THE CLYDE SEEIES OF SOILS. 27 



Where the Clyde fine sand has been thoroughly well drained it has 

 produced excellent crops of Irish potatoes. The average yields are 

 estimated at 125 to 200 bushels per acre. 



Rye is sometimes grown as a winter grain crop and serves well as 

 a nurse crop for timothy and other grasses. It gives yields of grain 

 which range from 10 to 20 bushels per acre. 



The grasses usually seeded give yields of hay which range from 

 three-fourths of a ton to 1£ tons per acre. In addition, large areas 

 of marsh hay are annually cut, giving yields of approximately 1 ton 

 per acre of rather coarse hay. 



By far the greater part of this soil type is still used for natural 

 pastures. Even in areas where drainage is only partially established 

 and the intertilled crops and timothy may not be successfully grown, 

 the wild grasses furnish an excellent grazing for a considerable por- 

 tion of the year. Frequently the herds are grazed during the sum- 

 mer months and fed through the winter on marsh hay cut on ad- 

 jacent areas and stacked on well-drained land. Such a field of 

 marsh hay is shown in Plate I, figure 2. As a result of the large areas 

 given to hay growing and pasturage there is a considerable live-stock 

 industry conducted on the Clyde fine sand. This takes the form of 

 the growing and fattening of beef cattle chiefly, although a small 

 amount of dairying is also conducted near shipping points or local 

 markets. Some hogs are fattened as an adjunct to the other forms 

 of stock raising. 



In other areas the Clyde fine sand is chiefly undrained and unoccu- 

 pied for any other uses than pasturage and timber lot. Some small 

 areas, near to city markets, have been drained and used for market 

 gardening. The small fruits, particularly strawberries and rasp- 

 berries, give good yields, while such crops as cabbage, onions, and 

 celery may be grown to advantage where the organic matter is abun- 

 dant in the surface soil and the depth to subsoil is not less than 12 

 to 18 inches. Table beets and turnips may also be grown. In the 

 case of the vegetables the liming of the soil is requisite to the best 

 results. This is particularly true of cabbage, onions, and beets. 

 The latter furnish one of the best indicators among vegetable crops 

 of the lime requirements of a soil. They are not grown to advantage 

 upon any soil that is badly in need of lime and the yields are greatly 

 increased by the abundant use of lime, either as ground limestone or 

 marl or as quicklime, slaked, and applied some time before the seed- 

 ing of a crop. 



For the improvement of crop yields upon the Clyde fine sand bet- 

 ter drainage is the first requisite. This should usually be followed 

 by the liming of the land and the use of rock phosphate and muriate 

 of potash or kainit. Wherever stable manures are available they 



