192 



SOILS. 



The soils (if tlu' State arc iif two general classes. 



First. Sefhiitiirn ttr h'cxiiliuil Soils. — These are the Ktils in place, 

 tlioy have not licen removed from the parent rock. Such soils occur 

 Iliroui^Miout the driftless area. They vary much in coloi', texture struc- 

 ture and natural fertility, accordinf^: to the luiture of the formation of 

 which they have heen derived. The poor soils are those derived from 

 the shales and the sandstones. Those from the limestones are rather 

 fertile, but will not stand continuous cropping, hut soon become depleted. 

 The residual soils are as a rule not vei'y deep and do not withstand 

 drouth very well. 



Another group of soils to be classed as sedentary are in cumulous 

 deposits as peat, muck and swam]), since they result from the gradual 

 accumulation of material "in situ." Though diffen'ning in lioth coiii](osi- 

 tion and origin from those just described such soils are common in the 

 northern part of the State in the Wisconsin drift. 



Peat occurs only in very limited areas outside of the Wisconsin drift 

 boundary. Muck areas occur about the margins of the many lakes and 

 thousands of acres are iu the swamp areas of the lake region and the 

 Kankakee basin. 



Second. Transported Soils. — Those which have been transpurted by 

 the power of water, wind and ice. These are known as colluvial. allnvi;il 

 and glaci;il drift soils. The two latter classes are of most importance. 

 All of the alluvial soils of the State are fertile butli in tlic glaciated and 

 driftless areas. A large jiaiM of tJie rivei- bottom soils ai'c low lying and 

 difficult to dr.iin. These soils vary from the sands and gravel to the 

 stifl'est clays, but in geni-ral they aiv a g(KMl clay loam. Corn is the 

 princii)al crop. 



The drift soils .-ire composed of a gi'cat variety of types, and mostly 

 of good to f.aii- IV'rtility. The lilack loam of the dril't h;is made Indiana 

 take first jilace .-imong tin- States in the i)roduction of corn and other 

 staple crops. The glacial drift is for the most part a xcry iirodnctive 

 and ])ermanent soil. The drift deposits are varied in the arrangement 

 of clay, grave! and sand. s(» that what is true in one localit.v may be en- 

 tirely different in another. I'.ut in general it consists of a confused mass 

 of matei'iai dcrixcd fi-om many sources and is nsnall.N' rich in all the 

 necessary iilani foods. 



