SOILS OF MASSACHUSETTS AND CONNECTICUT. 21 
and Enfield. Near the southern boundary of the town of Enfield 
the relief becomes much lower, and thence to the Connecticut line 
and far into Tolland County, Conn., the country spreads out into a 
succession of lower hills which are comparable to and connect with 
the eastern Hampden district. Much of this section is from 500 to 
700 feet above sea level, though elevations up to 1,000 feet occur. 
The relief is characteristically much more gentle than that of the 
higher section to the north. The soils of the whole district are com- 
plex, often varying widely in short distances. They do not differ in 
land from the rest of the Eastern Highland soils, but the percentage 
of sandy and porous areas is somewhat greater. 
A description of the soils of a cross section from near the center of 
this north and south belt in Massachusetts follows : From East Lev- 
erett to within 1J miles of Shutesbury the soils are extremely poor, 
being thin and sandy with some gravelly and leachy areas. Some of 
this material would have to be mapped as stony sand, the grades of 
sand being rather coarse. Formerly attempts were made to farm 
this section more or less, but the lack of adaptation of these soils to 
the production of the general farm crops which were tried necessi- 
tated their abandonment for that purpose. East of this belt, be- 
ginning about 1-J miles west of Shutesbury and including all of 
Shutesbury Hill from 1J miles north of the center to 1J miles south- 
west of the town much of the land should be farmed. Some of the 
soils of this district are heavy loams, with subsoils usually a little 
lighter than the surface soil. These can be classed as rather moist 
soils and are well adapted to hay as a money crop. On soils not quite 
so heavy, such as light loams and heavy fine sandy loams, a good 
corn crop was grown in the season of 1911 ; in fact, it compared well 
with the crop secured in the Connecticut Valley the same season. 
The lighter soils give good yields of potatoes, and this is grown as a 
money crop. The sandy loam types of the region are good for 
peaches, and with the light loams are hardly to be surpassed for the 
production of such varieties of red apples as are grown successfully 
in this part of the State. Such lands can be bought, without build- 
ings, for $3 to $10 an acre. 
The type of present commercial development in the section of the 
Eastern Highlands around Fitchburg is shown by the illustration, 
Plate I. 
To the east of this belt there is a steep scarp to the west branch 
of Swift River along which there is another narrow belt of poor 
sandy soils. These, in turn, are succeeded by the more productive 
loams of Prescott Hill, already described. 
THE CONNECTICUT VALLEY OF MASSACHUSETTS AND CONNECTICUT. 
Walled in by the abrupt or broken slopes of the Eastern Highland 
