LIGHT COLORED U PL AND SOILS. 
21 
land, which detract from their value. In some remote parts of 
the county, and where there is a large proportion of the steep 
land on the farms, values range from $30 to $60 an acre. 
Knox Silt Loam, Steep Phase .—In general physical character 
and appearance the soil of the steep phase is essentially like the 
typical soil, the basis of separation being one of topography. As 
a whole the color and texture of the soil may be slightly lighter 
than the typical soil, and the average depth to rock is less. Be¬ 
cause of its steep, broken character, this phase has a lower agri¬ 
cultural value than the typical soil. 
The steep phase of the Knox silt loam occurs in all parts of 
the county intimately associated with the main type and fre¬ 
quently grading into it in such a way as to make the drawing of 
a definite boundary line difficult. It occupies steep slopes gen¬ 
erally about the heads of small streams heading in the lime¬ 
stone areas above the Rough stony land. On these slopes, which 
form the more or less steep sides of the valleys, the silt soil is sub¬ 
ject to erosion and careful methods are often necessary to prevent 
destructive ditch formations while these slopes are under culti¬ 
vation. When the steep slopes are neither wooded, in pasture, 
nor covered by a growing crop to protect them, the soil washes 
badly and ditches are quickly and deeply cut into the hillsides. 
When erosion has once started in this way it is difficult to check, 
so that methods of prevention are very important. 
The natural drainage of the steep phase is good, except in 
small areas along the slopes where springs and seeps may occur. 
The greater part of it is so rolling that too large a percentage of 
the rainfall runs off, and crops often suffer from lack of moisture. 
The Knox silt loam, steep phase, has practically the same ori¬ 
gin as the typical soil, though as a rule there is less depth to bed¬ 
rock, and chert fragments occur on the surface and through the 
soil mass in greater abundance. As with the typical soil, it is 
partly residual from a cherty magnesian limestone and partly of 
loessial origin. 
The original timber growth consisted of the same trees as on 
the typical soil, oak predominating. Most of the standing tim¬ 
ber outside of the bottom lands is now found on this phase and 
on the Rough stony land with which it is associated, though a 
considerable proportion of the steep land is cleared and either in 
cultivation or pasture land. 
