SOIL PROFILE AXD ROOT PEXETRATIOX BY APPLE TREES 15 



In a comparison of yields from orchards grown on till soils, including 

 both well-drained and imperfectly drained soils, in the Hilton and 

 Morton areas, with yields from orchards grown on soils developed 

 from water-laid material represented principally by the Dunkirk and 

 Collamer series, it was found 7 that in orchards of the old-age group 

 grown on soils developed from water-laid material 24 orchards with a 

 total of 3,265 trees had an average yield of 6.7 bushels a tree, but on 

 the till soils 13 orchards with a total of 1,646 trees averaged only 

 3.85 bushels. In the young-age group, on soils developed from water- 

 laid material, 14 orchards, with a total of 1,797 trees, averaged 2.8 

 bushels a tree, but on the till soils 17 orchards, with a total of 1,975 trees, 

 averaged only 1.8 bushels. 



Adjacent to the ridges occupied by the typical Hilton soils, and in 

 places surrounding them, are graveUy soils of slightly darker gray 

 color, in which the gray layer is more strongly developed. These 

 soils are recognized as imperfectly drained phases of Hilton gravelly 

 fine sandy loam and Hilton gravelly loam. They have less gravel on 

 the surface, a more level topography, and poorer surface drainage. 

 The subsoil is very compact and in places very gravelly, a larger part 

 of it having been reworked and stratified than in the subsoil of the 

 ridges. These soils are used rather extensively for orchards but are 

 believed to be less well suited for this purpose than are the typical 

 Hilton soils. 



South of the main till ridges, in the district studied, are a number 

 of low ridges and broad areas in which a thin layer of till rests, at 

 depths ranging- from 30 inches to more than 6 feet, on residual soil 

 derived from dull-red shale and in places on reworked and stratified 

 till. This soil has been classified as a shallow phase of Hilton gravelly 

 loam and has been used for orchards with a fair degree of success. 



SCHLEGEL SOILS 



In the eastern part of the county, occupying the same relative 

 position north of the ridge as the shallow phase of Hilton gravelly 

 loam, are areas of shallow till soils over an uneven shaly limestone. 

 These areas are also used for apple orchards but are not highly 

 productive. These soils are identified as Schlegel gravelly loam. 



. POYGAN SOILS 



Within the till ridges, especially where surface drainage is poor, 

 are small flat and basinlike areas in which both surface drainage and 

 underdrainage are imperfect. Many of these areas, within orchards, 

 can be outlined by the poor condition of the trees or by missing trees. 

 The soil is dark grayish-brown silty clay loam or silty clay of the 

 Poygan series, underlain by a plastic clay which breaks into large, 

 hard, irregular clods. This material, in turn, is underlain at an 

 average depth of about 30 inches by compact till. The upper part 

 of this till layer is more or less mottled with gray and rust brown, the 

 clods have a dark-brown staining on the surface, and there is usually 

 a heavy accumulation of lime in light-gray masses immediately above 

 the till layer. 



7 Oseamp, J., and Batjer, L. P. Op. cit. 



