THE MIAMI SERIES OP SOILS. 53 



The Miami sand is of very limited extent, and is too droughty to 

 give even fair yields of staple crops. Low yields of corn, oats, rye, 

 and clover are secured. If this soil were favorably located with 

 respect to markets it would constitute an early truck and fruit soil 

 of considerable value. 



The Miami gravelly sandy loam and gravelly loam are somewhat 

 better suited to crop production, giving fair yields of corn, oats, rye, 

 barley, and hay under favorable conditions of rainfall. They are 

 both subject to drought and are chiefly farmed in connection with 

 other soil types. A large total area of each type is used for perma- 

 nent pasture. 



The Miami fine sand produces low yields of the general farm crops. 

 Corn yields about 25 bushels, oats 22 bushels, rye 12 bushels, and 

 timothy and clover hay about 1 ton per acre. It is a fairly good 

 potato soil and beans are successfully grown. About three-fourths 

 of the total area of the type thus far encountered in the soil surveys 

 is under cultivation, while the greater part of the remainder is used 

 for pasture. 



The Miami sandy loam has been encountered only to a very limited 

 extent. Its crop uses are about the same as those of the Miami fine 

 sand, but the yields of the staple crops are slightly greater. 



The Miami fine sandy loam is the coarsest textured soil of the 

 series that is well suited to the extensive production of the staple 

 farm crops. Practically all of the area of this type so far mapped 

 occurs in the cooler portion of the general region occupied by the 

 soils of the series. The type is everywhere well drained, and the 

 compact subsoil serves to retain moisture to a sufficient degree for 

 maturing crops under conditions of normal rainfall. As a result 

 practically all the type has been cleared and is used for general and 

 special forms of agriculture. A study of the crop uses of this type 

 shows that corn, oats, and hay occupy the largest acreages upon it, 

 producing fair to good yields. Barley, wheat, and rye are grown to 

 a small extent. The yields of wheat are low, and the acreage de- 

 voted to this crop is decreasing. Beans are grown to a considerable 

 extent in Michigan, producing fair average yields. Potatoes are 

 well suited to this soil, and are grown to some extent as a cash crop 

 in both Michigan and Wisconsin. The type occurs extensively within 

 the Michigan fruit belt, which extends inland for a distance of 30 

 miles or more from the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. In this 

 region it is used for apple and peach orcharding and for the grow- 

 ing of cherries, grapes, and small fruits. It is found to be well 

 suited to these crops. Dairying constitutes the principal form of 

 animal industry on the Miami fine sandy loam, although some beef 

 cattle are fattened and hogs also are grown in connection with dairy- 

 ing. Sheep are raised in some localities. 



