58 
SOIL SURVEY OF BUFFALO COUNTY. 
In the southwest corner of the county a part of this type of soil 
has been protected from overflow and partially drained by 
straightening the channel of the Trempealeau River by closing 
some of the sloughs and dredging a main ditch through the area. 
Crops consist mainly of corn, hay, and some potatoes. Only the 
higher knolls are cultivated, hay being cut on the lower portions. 
The soil is fertile material and when well drained produces very 
good yields. 
WABASH LOAM. 
The Wabash loam where typically developed consists of a 
black loam surface soil extending to a depth of 12 to 16 inches, 
underlain by drab or grayish loam or silt loam which, in the 
lower subsoil, grades into sandy material. As found in this 
county, however, the type is quite variable and there is a consid¬ 
erable proportion which does not conform closely with this 
description. In a number of places the surface soil contains vary¬ 
ing quantities of fine and very fine sand, and in such places the 
color is usually lighter than where the texture is a loam or silt 
loam. In a number of places the subsoil is darker than the pres¬ 
ent surface soil, owing to the fact that the original black surface 
has been covered by wash of lighter colored material from the 
adjoining slopes. Frequently large amounts of sand and frag¬ 
ments of limestone have been washed out over the soil from the 
tributary valleys and ravines and the variations which result 
from such conditions could not be indicated. The material com¬ 
posing the type, however, is better adapted to agricultural devel¬ 
opment than most of the Genessee Series and was therefore sep¬ 
arated from that series. 
The Wabash loam is found most extensively along the Buffalo 
and Trempealeau Rivers and Big and Little Waumandee Creeks 
and some of their tributaries. It occupies narrow strips along 
these streams and is the lowest land in the bottoms. The surface 
usually has a gentle slope toward the streams and most of the 
type is subject to overflow. By straightening and deepening 
stream channels much of this type doubtless could be reclaimed. 
Tile drains could also be used in draining such tracts. 
In origin this type is largely alluvial, though there are many 
narrow valleys and ravines having a small amount of this soil 
