MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL 
59 
along the bottoms where the material is colluvial in origin. In 
such places there is a great rush of water during heavy rains, 
but this quickly runs off on account of the steep grade. 
The growth on this soil consists of willow, hazel brush, poplar, 
cherry, elm, and soft maple. There is a rank growth of grass over 
much of the type, affording excellent pasturage, and frequently 
hay is cut where there is no brush to interfere. 
The cutting of hay and pasturing are the only agricultural 
uses to which the Wabash loam is put at present. If properly 
drained, as some of it could be, it would be adapted to corn, 
small grains, timothy hay, alsike clover, and a number of other 
crops. 
PEAT. 
Description .—The material mapped as Peat consists of vege¬ 
table matter in various stages of decomposition and with which 
there has frequently been incorporated a very small quantity of 
mineral matter. The surface is black or dark brown and is 
usually fairly well decomposed, while the underlying material is 
of a brownish color and fibrous in most cases. The Peat extends 
to a depth greater than 3 feet in all cases, and it is probable that 
it exceeds 10 feet over most of the areas, though the exact depth 
was not determined. 
Extent and Distribution .—The Peat in this survey is of rather 
small extent. The largest area extends from about 3 miles west 
of Mondovi west and northwest to the county line and south¬ 
ward through several stream valleys. The area comprises the 
divide between Farrington Creek, flowing east into Buffalo River, 
and Big Bear Creek, flowing west into the Chippewa River. 
This divide, however, is not marked, and no differences in eleva¬ 
tion in the marsh can be detected by the eye. Other areas of 
Peat are encountered in various stream valleys throughout the 
county, the largest occurring along the Trempealeau River in the 
southeastern part of the county. These consist of low, wet tracts 
bordering the river, and it would be difficult to reclaim them. 
Native Vegetation .—Some of the areas of Peat are timbered 
with a dense growth of tamarack, while other portions are treeless 
and support a thick growth of coarse, wild grass. In Fanington 
Creek Valiev both conditions are found. Over the open marshes 
