31 
GEOUP OF MEDIUM HEAVY SOILS. 
CHAPTER III 
GROUP OF MEDIUM HEAVY SOILS 
BOONE LOAM 
Extent and distribution. —This soil is a gradation between 
the loessial Knox silt loam and the more largely residual Boone 
fine sandy loam. This soil is generally distributed over the 
western half of the county, and occupies gently undulating 
secondary slopes or nearly level areas lying between the higher 
land of heavier soil and the streams border areas of fine sand 
or fine sandy loam. The soil usually lies on a valley slope. 
This type covers a total area of 22,400 acres. 
Description. —The Boone loam consists of a grayish-brown 
loam or very fine sandy loam eight to ten inches deep on a yellow¬ 
ish-brown loam or sticky clayey sandy loam subsoil. The sub¬ 
soil is variable, being generally a compact sandy loam on the 
knolls and a heavy loam or sandy clay loam on the slopes and 
the level areas. In some cases sand or sandstone is found at less 
than three feet on knolls, but in most cases the heavy subsoil 
extends beyond the reach of a forty inch auger. 
Topography and drainage. —The drainage of the soil is nearly 
always good due to the generally sloping or undulating topog¬ 
raphy. The only exceptions are in the drainage ways, or bor¬ 
dering lower ground where small areas of the soil may be in¬ 
sufficiently drained at times. 
Present agricultural development. —The Boone loam is a valu¬ 
able soil, and is highly developed farm land. Practically all 
of it is under cultivation. Dairying and general farming are 
practiced on this soil. The crops grown include oats, barley, 
clover, corn, and some potatoes, wheat and root crops. 
Yields of crops are about as follows: Corn, 50 to 70 bushels; 
oats, 30 to 40 bushels; wheat, 25 to 30 bushels; barley, 20 to 30 
bushels per acre. Clover does well but often freezes out in 
winter. Improved land sells for from sixty to ninety dollars 
an acre depending on its location, improvement, etc. 
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