SOIL SURVEY OF WRIGHT COUNTY, IOWA. 35 



of the Iowa River, begiiininn; '> miles south of Belmond, and north 

 along the Boone River, beginning west of Eagle Grove. A small 

 area is found 4 miles north of Woolstock and one to the west of 

 Woolstock along Eagle Creek. 



The areas of this type are disconnected bodies, irregular in shape, 

 and with a wide variation in length and width. They extend back 

 from the river a maximum distance to a point 1^ miles east of 

 Cornelia Lake. Two benchlike elevations occur along the Iowa 

 River, the first being about 10 feet and the second from 15 to 25 feet 

 above first bottom or overflow. The surface is for the most part 

 flat, with a gentle incline toward the stream, and is little modified 

 by stream erosion. The drainage is excellent. 



Nearly all the Buckner loam is in cultivation to staple crops. The 

 subsoil is fairly retentive of moisture, and crops suffer from lack 

 of moisture only in prolonged droughts. Only a few farms con- 

 sist wholly of this type. The soil is mellow, easy to cultivate, and 

 produces yields comparable to those on the adjacent upland types. 

 Corn yields 30 to 50 bushels in normal seasons. 



The foremost problem on the Buckner loam, as on all porous ter- 

 race types, is the maintenance of organic-matter suppl3^ Much 

 barnyard manure should l^e supplied to meet this deficiency and 

 increase the moisture-holding power. Iveguminous crops plowed 

 under would be beneficial. Applications of lime should precede 

 clover. 



The price of farm land on the Buckner loam ranges from $150 to 

 $250 an acre. 



A sandy variation of the Buckner loam, occurring in several small 

 areas 5 miles south of Belmond, consists of 10 to 14 inches of brown 

 sandy loam to loam, grading into a yellowish-brown fine sandy loam, 

 becoming lighter in color with depth. Considerable coarse sand 

 and occasional small gravel are present in the lower subsoil. 



This variation occupies a very slightly higher position than the 

 typical Buckner loam, with which it is closely associated. This soil 

 is all under cultivation. It has the same agricultural value and the 

 same selling price as the typical soil. 



O'NEILL LOAM. 



The surface soil of the O'Neill loam consists of a dark-brown fri- 

 able loam 12 inches deep. The subsoil is a slightly lighter brown 

 sandy loam to fine sandy loam to a depth of about 28 inches, Avhere 

 it passes into a brown to reddish-brown fine sandy loam, containing 

 much coarse material and pebbles. At from 30 to 40 inches stratified 

 noncalcareous gravel and sand are encountered. Some gravel is 

 found in both the surface soil and upper subsoil layers. 



