Chautauqua Grape Belt. 



135 



ridge with a nearly level top but with a slope both to the north and 

 the south (Fig. 65). 



The soil of these gravel ridges is peculiar, and it is upon them 

 that many of the best vineyards are located. Wells and natural 

 sections show that the gravel soil varies in depth from one or two 

 feet near the edge, to ten or fifteen feet. Beneath the gravel is 

 found clay or shale. The gravel soil consists of pebbles and sand 



55. — Round the crest of a gravel ridge just east of Fredonia. 



with scarcely any clay, excepting that which has come from the dis- 

 integration of some of the fragments. After plowing it does not 

 form clotted bunches, but is loose, friable and porous. Water 

 readily passes through it, and for this reason, forms of vegetation 

 whose roots do not extend deep into the soil are in danger of suffer- 

 ing in times of drought. 



When examined in a fresh section, it is found that the gravel is 

 often very pebbly, and that the pebbles are sometimes very large. 



