6 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 



eastern Indiana, the drainage of the type is unusually good, and for 

 this reason it was frequently selected for early settlement in the 

 pioneer days. In no case is the drainage of the Miami clay loam 

 excessive. 



Erosion constitutes a soil problem only upon the steeper sloping 

 areas of the Miami clay loam found where the soil breaks sharply 

 from the general upland level down to the valley of some deeply 

 incised stream course. Such areas are usually maintained in forests 

 or woodlot, or at most are occupied for permanent pasture, so that 

 the erosion problem upon the areas of this type is scarcely worthy of 

 serious consideration. 



LIMITATIONS OF USES, 



The heavy silty loam of the surface soil and stiff compact subsoil of 

 the Miami clay loam render it unfavorable to the production of any of 

 the early vegetable or fruit crops produced for general market pur- 

 poses. Even Irish potatoes are practically excluded from produc- 

 tion upon this type as a commercial crop because of the fine-grained 

 texture of the soil and its tendency to bake and clod unless the sur- 

 face is kept thoroughly stirred. Under such conditions the produc- 

 tion of large yields of marketable potatoes can only be secured by 

 the most careful preparation of the land and the most thorough 

 tillage during the growth of the crop. 



The organic matter content of the surface soil of the Miami clay 

 loam varies considerably with the surface slope of the type, and with 

 its relationship to natural drainage. In lower lying hollows and at 

 the lower altitudes there is a tendency toward the accumulation of 

 organic matter, evinced by the darker-brown coloring of the surface 

 soil and frequently by its more mealy and friable structure. In such 

 locations the material is grading toward the soils of the Carrington 

 series, the black clay member of which is almost constantly associated 

 with this type. Over the greater part of the area of the Miami clay 

 loam the surface soil is a yellow, brown, or gray in color. In such areas 

 a moderate amount of organic matter is still maintained within the 

 surface soil and the best conditions for crop production are thus 

 indicated. Upon steep slopes, where erosion has been active, the 

 surface soil is frequently lacking and the brown, pale-yellow, ash- 

 colored, or blue subsoil material is exposed. Very little organic 

 matter is found in the surface materials over such areas and the incor- 

 poration of organic manures should be accomplished. In general, 

 the Miami clay loam is found to contain about an average quantity 

 of organic matter for upland glacial soils, particularly in timbered 

 regions. 



All areas of the Miami clay loam mapped lie within the cool tem- 

 perate region of the central United States under conditions of abun- 



