ANNUAL REPORT, 1939 13 



flood. The 1938 flood and hurricane came during and in some instances prior 

 to the harvesting season, thus causing greater economic loss to farmers than the 

 1936 flood which came when no crops were in the field. 



Besides mechanical and chemical tests, pot cultures have shown that fine 

 silt deposited in Deerfield and Northfield meadows was beneficial, while the 

 sandy deposits in Hadley and Hatfield were harmful if more than four inches 

 in depth. 



A more general reconnaissance survey of the flood damages to the soils along 

 the Housatonic, Blackstone, Deerfield, and Merrimack was made. Particular 

 notice was paid to the amount, type, and extent of soil damage found along these 

 rivers. Many pictures of the soil damages were taken very soon after the flood, 

 before man had time to obliterate the damages by plowing, scraping, or other 

 methods. These pictures are being assembled for use as illustrative matter in 

 a final report. 



A Study of the Physical and Chemical Properties of Wind-blown Soils. In the 

 past no one has tried to determine whether there is any relation between the 

 physical-chemical properties of Massachusetts soils and their susceptibility to 

 wind erosion. It has been observed that only certain types of soil in Massachu- 

 setts are affected by wind. In general these wind-blown soils are coarser in tex- 

 ture than those soils not subject to blowing. It is of great interest, from both 

 the practical and academic standpoint, to find out just what the true physical- 

 chemical properties are which control the degree of wind erosibility of a soil. 

 It is also of interest to discern which of these various physical-chemical properties 

 of a soil are subject to the control of man and just what changes take place in the 

 soil complex when one or more of these physical-chemical properties are changed 

 by man's management or by natural influences. 



Soils from wind-eroded and non-wind-eroded areas are being examined for 

 their physical and chemical properties, such as mineral and organic colloidal 

 fractions, plasticity, hygroscopiscity, mechanical analysis, heat of wetting, heat 

 conductivity, capacity of absorption, and such other soil properties as are deemed 

 of value. 



Various ions and cations are being added in different rates to the soil to estab- 

 lish their effects on the physical and chemical properties of wind-eroded soil. 

 A wind tunnel is being developed and these soils will be subjected to its influence 

 in order to find the relative effects of the various ion and cation treatments on 

 the wind erosibility of the soils. 



The Relation between the Rate of Wind Erosion and the Principal Factors Affect- 

 ing it. Wind erosion, although not the most important, is perhaps the most 

 evident type of soil erosion that is found in the Connecticut River Valley and 

 on Cape Cod. 



The dust storms which occur in the Connecticut River Valley prevail mostly 

 on onion and other vegetable fields during the fall and again in the spring when 

 the ground thaws, then dries, and is swept off by the northwesterly winds. Besides 

 the damage to the field and the young vegetable crops, the dust storms are a 

 nuisance to the people living in the Valley. A detailed survey of the Connecticut 

 River Valley has been made in order to determine the extent of land affected. 

 Observations have been made on the soil type and soil characteristics which have 

 a bearing on the problem of wind erosion. It has been found that in certain cases 

 where severe wind erosion is now prevalent, the fertility of the soil is so low that 

 there is some question whether the area should ever have been plowed for intensive 

 cultivation. 



From the standpoint of agriculture, the sand dune area of the Cape does not 

 present a serious problem. The dust storm areas are found along the northern 

 and southern shores and the tip of the Cape. Most of these areas are used for 



