44 BULLETIN 142, U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 



this is one of the most effective methods of improving the Miami 

 clay loam. Particularly where the surface features are level to gently 

 undulating, where farm lands are remote from deeply cut stream 

 trenches, or where depressions exist over the surface of the type, the 

 installation of tile drains is of fundamental importance in the proper 

 utilization of this soil. The contrasts in crop yields between properly 

 drained and poorly drained areas of the type, whether this drainage 

 is accomplished naturally or through the installation of tile, are 

 marked. With adequate drainage the Miami clay loam ranks high, 

 not only for the production of winter wheat, oats, and grass, but 

 also as a corn-producing soil. On the other hand, where drainage 

 is deficient the production of corn and of winter wheat is practi- 

 cally impossible, or the yields secured are too small to justify the 

 growing of these crops. There are areas of the Miami clay loam, 

 particularly in the more eastern States, which, because of poor drain- 

 age, have not been cleared and brought under cultivation until 

 within the last half century, and then only through the construction 

 of open ditches and the installation of systems of tile drainage. Flat 

 areas which have not been so treated still produce small crop yields 

 where they are farmed and do not possess that wide range of cropping 

 possibility which is essential to a well-balanced system of general 

 farming. The cost of tile draining a stiff, impervious soil of this 

 character, and especially one where the deeper subsoil is likely to 

 contain considerable masses of stone or even large bowlders, is rather 

 high, ranging from $20 to $30 an acre for the complete drainage of 

 entire fields. Nevertheless, when this is considered as an invest- 

 ment, adding to the permanent value of the land, it is usually justi- 

 fied, not only by the increased yields secured, but also by the rapidly 

 increasing value of the land itself. Tile drains to be effective upon 

 the Miami clay loam should have considerable internal diameter 

 and adequate fall along the ditch line, and should be placed at rather 

 frequent intervals and at an average depth of not less than 3 feet. 

 These requirements give rise to the rather high cost of adequate 

 underdrainage of the type. 



The frequent incorporation of a reasonable amount of organic mat- 

 ter in the surface soil is also requisite to maintain or to increase the 

 efficiency of the Miami clay loam. The prevailing systems of farm- 

 ing upon the type are fairly adequate for this purpose, in that grass 

 constitutes an important crop in the regular rotation practiced over 

 practically the entire area of this soil. The plowing under of the 

 sod in the preparation of the land for corn or other hoed crops 

 assists in the maintenance of organic matter in the soil, while the 

 keeping of beef cattle and of dairy cows upon the areas of this type 

 renders the application of stable manure possible over a large part 



