496 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



subsoil is grayish blue in color. A more uniform subsoil than that which 

 occurs under this soil is seldom found. 



The subsoil of the old shore line ridges is generally gravelly. Several 

 gravel pockets, shallow in depth, furnish considerable material for road 

 ballast. 



Drainage. This type of soil has a good natural drainage system so far as 

 the main drain channels are concerned, yet drainage is one of the first limiting 

 factors to most successful agricultural practices. The majority of the 

 drains are open surface ditches although tile are rapidly replacing them in 

 most communities. The excessive amount of waste land, caused by open 

 surface drains, can be put under cultivation when tile are used and thus 

 compensate in part for the excessive cost of tile draining. The digging of 

 the greater part of the channels for tile drains by ditching machines has 

 also reduced somewhat the cost of installing. Lateral tile drains usually 

 should be placed 4 rods apart for best results with this soil. 



COMPOSITION 



Nitrogen and Organic Matter. The organic matter content is good being 

 only slightly lower than that of the clay loam. Analyses show an average 

 of nine per cent of volatile matter, which indicates the relative amount of 

 organic matter contained. 



The nitrogen content of this soil is quite high, analyses showing an average 

 of 5,638 pounds in the surface layers. Crop conditions point toward a suffi- 

 cient supply of this element for the present especially if clover is grown once 

 in a four year rotation and residues and manure are returned to the soil. 



Phosphorus. The phosphorous content is not great. Analyses show 

 an average of 1,456 pounds per acre in the surface layers compared to 

 1,800 or 2,000 pounds which this type of soil should normally carry. Since 

 phosphorus is an essential element in the formation of the seeds of plants 

 and since the silt loam areas are devoted mainly to grain growing, it can be 

 truthfully said, that from the standpoint of soil fertility, phosphorus is the 

 first limiting element. 



Potassium is present in relative abundance in this soil, analyses of samples 

 taken from this area showing an average of 45,920 pounds per acre in the 

 surface layer. 



Soil Acidity and Liming. The soils of this type, as the analyses show are 

 either alkaline or neutral — conditions commonly known as "sweet." In 

 some cases the surface soil contains traces of carbonates as small fragments 

 of limestone while the subsoils are alkaline in reaction and usually carry 

 carbonates. Crops such as the clovers and alfalfa produce excellent yields 

 on this soil which indicate an abundance of lime. Results obtained from the 

 use of lime have not been profitable. 



METHODS OF IMPIROVING CLAY LOAM AND THE SILT LOAM SOILS 



Tilth. Tillage operations are relatively difficult on clay loam and silt 

 loam soils. The lack of drainage and fineness of texture limit to a certain 

 extent successful cultivation. Early spring plowing when wet has probably 

 been the greatest factor in increasing the already poor tilth. The pasturing 

 of stock on wet land has also puddled large areas which now require excellent 

 methods of management to bring them back to a proper condition of tilth. 

 The rotation of crops and the turning down of organic matter of any nature 



