' SOILS AND FERTILIZERS 333 



face soil, which is the most distinctive characteristic of this series, is 

 due to the accumulation of a large percentage of organic matter under 

 swampy conditions. The soils of the Clyde series may be considered 

 as intermediate between the light-colored Dunkirk soils on the one 

 hand and the Muck and Peat areas on the other. They almost always 

 require drainage, and when this is provided they are very productive. 



The loam is the most important member of the series, both in ex- 

 tent and in agricultural value. In Michigan it constitutes the most 

 highly prized soil for sugar beets, giving the most uniform and sat- 

 isfactory results. When well drained it gives excellent yields of 

 corn, wheat, oats, and hay. Cabbage and canning crops also prove 

 profitable. 



Dunkirk Series. The loam is a very important member of the 

 Dunkirk series. It is a good general-purpose soil and is considered 

 fine for fruit, especially apples, pears, plums, and cherries. The color, 

 flavor, and keeping quality of the former two are better than upon 

 either the lighter or heavier soils. The silt loam is easily tilled and 

 produces good yields of general farm crops, besides berries and fruits. 

 Upon the clay loam, clay, and stony clay wheat and grass do well 

 while near the Lakes grapes are grown with much success. The sandy 

 loam and fine sandy loam are quite extensively used for trucking 

 and small fruits. They are a little light in texture for general farm- 

 ing. Peaches on the fine sandy loam produce a strong, thrifty tree 

 and a good flavored fruit. Grapes are also successfully grown. The 

 fine sand is not suited to general farming, but for early truck and 

 other crops requiring a light sandy soil it has proved valuable. 

 Peaches, apples, and pears are grown, but the trees are usually short 

 lived and subject to disease, while the fruit is of inferior quality. The 

 gravel is of little value except for the production of grapes. The 

 gravelly sandy loam gives moderate yields of ordinary farm crops 

 and should be used as a fruit, potato, and corn soil. The gravelly 

 loam gives large crops of corn and fair crops of hay and oats, while 

 potatoes, beans, and pears also do well. 



Fargo Series. This series occurs throughout the Red River Val- 

 ley and in other old glacial lake beds in the same region. They are 

 very black in color and contain a very large percentage of organic 

 matter, in some cases enough to make the soil slightly mucky. The 

 clay loam is the most extensive and one of the strongest types of soil 

 in the Red River Valley. The silt loam is probably the most desir- 

 able here and is well suited to wheat, oats, barley and flax. 



Hudson Series. This series consists of light brown to yellowish- 

 brown soils. It is well adapted to truck and small fruits and produces 

 fair yields of general farm crops. 



Merrimac Series. Brown terrace soils underlain by gravel 

 formed principally of reworked glaciated crystalline rocks. Leachy 

 soils of low general farming value, but especially adapted to trucking 

 and apple orcharding in some sections. 



Sioux Series. Dark-colored soils resting on dark or light-colored 

 subsoils, with gravel beds usually within 3 feet of the surface. The 

 crops produced on soils of this series range from early short-seasoned 



