8 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 



Probably 90 per cent of the entire area of the type is now occupied 

 for some form of crop production. 



CROP ADAPTATIONS. 



The Marion silt loam is better suited to the production of winter 

 wheat than to any other crop. In some of the areas where it has been 

 encountered fully 75 per cent of the area of the type is annually 

 seeded to this crop and no rotation is practiced. In all of the areas 

 of its occurrence winter wheat is the dominant grain crop. The 

 yields secured vary considerably with the season and with the care 

 taken in the preparation of the land. The wheat yields upon the 

 most level tracts are frequently reduced by the presence of standing 

 water during part of the winter months and early droughts or ex- 

 tremely hot weather while the grain is in the dough stage. The 

 general average for the type is probably about 12 bushels per acre. 

 This may fall as low as 8 bushels with unfavorable conditions or rise 

 to 15 or 18 bushels when weather conditions have been unusually 

 favorable. It is the common practice to seed the land to wheat for 

 several years in succession and occasionally to seed in either timothy 

 or mixed timothy and clover. Some fields of clover alone are grown. 

 This constitutes the nearest approach to a crop rotation that is made 

 over the greater part of the type. 



Corn is grown only to a limited extent because of the presence of 

 " hardpan " under the soil and the consequent tendency to drought 

 during the latter part of the summer. Where the " hardpan " is not 

 present or is found only at depths of 12 to 18 inches corn is grown 

 with fair success yielding from 15 to 35 bushels per acre. 



Oats constitute a fairly successful small-grain crop and yields of 

 25 to 35 bushels are secured. The acreage of this crop is limited 

 when compared with that annually given to winter wheat. The latter 

 crop is much better suited to the prevalent soil conditions than the 

 summer grain. 



Hay is grown upon a considerable area of the Marion silt loam. 

 Timothy and redtop are seeded and the clover is seeded either alone 

 or with the timothy. The yields of hay range from three-fourths of 

 a ton to 1J tons, probably averaging about 1 ton per acre. 



Sorghum, broom corn, and cowpeas are grown to a limited extent. 

 Upon all of the better-drained areas of the type cowpeas should be 

 more extensively grown. 



The use of the Marion silt loam as an orcharding soil has already 

 been described. 



FARM EQUIPMENT. 



The Marion silt loam is fairly well equipped with farm buildings. 

 Since farm animals are not numerous, the principal buildings consist 



