SOIL SURVF.Y OF PORTER COUNTY, INDIANA. 21 



orable topography and rather low natural productiveness. A part 

 of it is forested, mainly with oak and hickory. The type has a 

 large use as pasture for dairy cattle, especially in the rougher areas. 

 Corn, oats, wheat, and hay are grown on the smoother land. Some 

 farmers consider this land better for corn in wet seasons than the 

 Miami silt loam, and wheat on this sandy land will survive a winter 

 season that would greatly injure, if not destro}^, the crop on the 

 "clay lands." The type stands drought well where carefully tilled. 

 The average yields on the portion of the type suitable for cultiva- 

 tion are about 30 bushels of corn, 30 bushels of oats, 1 ton of hay, 

 and 18 bushels of wheat per acre. 



Under the system of farming usually followed on the Miami fine 

 sandy loam corn, corn ensilage, and hay are grown to feed dairy 

 cows, which graze the hill pastures, while oats and wheat afford some 

 cash returns. The crops usually are planned to protect the land 

 from washing as much as possible. Practically the only fertilizer 

 used is manure. 



Well-improved land of this type is held for about $100 an acre. 



In some cases greater profits might be had from this soil by grow- 

 ing truck crops. It is considered almost necessary to keep dairy 

 cattle for the manure so greatly needed on this soil, but its pro- 

 ductiveness may be maintained by growing cowpeas or soy beans, 

 which not only add nitrogen and organic matter to the soil but make 

 good hay and profitable seed crops. By liming and inoculation it is 

 possible to grow alfalfa on the type. 



MIAMI LOAM. 



The soil of the Miami loam consists of a light-brown or brownish- 

 gray fine-textured loam about 10 inches deep. The subsoil is a 

 light-yellow or yellowish-brown loam to silt loam, becoming heavier 

 and more compact with depth. The lower part of the soil section 

 is sometimes lighter textured, and more open. Bowlders and gravel 

 may occur on the surface and throughout the soil section and sub- 

 stratum. To a depth of 3 feet or more there is not sufficient lime 

 in the soil to cause it to effervesce with acid. In Porter County the 

 Miami loam is made to include that land intermediate between the 

 silt loam and fine sandy loam, and shows textural variations in both 

 the soil and subsoil. 



This type occurs chiefly along the borders of the central moraine 

 occupied by the Miami silt loam. Little of it is found southwest of 

 Valparaiso, Vhough several areas are mapped along Wolf Creek Ditch. 

 There are several areas in the vicinity of Burdick. 



In topography the Miami loam resembles the silt loam, but it is 

 probably more rolling, is dissected by draws, and is less favorable 

 for farming. It often occupies the slopes of valleys and knolls or 

 ridges. 



