at present a barren waste, but will unquestionably soon be utilized 

 for suburban purposes for the city of Springfield. 



The Connecticut meadows (Cm) is an upland strip bordering the 

 Connecticut River and its larger tributaries, and is from 10 to 20 

 feet above the river level. It is slightly rolling here and there, but 

 is generally level. The soil is a grade finer than the Poduiik fine 

 sandy loam, and is so rich, fertile, and retentive of moisture that the 

 tobacco grows coarse and dark-colored and is not suited to the 

 present market demands. The soil is admirably adapted to grass, 

 corn, and the later truck crops. It is occasionally subject to over- 

 flow in seasons of very high floods. The meadows are usually high- 

 est along the river, which gives them excellent drainage, while away 

 from the river, where they meet the escarpment of the terraces above, 

 they are apt to be low and even swampy. These wet areas are 

 usually quite narrow drainage canals. 



The Suffield clay (Sc) is a cold, poorly drained, compact silt or clay, 

 which is not cultivated to any extent and which is not even a good 

 grass land. It is entirely unsuitable for tobacco, and the cultivation 

 of this plant has never been attempted on this soil. 



The Elm wood loam (El) consists of a sandy covering, not over 

 two feet deep, overlying the Suffield clay. This gives the soil better 

 drainage than where the clay is exposed, but owing to the cold, wet 

 subsoil lying so near the surface it is not adapted to tobacco culture 

 and but poorly adapted to any other farm crop. 



The Connecticut swamp ((7s), as the name implies, is too wet for 

 any cultivated crop. Some areas might be drained, but as a rule 

 they are so small and the cost of reclamation would be so great that 

 it would not be a profitable undertaking. 



OBJECT OF THE SOIL MAP. 



By referring to this soil map one can see at a glance the distribu- 

 tion of soils of different character and of different agricultural value. 

 The scale is sufficiently large to enable one to locate quite accurately 

 on any soil which would be adapted to the industry which it is 

 desired to take up. It should also enable a farmer to intelligently 

 consider methods and results attained in similar soils in other por- 

 tions of the valley or in other localities. This soil map should serve 

 as a guide not only to the most intelligent experimentation but to 

 the most successful agricultural practice for any one who wants to 

 make the most of the natural conditions in the production of crops. 



MILTON WHITNEY, 



Chief of Division. 

 Hon. JAMES WILSON, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



WASHINGTON, D. C., June 29, 1900. 



O 



