18 BULLETIN 142, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
MIAMI FINE SAND. 
Areas of the Miami fine sand have been encountered only in Co- 
lumbia and Jefferson Counties, Wis. The total area mapped thus 
far amounts to 47,296 acres. 
The Miami fine sand consists of a light-brown, loose, incoherent fine 
sand, which is low in organic matter. At about 9 to 10 inches in 
depth the material is light yellow, becoming lighter in color with 
depth, until at 30 to 36 inches it is almost white. The till bed, con- 
sisting of a mixture of sand, gravel, silt, and bowlders, is encountered 
at depths of 4 to 6 feet. Small quantities of limestone gravel and 
bowlders occur on the surface and throughout the soil section, but are 
seldom sufficiently numerous to interfere with cultivation. 
The type is subject to some variation. On the lower slopes and 
in depressions the surface is darker and contains a larger amount 
of organic matter than the typical soil. Such areas are slightly 
loamy and have a somewhat higher agricultural value than the re- 
mainder of the type. In a few places a sticky sand is encoun- 
tered at depths of 30 to 36 inches. A few gravel beds are scattered 
throughout the type, and such deposits have only a shallow surface 
covering of soil. Exposed areas are sometimes wind drifted, small 
dunes being formed. In general the Miami fine sand is both coarser 
in texture and lower in agricultural value than the Miami fine sandy 
loam, with which it is closely associated. 
The topography varies from gently rolling to rolling. The sur- 
face is sometimes broken by sand dunes and depressions, though 
rarely to such an extent as to render cultivation impracticable. 
Owing to the loose, open structure of the material and to the sur- 
face configuration, the natural drainage is excessive and the soil as 
a whole is droughty. There are a few kettle-shaped basins and dune 
depressions which are not connected with drainage channels, and 
even in these places the drainage is usually sufficient, owing to the 
sandy nature of the deeper subsoil. Except during the heaviest 
rains, storm waters are rapidly absorbed by the soil and danger from 
erosion through surface run-off is reduced to a minimum. 
The type is largely of glacial origin, being derived from the 
weathering of the glacial till, somewhat modified by wind and 
stream action. The weathering of the limestone fragments in the 
underlying till has a tendency to correct any acidity existing in the 
soil material, though this is often counteracted by leaching, leaving 
the surface soil more or less acid. 
The original forest growth consisted chiefly of white, red, and 
bur oak, with some hickory and hazel brush. All of the merchant- 
able timber has been cut, but the scrubby growth of oak and hazel 
bushes has been allowed to remain on a few of the poorest areas of 
the type. 
