12 BULLETIN 140. r. S. DEPAETMEXT OE AGRICULTURE. 



provisionally as the Talcott series. These soils have a rusty brown- 

 ish-red surface with dull reddish subsoils, their structure differing 

 markedly from that of the Gloucester soils, though they resemble 

 somewhat the Mont Alto soils of Pennsylvania, which are also de- 

 rived from ironstone. Loams and silt loams are the principal types. 

 The ironstones consist of a series of concentric rings which not 

 infrequently are so decayed that several layers may be peeled off 

 readily with the fingers. These Connecticut ironstones are only 

 now and then as red as those giving rise to the Mont Alto series, 

 but grade from a very dull red to a rusty blue. The subsoil is 

 usually lighter than the surface soil, but its definite structure makes 

 the material at first seem stiff, though it crumbles readily in the 

 hand. 



The Dover soils occur only in the Berkshire Valley and its exten- 

 sion southward into Connecticut. They contain a considerable 

 e mount of limestone material in their cornpositipn. and are naturally 

 productive where drainage is sufficient, but they are not as desirable 

 for orcharding as the best Gloucester soils. 



The alluvial soils are small in area except in the Connecticut Val- 

 ley. Where associated with and derived from the Wethersfield soils 

 they are called Hartford soils, and where derived from the upland 

 soil materials they are called Ondawa soils. Where well drained 

 they are productive. 



It is evident from this enumeration of the principal soils of south- 

 ern Xew England and their characteristics that they are not pre- 

 dominantly sterile soils, but. on the other hand, the soils themselves 

 are as a whole at least moderately productive. Through the pro- 

 cesses of their formation they are usually stony, a considerable part 

 of the area has a rough surface, and on account of the geographic 

 position of the region the staple grain crops and the crops adapted 

 to a long growing season and a hot climate do not grow as well as 

 in some other parts of the country. Where the land has been cleared 

 of stones so that it can be cultivated, where the topography is smooth 

 enough for cultivation, and where crops adapted to the soils, climate, 

 and other conditions of the region are planted, satisfactory yields 

 are obtained. The poorest soils for most crops are the very light 

 ones, such as the sands and gravel soils. These do not constitute 

 the predominant soils of the region. They probably have the small- 

 est acreage of any of the soils. Sandy and gravelly soils are com- 

 mon, but they are for the most part the sandy and gravelly loams. 



SOILS OF THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THE STATES. 



THE SOUTHEASTERN SECTION OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



The general elevation of Cape Cod above sea level is from 10 to 

 100 feet, though west of Barnstable, toward Bourne, hills 200 feet 



