GEOLOGY OF THE POUGHKEEPSIE QUADRANGLE I07 



Fruit growing is also practised east of the Hudson. Nearly 

 every large farm has its apple orchard, some of which are of large 

 size. Peaches are also successfully grown and apparently are grow- 

 ing in popularity as an investment. Some fine fruit is grown in 

 small orchards along the northern slopes of the Fishkill mountains. 

 The Hudson river affords favorable temperature conditions for the 

 budding season and insures good crops. The ravages of the coddling 

 moth and other injurious insects are, however, sometimes extensive. 



The importance of the climatic influence of the Hudson river as a 

 successful factor in fruit growing is clearly recognized. Fruit is 

 not so successfully grown out of reach of this influence, even on 

 soils of the same character and with similar drainage. 



Dairying is perhaps the largest farming industry and the one 

 most widely practised. The area enjoys unusual facilities for trans- 

 portation of farm products. 



Soils. The glacial ice, as shown above, moved in a course 

 generally roughly parallel with the longer axes of the rock ridges. 

 This fact seems to have had an influence on the character of the 

 soil along these ridges. It is noticeable that the upland soils have a 

 definite relation to the underlying rock. 



Lower levels, which mark the flood epoch of the waning ice 

 sheet, have sandy and gravelly soils, with clayey subsoils, and are 

 often of terrace form or in kamelike masses. In addition to these 

 are the drumlinoid masses of somewhat more compacted character, 

 often attaining or approximating boulder till. Finally, there are 

 the alluviums of the river bottoms. 



The limestone areas are considered the finest grass lands, but 

 all the upland soils yield good grass crops. The gravelly river 

 bottoms are usually good corn soils. The more sandy terrace soils 

 are suitable. for garden truck or early fruit. The slaty hill sides 

 usually give good apple-growing soils when not too clayey. 



The finest farms are in the limestone areas, but the slaty uplands 

 of moderate elevation are highly valued for both of the principal 

 farming pursuits of the present day. 



Clays. All the important clays of this area are of sedimentary 

 character and belong to Pleistocene time. 



A number of important brick industries are located within the 

 quadrangle. The laminated clays that have been briefly described 

 as forming the terraces along the Hudson, between Fishkill Land- 

 ing and New Hamburg, and on the west bank at Roseton and 

 Danskammer, are worked on extensive scales (see plates 25 and 26). 



