HOOD EIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 25 



the exception of an irregular area of the Underwood stony loam on the 

 summit of the mountains and hills along the eastern boundary of the 

 area, it extends over the summits of all of the ridges in this part of the 

 area. In the White Salmon section the type is even more extensive 

 than on the opposite side of the river, and is found on the hills and 

 mountain crests, and on all of the slopes lying above the floor of the 

 valley proper. 



The topogi'aphy varies considerably. From the soils of the floor of 

 the valley the surface of this type rises with either long, gentle slopes 

 or with slopes too abrupt to permit cultivation, while on the tops of 

 the surrounding mountains there usually are areas where the sur- 

 face is but slightly rolling, and often nearly level. Rock outcrop is 

 rarely encountered. The presence of rock in the subsoil is usually 

 indicated by a change in the native vegetation from heavily forested 

 slopes to those which are covered with a scanty growth of brush and 

 grass. The drainage is good and in many places excessive. 



The Underwood loam is a residual soil derived from the weathering 

 of the underlving basalt. It includes a number of small areas of 

 undifferentiated soils along the base of the steeper slopes, where the 

 material is predominantly colluvial. Such areas are irregular, rela- 

 tively unimportant, and no attempt was made to indicate them sepa- 

 rately in the soil map. In color, texture, and adaptation to crops 

 these bodies do not differ materially from the adjacent soil. Small 

 and unimportant areas of undifferentiated red residual soils derived 

 from the basaltic rocks are also included. In a more detailed survey 

 these might w^arrant recognition as distinct soils. 



The native vegetation varies with the topography and exposure. 

 Over the more level parts of the type a dense stand of Douglas fir is 

 common. On easy slopes there is a mixed forest of fir and pine, and 

 as the slope becomes steeper and the elevation greater the pine and 

 fir give way to oak and brush. On the steepest mountain sides, 

 particularly on southwest exposures, there is only a growth of grasses 

 and weeds. 



With the exception of the steeper and rougher slopes, this type is 

 well adapted to the fruits commonly grown in this section. It is 

 utilized principally for the production of apples and strawberries. 

 IntertiQed crops are often grown m the younger orchards, and the 

 profit from these often enables the owner of the orchard to meet 

 running expenses until the trees come into bearing. 



The value of this soil for agricultural purposes varies greatly, 

 depending largely upon the topography. The steep grass-covered 

 slopes have no value except for the scanty spring grazing they afford, 

 as much of this soil is relatively shallow and the surface is in many 

 places too steep to allow of cultivation. On the other hand, there 

 are areas from 1,000 to 2,000 feet in elevation where the surface is 



