20 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1916. 



good cultural methods. About 70 per cent of the type is in culti- 

 vation. Most of the remaiiider supports a gro^vth of largo oaks, with 

 some maple and birch and an undergrowth of brush and native 

 grasses. This forested land is used part of the year as live-stock 

 range. Much of it is in farm woodlots, but there are some fairly 

 large tracts remote from cultivated fields. 



Corn, oats, hay, and potatoes are the most imj^ortant crops on this 

 type. It is extensively used for dairying, but it is not as well adapted 

 to this industry as are the heavier soils of the county. Hogs are 

 raised in connection with dairying, and beef cattle are a source of 

 income on many farms. Much of the corn crop goes into silos. Part 

 of the crop is sold, as is also the surplus of the oats and hay produced. 

 Potatoes are an important sale crop. R^'e, wheat, other grains, beans, 

 garden crops, and strawberries are grown mainly for home and 

 local use. 



Corn yields range from 20 to 40 bushels, oats 20 to 50 bushels, rye 

 15 to 25 bushels, and wheat 12 to 20 bushels per acre. Potato yields 

 range from 50 to 150 bushels per acre. Tame hay, consisting largely 

 of clover and timothy, yields from 1 to 2 tons per acre. 



The surface soil of this type is blown into drifts if allowed to re- 

 main bare of vegetation, and for this reason the tj^pe is seldom 

 plowed in the fall except where winter rye is to be sown. 



Land values on this type range from $50 to $70 an acre, depend- 

 ing largely on the state of improvement and the location with refer- 

 ence to transportation points and markets. 



GLOUCESTER LOAM, 



The surface soil of the Gloucester loam is a gray, dark-gray or 

 grayi.-h-brown very fine sandy loam to loam, 8 to 12 inches deep. 

 The subsoil is an orange-brown to light-brown clay loam or clay. 

 In some places it is compact to a considerable depth, while in others 

 the lower subsoil and the substratum show various admixtures of 

 fine sand and small gravel, forming a mass which is more or less open 

 structured but not so porous as to be leachy. In most places small 

 gravel, cobblestones, and medium-sized bowlders are more or less 

 abundant on the surface and throughout the lower depths. The 

 gravel and stones are entirely of crystalline-rock origin Avithin the 

 upper 3 or 4 feet. In some places gray calcareous clays, limestone 

 gravels, cobbles, and bowlders are encountered at depths of 4 to 8 

 feet. 



The Gloucester loam occurs in a few small areas closely associated 

 with the fine sandy loam, in Burns and Ramsey Townships. Its sur- 

 face is level to gently rolling, becoming hilly in a few places. The 

 type has thorough drainage, but the soil and subsoil are retentive of 

 moisture. 



