36 
SOIL SURVEY OF BUFFALO COUNTY. 
On account of the sandy character of the soil and the surface 
features, the natural drainage of this type is excellent. Where 
the soil is shallow and where the slopes are steep the type fre¬ 
quently suffers from lack of sufficient moisture, though as a 
whole it retains moisture fairly well. 
Origin .—The original Boone fine sandy loam is largely resid¬ 
ual, having been derived from the weathering of the Potsdam 
sandstone and from a shaly phase of this formation. On some 
of the slopes it is probable that some of the sandy material has 
been moved short distances down the slope by washing. Where 
there is silty material incorporated with the soil it is probable 
that a part of this has been washed down from higher lying silt 
loam types. Thus it will be seen that the type may also be partly 
of colluvial origin, though this phase is of minor importance. 
In a few places sand dunes have been formed, but these are also 
of small extent. 
Native Vegetation .—The original timber growth consisted 
partly of black and scrub oak covering the shallow knolls and the 
lighter portions of the type. On the heavier portions there was 
some birch and maple. Sumac, hazel brush, poplar, and wild 
cherry form the second growth in uncultivated places. 
Present Agricultural Development .*—By far the greater pro¬ 
portion of the type is put to some form of agricultural use, and 
most of it is cultivated. The wooded portion is confined chiefly 
to the steeper slopes and shallow knolls, which are covered mainly 
with small oak. As is the case with the county as a whole, most 
of the type is devoted to general farming, with dairying as the 
most important branch. In connection with dairying quite a 
number of hogs are raised. The chief crops grown and the 
ordinary yields are as follows: Corn, 40 to 50 bushels; oats, 30 
to 40 bushels; barley, 35 to 40 bushels; and hay from 1 to 2 tons 
per acre. Some rye is also grown and it gives fair yields. On 
some of the level portions of the type some farmers report an 
increasing difficulty in getting a good stand of clover. Others 
on the gently rolling phase report no trouble at all, none having 
been lost in the last seven or eight years. Some very fine stands 
of clover appear on some of. the lighter portions of the type, 
even though the soil showed a slight indication of acidity in 
response to the litmus-paper test. 
*For chemical composition and management see page 41. 
