14 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 



cipally in the more rolling areas of the type found near the courses of 

 some of the larger streams, particularly in southwestern Iowa and in 

 northwestern Missouri. In this section considerable horticultural 

 development has occurred within the last few years and commercial 

 plantings of apples have been made upon this type. The red varie- 

 ties are usually planted, and Wealthy, Jonathan, the Winesaps, and 

 Ben Davis have been set out in considerable acreage. The trees make 

 good growth, especially when the land is properly tilled and a suffi- 

 cient mulch is maintained to protect the soil from excessive evapora- 

 tion. The trees come to maturity early and produce paying crops at 

 from 8 to 10 years from the time of planting. The results which have 

 been accomplished in these localized areas serve to indicate that all 

 of the higher lying and more rolling portions of the type within the 

 humid region may be utilized for the production of orchard fruits 

 whenever the farming communities desire to vary their agricultural 

 practice from grass and grain production. 



A wide variety of vegetable crops may be produced to advantage 

 upon the Marshall silt loam, but over most of the territory occupied 

 by the type their production thus far is principally confined to the 

 raising of the home supply, and only hi the immediate vicinity of the 

 larger cities has any attempt been made at market gardening. Irish 

 potatoes, cabbages, onions, and many other vegetables may be grown 

 to advantage upon the type, w r hile small fruits, pears, and grapes are 

 produced upon a small scale in satisfactory quantity* and of excellent 

 quality. 



In the more northern regions where the Marshall silt loam is devel- 

 oped the growing of sugar beets might well be extended from its 

 present localized areas, to become an important adjunct of the exist- 

 ing cropping system. The lack of a cheap and adequate supply of 

 labor has constituted the principal factor limiting the growing of this 

 crop, although beet-sugar factories have been established at a few 

 points where the type might thus be utilized. The tonnage secured 

 varies from 8 to 12 or 15 tons per acre, and the purity and sugar 

 content of beets grown upon this soil are both satisfactory. 



Although a large part of the corn and of the small grains produced 

 upon the Marshall silt loam finds its way to the elevator and to mar- 

 ket, still an increasing amount of the corn and oats is being fed to 

 beef cattle and to dairy stock and hogs, particularly in the central 

 and eastern States, where the soil type is developed. In Iowa partic- 

 ularly dairy industry has taken a firm hold upon the agriculture of 

 the area occupied by the Marshall silt loam. Corn is not only raised 

 for grain production but also for silage purposes, and the oats are fed 

 both to the work stock and, ground with other grains, to the dairy 

 cows. The mixed timothy and clover hay is utilized as roughage in 

 the feeding ration, and frequently the areas in grass are pastured dur- 



