6 SOILS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. 



The same high organic matter content, fine texture, and high water- 

 holding capacity constitute the Clyde loam a type of soil well suited 

 to the production of cabbages, onions, and celery among the later 

 market-garden crops, and of late strawberries among the small 

 fruits. In former years peppermint was also grown to some extent 

 upon areas of the Clyde loam not fully drained.' More recently mar- 

 ket conditions have decreased the acreage of this crop grown in 

 the United States, and it is practically not grown upon the Clyde 

 loam at any point at the present time. 



The somewhat imperfect drainage of the type has limited the acre- 

 age devoted to corn or potatoes, and has also prevented the extensive 

 production of winter grain crops except upon areas which have been 

 completely drained through the installation of open ditches supple- 

 mented with tile-drainage systems. On the other hand the spring 

 grain crops, particularly oats, produce excellent yields upon the Clyde 

 loam. The only difficulty experienced in the production of oats is the 

 tendency toward an excessive growth of straw, which results not in- 

 frequently in the lodging of the crop before it is ready for harvest. 

 Similarly timothy and other tame grasses grow luxuriantly upon the 

 Clyde loam, while upon all of the better drained areas clover is also 

 a very successful crop. It may be said in general that not only the 

 acreage which may be devoted to the production of tilled crops, of 

 grains, and of grass is limited by drainage, but also that the crop 

 yields obtained are largely limited by the same factor. 



Geographically the Clyde loam is located throughout the greater 

 part of its extent within a region which possesses a growing season 

 sufficiently long for the production of all of the general farm crops 

 and sufficiently humid to supply an abundant amount of moisture 

 for crop use, particularly under the topographic and drainage con- 

 ditions existing on the type. In the northwestern areas where it oc- 

 curs, the growing season is somewhat shorter and corn is practically 

 eliminated as a profitable crop. In North Dakota artificial drainage 

 has not been installed to any extent upon the type, and the crop 

 yields of. the grains and of grass vary decidedly with the attendant 

 circumstances of precipitation during any given year. In years of 

 abundant rainfall yields are liable to be low, but in the drier years 

 the Clyde loam produces the maximum yield obtained from any soil 

 type in this drier portion of the country. 



IMPROVEMENT IN SOIL EFFICIENCY. 



The primary requirement of the Clyde loam is, in all cases, the 

 improvement of its drainage conditions. In the more eastern areas 

 where it occurs, a large percentage of the type is now under cultiva- 

 tion, but a great deal of artificial drainage was necessary before 



