Wadmond—Flora of Racine and Kenosha Counties. 801 
Still farther back from the Lake, is the Sioux sandy loam, 
consisting of the sands and gravels which formed the beach lino 
of Lake Michigan while it occupied its highest stage during 
the Glacial period, and is about 20 ft. above the country lying 
to the east of it, the former lake bed. 
The Miami clay loam, representing 14.9% of the land sur¬ 
face of Racine Co. is the heaviest soil of the area. The largest 
body of this soil forms a strip three miles wide at its widest 
point and extending in a north-and-south direction just west 
of Racine. 
Besides the above, there are small alluvial deposits occupying 
low areas along the Box and Root Rivers. In the vicinity of 
Wind Lake some peat beds occur, and swampy and marshy 
depressions in which a quantity of organic matter has accum¬ 
ulated are characteristic features of the area. 10.4% of the 
land surface of Racine Co., representing thousands of acres, 
is typical muck. 
Both counties are underlain by the Niagara Limestone, which 
is common to the Lake Michigan shore of Wisconsin. A mag¬ 
nesium limestone outcrops at Racine, and at Burlington there 
is an exposure of thin bedded dolomite. 
The woods of the territory bordering on the Lake are of the 
mesophytic forest type, with its deep, rich humus and dense 
shade. Hard maple, basswood and associated trees prevail. 
These quickly give way, as one travels westward, to the hemi- 
xerophytic oak and hickory forests with their lighter shade and 
comparatively thin layer of humus. In consequence, distinct¬ 
ively mesophytic species are scarce or altogether wanting in 
the westerly portion of the counties. 
Near Gatlifl, in almost the center of Mt. Pleasant township, 
Racine Co. is a typical bit of prairie flora reminding one of 
an Iowan prairie. The beach of Lake Michigan and the few 
tamarack swamps which still persist, also have their own dis¬ 
tinct floras. 
The sequence of families followed in this list is essentially 
the same as that of Engler & Prant-Is a Naturliche Pflanzen- 
familienA The nomenclature is in general that of Gray’s 
Manual, 6th Edition; in some genera, however, in which many 
