44 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1916. 



occur in this soil, but it is mainly a complex, mucky mass of material 

 derived from the limbs, roots, and trunks of trees, rather than grass 

 and moss. Where marshy Maumee soils adjoin the timbered belt, 

 it is probable that their soil characteristics continue for some distance 

 into the area mapped as Swamp. 



The timber consists largely of water maple, ash, elm, and swamp 

 oak, with some birch near the stream ways. In a few open glades 

 rushes and cat-tails grow luxuriantly. 



The capacity of the old river together with that of the dredged 

 channels is far too small to carry off water from the extensive ditching 

 in the upper part of the Kankakee Basin, x'^s a consequence this 

 low land is often inundated to a depth of several feet for weeks at a 

 time. This condition may eventually be relieved by enlarging and 

 deepening the outlet to the lower Kankakee Valley. 



Farmers on the adjoining prairie land usually ovni woodlots in 

 this Swamp area. During the winter they go into the woods on the 

 ice to cut and haul out their annual supply of fire wood. 



In one instance in Porter County an attempt was made to prepare 

 this land for farming. It cost $3.5 per acre to clear it, in addition to 

 the cost of drainage, and the land was not sufficiently productive to 

 make the venture profitable. 



DUNESAND. 



Dunesand includes the strip of sand hills along the lake front. 

 The soil is similar to that of the rolling phase of the Plainfield fine 

 sand, but the topography is somewhat rougher. Most of this land 

 supports a growth of scrubby oak. A number of "blow-outs" occur 

 where the wind sweeps up sand from the beach through long, smooth 

 troughs cut in the hills, forming bare dunes which gradually are 

 built up over the trees. East of Waverly Beach the dunes are high, 

 and occupy a narrow belt broken in only a few places by marshy 

 depressions. West of Waverly Beach numerous depressions are in- 

 closed by the dunes, which flatten out to some extent west of Dune 

 Park. At Dune Park the sand from an area extending to the lake 

 front has been hauled away by the railroads, and this area is mapped 

 as the rolling phase of the Plainfield fine sand. A movement is pro- 

 jected to make a national park of the dune belt, to preserve the 

 natural scenery. A number of cottages are located among the dunes, 

 and many camps are maintained along the beach during the summer. 

 The land is valueless for agricultin-e. 



SUMMARY. 



Porter County, Ind., is in the northwestern corner of the State on 

 Lake Michigan. It is about 40 miles from Chicago. The county 

 has an area of 415 square jniles, or 256,600 acres. 



