SOILS OF MASSACHUSETTS AND CONNECTICUT. 29 



consists of dark-brown to dark grayish-brown medium to heavy 

 loam to a depth of 9 inches. The subsoil consists of heavy light- 

 brown or grayish-brown loam. These soils are mellow, deep, friable, 

 and productive. 



Land prices in the Berkshire Valley vary greatly, the highest 

 prices current being due to causes outside of agricultural develop- 

 ment. The attractiveness of the region has led to the establishment 

 of many summer homes by wealthy urban dwellers, and a few re- 

 main throughout the year. The greater part of such transfer of 

 real estate is congregated in a few towns (townships), and has 

 greatly increased land values in the district immediately surround- 

 ing, but aside from such centers land prices are still very low. 



Several points of soil condition favorable to orcharding in Massa- 

 chusetts and Connecticut have been mentioned. These are: An 

 abundance of deep, friable, well-drained, well-oxidized and suffi- 

 ciently productive soils ; the low price of such soils ; and the nearness 

 to the best of markets. Such soil areas are most frequent in the 

 Western Highlands, the Eastern Plateau, and the Eastern High- 

 lands. Several disadvantages should also be mentioned. Many of 

 the upland soils are more or less stony, and in some cases rocky lands 

 are frequently divided into fields too small for economic working and 

 surrounded by stone walls, the removal of which involves some ex- 

 pense, and some districts are handicapped by their distance from 

 railway shipping points. The minor lowland areas, outside of the 

 Connecticut and Merrimac Valleys, often consist of sandy glacial 

 terrace debris that is more seriously affected by drought than the 

 upland soils, and normally less productive. 



ORCHARDING; GENERAL CONDITIONS IN THE FUTURE. 



An analysis of the agricultural resources of Massachusetts, includ- 

 ing the soils, and the availability of excellent markets can hardly 

 fail to lead to the conviction that a great deal of good land now 

 bringing little return must eventually support very profitable lines 

 of farming. The tendency of the last quarter century to leave farm- 

 homes somewhat distant from towns and social advantages, notwith- 

 standing the excellent opportunities for money-making which such 

 farms might possess, has been notable and marks a definite stage in 

 the agricultural history of the region. The still better advised re- 

 turn to such of these lands as possess good possibilities is sure to 

 come, for they hold good opportunities for those able to take advan- 

 tage of them. But the higher development of these lands will be 

 shaped according to their adaptation to produce crops and products 

 under existing economic conditions, and to meet the demands of, and 

 to take advantage of, the markets near at hand. Experience has 



