48 OREGON FARMER 



natural fertility of the silt loams is so high that where good rotations 

 are used commercial fertilizers are not required. 



In Western Oregon where the rainfall is heavy the silt loams 

 are lacking somewhat in lime and become acid if not amended 

 with applications of the ground limestone, which material is now 

 available hi Oregon and may be used with great profit. 



The silt loams of the valley floors or rolling table lands vary in 

 color through all the shades of gray to black, while those of the hill 

 lands range through the shades of red to a deep chocolate or brownish 

 black color. 



The silt loams of the valleys of humid Western Oregon or irrigated 

 Eastern Oregon are notable for their high production under intensive 

 handling, especially of forage crops for dairying or diversified farming 

 such as the clovers, alfalfa, vetch, kale, roots, potatoes, corn, grasses, 

 grain, etc., and for high grade fruit production. In the dry farming 

 area of Eastern Oregon these silt loams find great favor because 

 of their remarkable qualities for moisture retention, ease of tillage 

 and availability of plant food. 



The Sandy Loams. The sandy loams cover a considerable area hi 

 the state, in all cases lying immediately adjacent to present or former 

 water bodies. The low bluff lands immediately on the coast; the 

 flood plains of the rivers throughout the state; old river washes and 

 alluvial fans; the low wind-blown bluffs extending back from the 

 Columbia River; and the great rolling plateau lands of Central 

 Oregon, former bottom of a great inland sea these are the areas 

 where the sandy loams obtain. 



The river flood plains naturally have the richest of these sandy 

 loams mixed of fine sediments, sands and silts varying from coarse 

 sands at the stream to the finest sandy loams further back. These 

 soils are of good plant food content but under heavy cropping without 

 proper rotation do not have the endurance of the silt loams, as they 

 do not have so great a total plant food supply. Because of their 

 earliness, ease of tillage, quick maturing, and high availability of 

 the plant foods contained, they are adapted to the most intensive 

 methods trucking, intensive dairying, small fruits, etc. On this 

 account the fertility can be maintained easily enough at the highest 

 state by the use of legumes, manures and fertilizers. For growth 

 of any succulent crop such as roots, kale, cabbage, potatoes, corn, 

 etc., heavy fertilizing will give very profitable and quick returns. 

 This is equally true of the irrigated sandy loams of the Columbia 

 Basin and Central Oregon. Legumes, manure and applications of 

 potassium in commercial form, give splendid results. This type is 

 one of the best in both Western and Eastern Oregon for alfalfa 

 growing. 



On the dry farming lands this type is less desirable but still a 

 productive soil as no leaching has occured under the semi-arid con- 

 ditions and the plant food supply, highly available, has been 

 retained. It must be more carefully farmed than the silt loams 



