SOILS OF MASSACHUSETTS AND CONNECTICUT. 17 
is quite rolling, though the hills are not very high. Many of the hills 
are dome-shaped and afford excellent orchard sites. Their soils, 
too, are generally well suited to orcharding, often consisting of mel- 
low, brown medium loams overlying a subsoil of friable sandy loam 
or light loam, yellow or brown in color. 
Just west of the Blackstone Valley the land is more rough and 
stony until the general level of the uplands is attained, where it is 
moderately hilly westward to the French River. 
Farther north in the town 1 of Sutton, where the apple of that 
name originated, the surface soils on a representative farm examined 
grade from heavy fine sanely loam in the " upper orchard " to a light 
silty loam in the " lower orchard." The subsoil grades from heavy 
sandy loam to light loam, and in places to silty loam. The color of 
the surface soil is brown and yellowish brown, and of the subsoil yel- 
low, grayish-yellow, or light brown. 
In North Grafton the surface soils in another orchard examined 
included loam, light loam, and sandy loam of brown or yellowish- 
brown color, while the subsoils consisted of yellowish loam and sandy 
loam. In large orchards of another farm were found the types 
above mentioned and also a heavier silt loam underlain by clay loam. 
In still another, a compact gravel layer was encountered at a depth 
of 2 to 3 feet. This condition is designated as hardpan, and while 
true hardpan undoubtedly occurs in spots, the term is often used in 
the State to indicate subsoil conditions much less serious than actual 
hardpan. These examples serve to show the local variability of the 
soils. 
From the Sherborn-Hopkinton-Grafton district northward to 
Chelmsford and Grot on the soils of the Eastern Plateau belt aver- 
age a little heavier than in the southern part, though the total range 
in texture is just as wide. This district includes many prominent 
farming towns, and excellent orchards are frequently to be seen. 
Among these towns may be mentioned Shrewsbury, Northboro, 
Berlin, Hudson, Marlboro, Sudbury, the Actons, Concord, Stowe, 
Clinton, Lancaster, Bolton, Harvard, Littleton, Chelmsford, West- 
ford, and Groton. 
The most representative soils are loams and fine sandy loams. Silty 
loams are not infrequent, while now and then silt loams occur. The 
subsoils are seldom heavier than the surface soils, but are very often 
lighter. In some places the subsoil grades to a compact sand in its 
lower depths, and small gravelly areas are not uncommon. The well- 
drained and friable character of these soils has undoubtedly been a 
1 " Town " in New England is synonymous with township. 
55570°— Bull. 140—15 2 
