12 CIRCULAR 303, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



In the following pages, brief descriptions of the more important 

 soils of this apple-growing district are given. 



GROUP 1, SOILS WITH OPEN SUBSOILS 



Soils of group 1, which may be called the well-drained or best- 

 drained soils, have a rather wide range in character of parent material 

 from which they developed. These soils have weathered from beach 

 and terrace deposits of sandy and gravelly material, from old lake 

 deposits of fine sand, silt, and clay, and to some extent from glacial 

 till. 



In the Hilton area it was found 6 that roots in soils of this group 

 extend to a depth of more than 8 feet, and that these soils are con- 

 sidered among the best of the district for apple growing. 



ALTON SOILS 



Along the old beach line or ridge which extends almost continuously 

 across Monroe County and the entire length of this apple-growing 

 district, marking the southern limit of the area studied, is a dark- 

 brown sandy and gravelly soil called Alton gravelly sandy loam. At 

 a depth ranging from 6 to 10 inches this soil grades into a yellowish- 

 brown light gravelly sandy loam or fine sandy loam which is under- 

 lain below a depth of 18 inches by thin beds of light-brown sand, 

 fine sand, and small sharp gravel. The deep subsoil, below a depth 

 of 30 inches, consists of sand and water-worn gravel which, below a 

 depth ranging from 30 to 36 inches, has an abundance of lime, effer- 

 vescing freely with acid, but is cemented only in small local spots. 



Northeast of Morton, in the western part of Monroe County, is a 

 low broad ridge on which there is an almost continuous planting of 

 apple and peach orchards. This is generally recognized as one of 

 the most highly productive orchard sections of the county. These 

 soils belong to the same series as those on the higher better-drained 

 parts of the riclge. Smaller areas of Alton soils are found throughout 

 the district. 



Roots of apple trees planted on this soil penetrate the subsoil to a 

 depth of many feet. On account of the coarse texture and open 

 structure these soils require heavy fertilization, especially with ma- 

 nure, but owing to good underdrainage they are excellent orchard 

 soils. 



DUNKIRK SOILS 



In the northern half of the belt between the ridge and the lake, 

 west of Genesee River, and in places east of Irondequoit Bay are 

 numerous areas of light-brown silty soil, with no gravel, or nearly 

 free from it. The subsoil is heavier than the surface soil. It con- 

 sists of silty clay, which in places is light red or pink, and in other 

 places olive-brown. It is stratified with thin layers of silt, fine sandy 

 loam, and fine sand. The gray and mottled upper subsoil layer is 

 variable, thin, and slightly developed in places, and thick and strongly 

 developed in other locations. Some of the oldest and highest pro- 

 ducing orchards of this district have been grown on this soil (Dunkirk 

 silt loam). 



6 Oskamp, J., and Batjer, L. P. Op. cit. 



