RURAL LIFE IN LITCHFIELD COUNTY 



carving out a wide river valley. These valley soils, al- 

 though fine in texture, are rarely clayey, as the fine 

 rock particles were carried to the sea. They are usu- 

 ally composed of a great variety of minerals, depending 

 of course on the variety of rock materials in their make- 

 up. The absence of the finer clay silt, however, makes 

 them more or less deficient in potassium compounds and 

 often in calcium or lime compounds. Both of these 

 elements, being somewhat soluble, were dissolved out 

 and washed along to the sea. The porous texture 

 of such soils causes them to leach manure and soluble 

 plant food more readily than the heavier, finer textured, 

 clayey soils of the hills. The warmth and natural dry- 

 ness of the sandy soils cause the vegetable matter in 

 them to decay and waste more rapidly than in the 

 heavier soils of the uplands. If rightly managed, how- 

 ever, and especially if kept well stored with decaying 

 vegetable matter, they are the very best soils for many 

 cultivated crops, such as corn, potatoes, root crop, 

 tobacco, and many kinds of garden vegetables. 



A third type of soil, but smaller in area, is the lime- 

 stone formation of the northwest section of the county. 

 Much of the land in the towns of Canaan, Salisbury 

 and Sharon is underlaid with the dolomitic form of 

 limestone, and such soils are generally well supplied 

 with lime and magnesia, and with this seems to be 

 associated considerable fine material from the potash 



