10 



CIRCULAR 303, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Table 2. — Mechanical analyses of typical soils in each of the three orchard-soil 



groups 



BERRIEN LOAMY FIXE SAND, GROUP 1 



Sample no. 



Depth 



Fine 

 gravel 



Coarse 

 sand 



Medi- 

 um 

 sand 



Fine 

 sand 



Very 



fine 

 sand 



Silt 



CUv Co1 " 

 Lia - loidi 



36626 . . _ _ 



Inches 

 0-4 

 4-15 

 15-40 

 40-70 

 70-104 



Percent 

 3.5 



4.7 

 4.0 

 2.4 

 2.0 



Percent 



10.8 



12.8 



11.9 



9.0 



7.4 



Percent 

 21.0 

 20.5 

 23.3 

 16.4 

 17. 1 



Percent 

 35.0 

 36.0 



47.2 

 51.6 

 39.2 



Percent 

 10.3 

 9.8 

 6.1 



14.6 

 25.7 



Percent 

 11.4 

 9.9 

 4.1 



3.0 

 5.8 



Percent Percent 

 7 9 5. 6 



36627 



6 9 ! 4 3 



3662S 



3 5 2.4 



36629 



36630 



2.9 2.0 

 2 8 2.2 







POYGAX SILTY CLAY LOAM. GROUP 2 



36617. 

 3661S. 

 36619_ 

 36620_ 

 36621. 



0-5 



1.3 



2.6 



3.2 



5. 7 



18.5 



50.1 



IS. 5 



5-13 



2.1 



3.0 



2.9 



5.4 



21.1 



48.5 



16.8 



13-22 



.1 



.4 



.6 



1.3 



5.1 



36.3 



56.2 



22-36 



1.3 



1.0 



.4 



.8 



1.6 



42.8 



52.2 



36-42 



2.3 



3.6 



3.6 



8.6 



IS. 2 



46.7 



17.1 



16.2 

 11.8 

 40.0 

 33.1 



GRANBY LOAM. GROUP 3 



36602 



0-11 

 11-14 

 14-24 

 24-36 

 36-48 



0.3 

 .4 

 .6 

 .1 

 .0 



2.3 



6.0 



5. 5 



.4 



.3 



4.9 

 13.9 

 10.7 



.2 



11.1 



22.8 



16.1 



3.0 



1. 1 



37.0 

 32.2 

 38.3 

 43.8 

 4.0 



29.0 

 17.8 

 21.4 

 41.1 

 37.8 



7. 5 

 10.8 



56.4 



7.S 



36603 



6.7 



36604 . -- 



6.4 



36605 



9.4 



36606 



36.0 







Colloid (included with clay) represents particles less than 0.002 millimeter in diameter. 



In a study of the soils of the Hilton area, 5 the soils of the first 

 group were classed as favorable, the second group as marginal, and 

 the third group as unfit. In a comparison in production of the dif- 

 ferent groups it was found that in an area of 13,582 acres, 23 percent 

 was used for orchards. Of the land planted to orchards, 57 percent 

 was regarded as favorable, 39 percent marginal, and 4 percent unfit. 



On the favorable soils, during the period 1928-30, 25 orchards with 

 a total of 3,466 trees, ranging from 55 to 61 years of age, had an aver- 

 age yield of 7.25 bushels a tree, and on the marginal soils 12 orchards 

 with a total of 1,445 trees averaged only 2.6 bushels a tree. Following 

 is a comparison of the average yield of orchards ranging from 18 to 21 

 years of age, during the same period: On the favorable soils 15 orchards 

 with a total of 1,858 trees had an average yield of 3.16 bushels a tree, 

 and on the marginal soils 16 orchards with a total of 1,914 trees aver- 

 aged only 1.5 bushels. 



Appearance of the trees on the better soils is shown in figure 3, A; 

 of the unproductive trees near the edge of the Granby soils, which 

 are poorly drained soils, in figure 3, B: and of the dead and missing 

 trees grown on the top of a low ridge in a small area of Poygan silty 

 clay loam surrounded by a good stand of trees grown on the slopes 

 of Hilton gravelly loam in figure 3, C. Contrasts of this kind are 

 to be found in a very large percentage of the orchards of this district 

 where the use of poor soils has increased the cost of planting and 

 maintaining the orchards and lowered then average production. 



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



