Dowries — Development of Kenosha County. 549 



Taking up now tlie prevailing sub-soils, we find that there are 

 four in the county. They are known as prairie loam, lighter 

 marly clay, humus (peat) heavier marly clay, and silicious 

 sandy loam. Map II shows the location of each. The prairie 

 loam is found chiefly in the central and eastern part of the 

 county. It predominates in the towns of Paris and Somers, 

 while in the four counties in the west there are only small scat- 

 tered areas. This is a rich, black soil and very responsive to 

 proper fertilizers. Its chief ingredient is silica, with which is 

 associated a varietv of soluble mineral substances which exist 

 in abundance in the limestone and drift deposits beneath. 

 These soluble minerals constitute excellent food for plant life. 



The lighter marly clay is the predominating soil in the 

 county. It prevails in the same general region as the prairie 

 loam, its areas being interwoven with them. It is a reddish 

 soil and is very durable and fertile. The chief ingredients are 

 calcium and nia;iniesium, and it contains enough of sandy ma- 

 terial to make it loamy and easy to work. 



The heavier marly clay is a heavier sub-soil than any of the 

 other soils in the county. This soil with the silicious sandy 

 loam constitute the poorer soils of the county, and fortunately 

 they only form a small part of the soil when compared with the 

 area of prairie loam and the lighter marly clay. The chief 

 characteristics of this soil are that it contains a notable amount 

 of lime, magTxCsia, and silica. The surface is frequently strewn 

 with bowlders, chiefly "hard heads," while cobble stones and 

 pebbles mingle more or less with the soil. The silicious sandy 

 loam, is found along the lake shore and is a result of the beach 

 deposit already described. It is a sterile, silicious soil, but 

 when mingled with clay it produces a rich fertile soil well 

 adapted to certain kinds of plant life. 



The humus (peat) is found along the Fox and Des Plaines 

 It is a result of the decay of peat and swamp muck, upon which 

 various ccrasses flourish.^ 



From this study it seems evident, that the soil and con- 

 tour of Kenosha county are admirably suited for agricultural 



iThis discussion of the Geology, soils and topography, is abridged 

 from Geology of Wisconsin, vol. 2, part 2, 1873-1877. 



