MADISON COUNTY. 425 



The facts now enumerated will be seen, upon a little reflection, to lay 

 the foundation for an excellent scope of country in an agricultural point 

 of view. Generous and lasting soils and an abundant water-supply are 

 certain to be provided from such modifications of the beds of glacial drift 

 in central and western Ohio. In accordance with these probabilities, 

 Madison county is found to be one of the finest agvicultural districts of 

 the State. There is scarely a foot of waste land in it and most of it, if 

 not already highly productive, is easily susceptible of being made so. 

 The surface clays are generally black, for at least one or two feet in depth. 

 Inland lying as nearly level as Madison county does, there would neces- 

 sarily be enough detention of organic matter in the soil to produce this 

 result. Even the lands undeilain with gravel might have been swampy in 

 their earliest history, but after a forest growth had established itself upon 

 them and the roots had penetrated to the porous beds below, a natural 

 drainage would be secured which would do much towards their ameliora- 

 tion. 



The gravel washed out of the bowlder clay is largely limestone gravel. 

 Whenever an insulated area of this gravel has been left uncovered by the 

 finer clays, and has itself undergone atmospheric agencies by which it 

 would be converted into soil, we find the prodactive belts known as "mulatto 

 lands." The reddish soils thus designated certainly have just such a history. 



The forest growths on these several sorts of areas, are, in every case, 

 characteristic. The last named division is the warmest and most fertile 

 land of the county. It is occupied quite largely by Black Walnut, Sugar 

 Maple, etc., and is therefore, frequently styled " Black Walnut land." 

 It is confined to patches, and acres, and is nowhere extended in large 

 tracts, or at least not in the central portion of the county. More of it is 

 shown in the southern townships. 



The division last preceding this, viz., the clays underlain by gravel or 

 sand, are quite generally covered with Burr Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) . This 

 tree marks very definitely all the batter portion-' of the areas now under 

 discussion, and as this kind of land constitutes the most important el- 

 ement in the surface of the county, the Burr Oak may be said to charac- 

 terize the county. 



The colder lands referred to the weathering nf the bowlder clay are 

 covered for their natural forest ' growth with swamp oak {Quercus 

 palmtris), post oak (Q. obtusiloba), and occasionally white oak (Q. alba.) 

 The natural difierences between these soils, as attested by their original 

 forest growths, are clearly shown in their subsequent history under culti- 

 vation. 



The swampy condition of the land before drains and ditches provided 

 an easy way of escape for the surface water, is the probable cause of a 



