4 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 



elevations it is only rolling, but the hills are separated by deep-cut, 

 steep-sided valleys, down the slopes of which the type extends. Its 

 surface varies, therefore, from nearly level or gently rolling to 

 steeply sloping and almost precipitous. The greatest part of the 

 type lies at altitudes ranging from 1,200 to 2,000 feet above tide 

 level. Some portions of it rise to an extreme elevation of approxi- 

 mately 2,300 feet, while the areas found in northeastern Ohio are 

 much less hilly and lie between 900 and 1,100 feet. 



The surface drainage of the Volusia silt loam is fairly adequate 

 over the greater part of the type. Numerous springs found upon 

 the hill slopes give rise to small swampy areas and some of the 

 more level tracts are so closely underlain by impervious rock as to 

 be poorly drained. The greatest difficulty with drainage, however, 

 arises from the compacted and dense condition of the subsoil just 

 below plow depth. Long-continued plowing to the same depth, often 

 at times when the subsoil was too wet, has compacted and hardened 

 the layer upon which the plow sole rides, forming what is locally 

 known as " hardpan." This hardpan seriously interferes with the 

 natural internal drainage of the type. 



Upon the more level areas of this soil erosion is not a serious prob- 

 lem, but there are many steep slopes within its boundaries which may 

 be protected from destructive washing only through remaining in 

 permanent pasture or in woodlot or forest. From many such slopes, 

 denuded of forest when the region was cleared, practically all of 

 the original soil has been removed, leaving only a mass of shale frag- 

 ments mingled with a small amount of earth. Such slopes should 

 never have been cleared. They comprise possibly 15 per cent of the 

 total area of the type. 



LIMITATIONS IN USE. 



The Volusia silt loam occurs at high elevations in a cold northern 

 region. It is a moderately well drained soil, of rather heavy texture, 

 suited under ordinary conditions only to the production of hardy 

 crops which mature in a short growing season. The greater pro- 

 portion of the type lies at too great an elevation to permit of ma- 

 turing any variety of corn except the flint, and even this can only 

 be grown for silage in the majority of years. The crop adaptation 

 of the type is therefore restricted by its inherent characteristics and 

 by its climatic surroundings to buckwheat, oats, Irish potatoes, and 

 hay. Other crops are grown to a limited extent, and the better 

 drained areas, which may also lie at lower elevations, possess a 

 greater range in crop adaptations than the general average of the 

 type. 



A considerable proportion of the total area of the Volusia silt loam 

 lies upon the rolling tops of the high hills and is unfavorably located 





