SOILS OF MASSACHUSETTS AND CONNECTICUT. 25 



or even precipitous. The valley of the Deerfield is not very wide 

 after it enters the western highland, but in many places narrow 

 bands of alluvial or high-terrace soils are well farmed. 



On both sides of the Deerfield Valley, extending back for many 

 miles, are hill towns with considerable areas of smooth land. Some 

 of these already have good agricultural records for their output of 

 farm stock and orchard products, and others seem worthy of further 

 development. Even the best developed of these towns have made 

 little more than a beginning, however, on the upbuilding of their 

 opportunities. Of this broad section of good agricultural soils no 

 general boundaries may be drawn, though the following-named towns 

 are representative of the belt : Shelburne, Coleraine, Leyden, Heath, 

 Charlemont, Buckland, Conway, Ashfield, Cummington, Worthing- 

 ton, and part of Plainfield. 



It seems probable that the small amount of lime entering into the 

 composition of some of the rocks from which the Gloucester soils 

 of this section have been derived is partly responsible for their pro- 

 ductiveness, which is apparently a little greater than that of the 

 Gloucester soils of the Eastern Highlands, where lime does not seem 

 to be present in the rocks. This comparison applies just as well to 

 Vermont (the State where the mountains are green) and to New 

 Hampshire (the State where the mountains are white), the latter 

 corresponding to the Eastern Highlands and the former to the 

 Western Highlands. 



Three general soil types cover the principal areas of the best farm 

 lands of this district. Of these, the Gloucester loam, a brown, mel- 

 low, medium loam, with subsoil of yellow or light-brown loam or 

 light clay loam, is especially noticeable. This soil is naturally well 

 adapted to the production of corn and clover, and when well handled 

 gives excellent returns with these crops. A companion type, the 

 Bernardston loam, consists of a very heavy loam, which is somewhat 

 moist, and of grayish-brown or grayish-black color. The subsoil is 

 gray or grayish. This is the best timothy soil of the region, and on 

 it pasture grasses hold for a long time. As much of the type would 

 be improved by artificial drainage, however, it will be recognized 

 that this soil is not as well adapted to the clovers as the preceding 

 type. In its present condition a good deal of this kind of soil needs 

 lime. The third type, which is representative of the lighter soil 

 areas, consists of a fine sandy loam, with a subsoil of loam, fine sandy 

 loam, or sandy loam. Its area is much less than that of the two 

 preceding types. All of these soils contain stony areas, some being 

 so stony as to interfere with tillage, or at least to increase its expense. 



Interspersed with the prevailing soil conditions described are many 

 local areas of rougher topography. These include slopes to stream 



