28 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1916. 



loam. Boundaries between this type and surrounding soils neces- 

 sarily are largely arbitrary, as it merges very gradually with the 

 Waukeslia silt loam and fine sandy loam on the one hand, and has 

 some of the mottled and acid characteristics of the Newton soils on 

 the other. 



The Waukesha loam occurs in close association with the Waukesha 

 silt loam, but usually farther south from the moraine. It is practi- 

 cally identical with the silt loam in topography, drainage conditions, 

 and extent of use. It may be slightly more subject to drought. 



Corn, oats, and hay are the main crops. Yields of 35 to 40 bushels 

 or more of the grains and 1 ton of hay per acre are obtained. The 

 Waukesha loam is devoted largely to grain farming, though some 

 cattle and hogs are raised. No important use is made of commercial 

 fertilizers. 



This type has a somewhat lower average value than the Waukesha 

 silt loam, because of its distance from towns and association with 

 poorer soils. 



The Waukesha loam would be benefited by artificial drainage in 

 some of the lower places, and liming would be helpful where a growth 

 of dewberries and red sorrel indicate an acid condition. 



WAUKESHA SILT LOAM. 



The Waukesha silt loam is a dark-brown silt loam about 10 inches 

 deep, underlain by a brown to yellowish-brown silt loam to silty clay 

 loam, which in turn passes into lighter brown sandy loam or even 

 loose sand at depths of 2^ to 3 feet. The substratum consists of sandy 

 and gravelly material containing a considerable percentage of shale 

 and some limestone fragments. Tliis outwash material usually rests 

 on till at 30 to 50 feet below the surface. The soil tends to become 

 lighter textured along the contact with the Waukesha loam, and in- 

 cludes slight depressions in which the subsoil is mottled. 



This type occurs along the border of the moraine in the highest 

 part of the outwash plain. The largest areas lie 3 miles east of Val- 

 paraiso, near Maiden and Tassinong School and northeast of Ayles- 

 worth School. It occupies plainlike bodies which are not always dis- 

 tinctly separated from ice-laid deposits. 



The topography is in general flat, with slight relief where traversed 

 by old drainage channels. The surface slopes gently to the south, 

 with a gradient of 5 to 10 feet to the mile. The natural drainage is 

 fair, and the slope of the land and the presence of the old channels 

 favor the construction of ditches. The porous subsoil and substratum 

 afford good underdrainage, although the land is not considered, 

 droughty. 



The Waukesha silt loam is almost entirely under cultivation. 

 Corn, oats, and hay, with some wheat, arc the principal crops. The 



