THE MIAMI SERIES OF SOILS. 21 



moraine and kame areas of glacial origin in which the underlying 

 beds of gravel and bowlders are covered with a thin surface deposit 

 of till. The drainage of the type is good to excessive. The steeper 

 slopes are frequently subjected to erosion and are unfavorable for 

 tilled crops. The more gently rolling and sloping areas, where the 

 depth of soil and subsoil is 2 feet or more, retain sufficient moisture 

 to mature good crops in seasons of average rainfall. 



About one-half of the total area of the Miami gravelly sandy 

 loam is under cultivation. The remainder of the type is occupied 

 about equally by permanent pasture, consisting chiefly of bluegrass 

 and white clover, and by farm woodlots or small tracts of forest. 



The cultivated areas of the Miami gravelly sandy loam are de- 

 voted to mixed general farming, including the production of corn, 

 oats, rye, and hay, and the raising of dairy cattle and hogs. Corn 

 yields from 25 to 40 bushels per acre. It is not so extensively 

 grown upon the Miami gravelly sandy loam as upon the heavier 

 members of this series with which this type is associated. Oats con- 

 stitute the chief small grain crop, giving yields of 25 to 40 bushels 

 per acre. A small acreage of rye is grown, yielding 15 to 25 bushels 

 per acre. Wheat and barley are grown to a small extent. The hay 

 crop generally consists of mixed timothy and clover, and yields of 

 about \\ tons per acre are secured. Alfalfa is quite extensively 

 grown on this type and is usually successful. Owing to the excel- 

 lent drainage of this type and the large amount of lime carbonate 

 in the soil, it is well adapted to alfalfa where the total depth of 

 soil and subsoil over the underlying bowlders and gravel is 2 feet 

 or more. This crop is not usually successful on the crests of hills 

 and along eroded slopes where the underlying stony material is 

 near the surface. 



The Miami gravelly sandy loam is usually associated with other 

 types of the Miami series which are somewhat better suited to the 

 growing of corn and oats, and there is a tendency to leave this 

 rougher and more stony land in permanent pasture. It is capable 

 of supporting a good sod of bluegrass and white clover, and with 

 but little attention produces good pasturage. 



MIAMI SANDY LOAM. 



The Miami sandy loam has thus far been encountered in only two 

 small areas. It occupies a total of 5,440 acres in Genesee County, 

 Mich., and a total of 1,280 acres in Fond du Lac County, Wis. 



The surface soil of the Miami sandy loam has an average depth 

 of about 10 inches, and consists of a yellowish-gray to brown sandy 

 loam. The subsoil to a depth of 3 feet or more is a light-yellow 

 sandy loam. This is underlain by the sandy clay or clay which 



