16 BULLETIN 140, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



typically lighter than the surface soil, a characteristic which very 

 often obtains in Massachusetts, especially in the eastern part. Gravel 

 is not infrequently encountered, especially in the subsoils. Its quan- 

 tity is sufficient in places to prevent boring very far beneath the sur- 

 face, but in no place examined was it sufficiently compact to constitute 

 a true hardpan, though it is often so designated in local parlance. 



The lowlands of the Bridgewater-Brockton district often consist 

 of heavy loams with retentive subsoil, and on such soils much of the 

 farming has been done, especially that of milk and hay. Many of 

 these lowland fields should be artificially drained. In a few cases 

 this has been done, but there is great opportunity for an increase of 

 the areas so improved. Such drainage would unquestionably pay 

 where the land is not so rocky and stony as to increase to an un- 

 warranted degree the cost of ditching. These soils are good for hay 

 production, and the nearness to Boston markets and the low cost of 

 carrying city manure back to the fields suggest a desirable use for 

 these soils. 



PLATEAU DISTRICT OF EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS AND SOUTHEASTERN CON- 

 NECTICUT. 



Topographically, this district also includes much of Rhode Island, 

 but the field work of this report did not include the soils of that 

 State. 



The average of the soils of this district in Massachusetts is some- 

 what more gravelly, sandy, and porous in the southeastern than in the 

 southwestern part. In Connecticut the fine sandy loam is probably 

 the predominating texture, most of the loam areas of Pomfret and 

 Woodstock being in the Highland district. As detailed descriptions 

 of the soils of this district may be seen in the detailed soil surveys 

 of Windham County and New London County, they are not in- 

 cluded here. 



In Massachusetts the Blackstone River rises not far west of the 

 city of Worcester and flows southeasterly to the corner of Worcester 

 County. The Blackstone Valley is narrow and not particularly 

 pronounced locally because of the broken surface features, but it is, 

 nevertheless, a definite feature of the regional topography. The 

 land is often stony and some of the lower areas along the stream are 

 wet, so that much of the land is not farmed. There are some high 

 terraces, however, as at North Uxbridge, where the surface soil of 

 one considerable tract consists of open-structured fine sandy loam and 

 light loam, with a few spots of fine sand. The subsoils in the same 

 order are medium sandy loam, heavy sandy loam, and sand. These 

 also are open structured, but as a rule not very leachy. 



East of the Blackstone Valley in the Mendon section and extending 

 thence north to Grafton, Hopkinton, and Sherborn, the land surface 



