THE MIAMI SERIES OF SOILS. 49 



clay loam occurs the rougher and more sloping portions of the type, 

 together with many areas which may be so covered with bowlders 

 as to make cultivation difficult, are usually devoted to permanent 

 pastures. The growth of native and tame grasses is excellent, and 

 many pastures have been maintained from 50 to 100 years without 

 reseeding or breaking the sod. 



Of the principal crops suited to the middle temperate region, the 

 Miami clay loam ranks high in the production of corn, wheat, oats, 

 hay, and pasturage grasses. It is therefore one of the most important 

 general farming soil types in the eastern part of the Central States. 



In addition to the crops above mentioned, which dominate the 

 agricultural practice of the region and the type, rye is also occa- 

 sionally produced in Michigan, giving yields of 15 to 25 bushels 

 per acre. Barley production is confined to southeastern Wisconsin, 

 and the yields reported vary from 20 to 40 bushels per acre. Beans 

 also constitute an important crop in southern Michigan, pro- 

 ducing from 10 to 22 bushels per acre, and the latter yield is 

 sometimes exceeded. In central Indiana tomatoes are being produced 

 as a canning crop, yielding 200 bushels per acre, and in the same 

 region green peas are raised for the city markets and as a canning 

 crop, giving yields of about 2,000 to 2,500 pounds per acre. These 

 constitute secondary special crops, chiefly of local importance and 

 produced because of local market conditions. 



In central and southern Michigan the Miami clay loam is also 

 frequently used for the production of sugar beets. This crop takes 

 the place of a part of the corn acreage in the regular rotation and 

 has been produced extensively in this general region. The yields 

 vary from 6 to 12 tons per acre, and the beets usually have a high 

 sugar content and a high index of purity. The crop is grown only in 

 the vicinity of established sugar-beet factories or in neighboring 

 localities where transportation to the factories is well provided. 



Another special crop producted on the Miami clay loam is the 

 Spanish Zimmer tobacco, grown in the Miami region of southwestern 

 Ohio. In this region the tobacco usually follows the corn crop, 

 and the Miami clay loam is considered the best soil in the area for 

 the production of tobacco. Nearly every farm includes a small field, 

 ranging in size from 3 to 8 acres, while some growers produce from 

 10 to 30 acres each year. The tobacco grown upon this soil has good 

 body, good sweating properties, and is fine fibered and elastic. The 

 best filler leaf produced in the region is grown on the rolling upland 

 areas of the Miami clay loam. 



Among the tree fruits only apples and pears do well on the Miami 

 clay loam, and even with apples it is necessary to discriminate in 

 the selection of particular areas of the soil for the planting of 

 orchards and also in the selection of varieties suited to such a heavy 



