36 FIELD OPERATION'S OF 'IIIK lU'HKAU OF SOILS, 1911). 



l*i'actic:illy nil i\\v ( )'Nrill loiiiii occiiis aloii^ i\\v uj)})or course of 

 the Iowa K'ixcr and I lie West liraiicli in a I'ather continuous body 7 

 miles lon^' and about 1] miles wide. It is intersected l)v tlie windin<j;s 

 of the river channel. It has a flat, henchlikc surface and lies into 15 

 feet al)o\e oxcrlhtw. r>e<;innin^ 1 mile north of Bclmond and ex- 

 tendin<r northward nearly 2^ miles between the Iowa Kiver and the 

 AN'est r>ranch lies an older tei'race bench l."* to 20 feet al)ove the 

 normal terrace level. The soil c()\erin<j: here is shallow, aliout 12 to 

 15 inches thick, and is underlain by coarse irravel. Seveial large 

 commercial «:ravel pits are in operation on this teri'ace us far south 

 as lielinond. A few small isolated benches aiv found along Boone 

 Kivei' south of Kagle (irove and to the east along Kagle Creek, 



The internal drainage is good to excessive, owing to the porosity of 

 the soil material. No streams issuing from the u[)lands cross the type 

 to give it surface run-off, the rainfall escaping thi-ough |)ercolation 

 downward. In j)rolonged dry weather the type is somewhat droughty. 



It is all under cidtivation except the town site of Belmond and 150 

 to 200 acres which have been stripped of their surface covering in the 

 removal of gravel. Corn yields from 25 to 45 bushels per acre in 

 seasons of normal rainfall, and oats from 25 to 40 bushels. Timothy 

 and clover give good returns. Potatoes and truck crops ordinarily 

 yield well. 



Land values range from $175 to $300 an acre, according to the dis- 

 tance from town and the improvements. 



This soil is acid throughout the 3-foot section, and applications of 

 lime would be beneficial, particularly to clover. Turning under green 

 manures should be practiced to supplement the available barnyard 

 manure. 



BRKMEU .SILT LOAM. 



The Bremer silt loam is a dark-l)rown to black friable silt loam 

 to a depth of about 14 inches, here changing to a brown to dark- 

 brown plastic clay loam mottled with gray, and below 26 inches to 

 a yellowish-brown clay loam mottled with gray and yellow. The 

 lower layer contains fine particles of granite, gneiss, and quartz, 

 and occasional small pebbles. The surface soil in places is relatively 

 high in sandy matei'ial and api)roaches a loam in texture. 



This soil occupies low terraces on the east side of the Iowa Uiver 

 1 mile south and l] miles north of Belmond. The largest and 

 most representative area consists of a strip 2 miles long and one-half 

 mile wide along a small creek south of Dows. 



This type is all in cultivation. The soil is mellow, easily tilled, and 

 productive, and excellent yields are obtained. Internal drainage 

 is somewhat imperfect. It can be improved by laying tile drains. 



