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



The Miami loam is chiefly developed in southern Michigan, with 

 large areas in about the same latitude in Wisconsin. The occur- 

 rence of this type in the more northern sections affects its crop uses, 

 and it is probable that the largest acreage is annually devoted to 

 hay production. Corn is second in acreage and oats are third. The 

 area devoted to the production of winter wheat is next to that used 

 for oats. The yields of all of these crops are good. Corn probably 

 averages something more than 40 bushels per acre. Hay produces 

 about 1| tons. Oats yield an average of about 40 bushels per acre. 

 The average wheat yield is about 15 bushels. Rye and barley also 

 are grown, giving good average yields. Beans constitute the most 

 important special crop, being extensively grown upon the Miami 

 loam in southern Michigan. The average yield per acre is about 

 15 bushels. Potatoes are grown chiefly for home use, but a surplus 

 is annually marketed, and the type might well become an important 

 potato-producing soil. Orchard fruits are grown in favored locali- 

 ties, chiefly for home use. Both in Michigan and Wisconsin the 

 dairy industry is well developed on the Miami loam. The crops grown 

 are well suited to dairy feeding, nearly all of the farms include some 

 land best suited to permanent pasturage, and the climatic conditions 

 are suitable for the manufacture of butter and cheese. In connection 

 with the dairy industry, some hogs are fattened. In the bean-grow- 

 ing region sheep also are raised. But few beef cattle are kept on 

 this type. 



The Miami silt loam has been mapped chiefly in Indiana and Ohio. 

 Large areas are also found in the southern part of Wisconsin under 

 similar climatic conditions. The larger areas of the type lie well 

 within the " corn belt " and this crop occupies the largest acreage on 

 the Miami silt loam. All of the better drained portions of the type 

 are well suited to corn production, and the average yield obtained is 

 in the neighborhood of 40 bushels per acre. It is an important corn- 

 producing soil although the average yields secured from it are fre- 

 quently exceeded by those produced on the darker colored soils asso- 

 ciated with it. There is a general tendency over the entire type to 

 produce as large an acreage of corn as is possible each year. The 

 acreages given to oats and to hay are almost equal over a considerable 

 part of the Miami silt loam. In the more southern regions of its 

 occurrence the climatic conditions are not especially favorable for 

 oat production, but near its northern limits, as in Wisconsin, this 

 crop thrives and the largest acreage sown to grain is annually de- 

 voted to oats. The average yield produced under all conditions of 

 climate and soil is about 40 bushels per acre. The yields in southern 

 latitudes are generally less than those secured farther north. The hay 

 grown on the Miami silt loam is chiefly mixed timothy and red clover, 

 although some localities produce clover alone. The average yields 



