32 
SOIL PURVEY OF JACKSON COUNTY 
BOONE FINE SANDY LOAM 
Extent and distribution .—The Boone fine sandy loam is an 
important and fairly extensive type of soil in this county, cov¬ 
ering a total of 54,400 acres. Considerable areas of this soil 
are found in the towns of Cleveland, Hixton, Alma, Springfield 
in the western part of the county, and also in the vicinity of 
Shamrock in the southern part. 
Description .—The surface soil of the Boone fine sandy loam 
to an average depth of eight to ten inches consists of a grayish- 
brown fine sandy loam, which in some places contains a consid¬ 
erable quantity of medium sand. The quantity of organic mat¬ 
ter present is not large, and a slightly acid condition is found 
to exist over most of the type. The subsoil consists of a brown 
to yellowish-brown fine to medium sandy loam, which usually 
extends to a depth of over three feet. 
Both soil and subsoil of this type are subject to considerable 
variation, though none of the variations are found of sufficient 
extent or importance to be mapped as a phase, except the more 
rolling tracts which are usually shallow. 
Outcrops of sandstone are not uncommon, although they are 
not extensive and seldom interfere to any marked extent with 
cultivation. The depth to the underlying rock is variable, and 
while it averages over three feet, there are places on the tops 
of ridges and on knolls where there may be as little as two or 
three inches of soil. There are also places over gently rolling 
tracts where the soil has a depth of only two or three feet, but 
such areas are not extensive. 
Topography and drainage .—This soil generally occupies the 
intermediate slopes lying between the high ridge lands and the 
sandy flats bordering some of the streams. The topography is 
generally gently undulating to rolling, some larger areas being 
nearly level, and some portions near the ridges and rough stony 
land having a fairly rolling surface. 
Generally this soil withstands erosion well, both because the 
soil can absorb much water quickly and because the surface is 
generally not very rolling. In a few cases, erosion has gotten 
beyond control and bad ditches and ravines have been formed. 
Samples of these big ditches may be found along the Pine Hill 
Road two miles west of Shamrock. 
