SOILS OF MASSACHUSETTS AND CONNECTICUT. 5 



almost abruptly to the deep, narrow Berkshire Valley, but on the 

 east it drops a little less steeply to the plateau into which it merges. 



On the south the Hoosic Mountain becomes less well denned south 

 of the incision by the Westfield River, and in northern Connecticut 

 breaks up into a local group of hills. 



The surface of the western plateau shows a wide range of varia- 

 tion. There are, however,- many localities with areas of smooth to 

 rolling country. These occur on the watershed ridges and along the 

 eastern foot slope of the Hoosic Eange, where the streams are yet 

 too small to have cut deep into the plateau. In many cases they form 

 covelike basins in the eastern side of the ridge. Around the heads 

 of many of the small ravines within the plateau, before their streams 

 have cut their way deep into it, there are broad basins of thickly 

 accumulated drift which are usually occupied as farms. 



One of the largest areas of smooth, undissected land at high- 

 plateau level lies in parts of the towns of Hawley, Plainfield, and 

 Cummington. The farm lands of the western plateau occur on the 

 high-plateau top, in valley-head basins below the top, in valley bot- 

 toms, and on lower-valley slopes. In the eastern plateau it is mainly 

 on the dome-shaped hills and rounded smooth ridges. 



THE BERKSHIRE VALLEY. 



The Berkshire Valley forms a link in the chain of great limestone 

 valleys stretching across the United States from Canada to Alabama. 

 At North Adams this valley is about 10 miles, at Pittsfield 7 miles, 

 and at Great Barrington 5 miles from the New York line. Its sur- 

 face is rolling to hilly, much more so than the unglaciated limestone 

 valleys forming other links in the chain, and in marked contrast to 

 the comparatively level topography of the Connecticut Valley. The 

 southern two-thirds of this valley is drained by the Housatonic 

 River and the northern third by the Hoosac River. 



The Berkshire Valley from the Vermont line to Williamstown is 

 usually less than a mile in width. South of "Williamstown it divides, 

 the Green River arm being narrow soon crosses the State line into 

 New York, reentering the main valley near Pittsfield. From Wil- 

 liamstown east to Braytonville the eastern arm is well developed, 

 but at the latter point it narrows rapidly and is nearly closed by 

 Bald Mountain and Ragged Mountain, north of North Adams. 

 From the latter point south to Adams the valley is deep and narrow, 

 rarely exceeding a half mile, and much of that is talus slope. 

 Thence south to Cheshire Harbor the valley is almost V-shaped, but 

 it then broadens toward Cheshire until the local reservoir occupies 

 its bottom as far south as Pontoosuc Lake. Thence to Shaker Village 

 and Pittsfield the valley is several miles wide, and at the former 

 village a spur valley extends southwest to the State line. From 



