhat low. How long and strong the ribbon can be shaped is an indicator of how much clay is present. A high-clay soil will make a strong ribbon that can be extended several inches.
Finally, dump the remaining soil into the jar of water, almost filling it. Shake well to completely suspend all the soil particles, then set the jar down and let them settle by gravity. You'll see 3-4 bands. Bottom is sand (maybe gravel below that), middle is silt, and top is clay, with maybe some organic matter floating on top. The relative proportion of each layer tells you the soil type.
After completing the soil tests, you can check the pH of the water on top with pH paper. That will give you the idea of whether the soil is acidic, alkaline, or neutral. Different plants respond differently to soils of different pHs. Some like acidic soil, some neutral, but few like alkaline.
In regards to installing septic, you do a different test. This is code dependent, so check with the County code compliance office on this. Basically, dig a 12" deep hole, and fill completely full with water. If the hole drains completely within 30 minutes, the soil is suitable for a septic system. Again, check with the County office first.
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