48 
SOIL SURVEY OF JACKSON COUNTY 
CHAPTER Y 
GROUP OF SOILS LACKING GOOD DRAINAGE 
DUNNING SAND 
Extent and distribution .—The Dunning sand is confined to 
the sandy portion of the county east of Black River, and in 
mapping, it was frequently made to include some of the land 
lying between the marshes and the Boone fine sand. The soil 
is not all black and not all distinctly flat marsh border land. 
Small areas of higher land where the drainage is poor, and 
where grass swales and depressions are too numerous to sep¬ 
arate, w T ere included in this type. 
Description .—The surface soil of the Dunning sand consists 
of brown to nearly black, medium, or fine sand six to twelve 
inches deep, containing a high percentage of organic matter, 
wdiich imparts to the soil its dark color. The subsoil consists 
of a grayish or whitish fine to medium sand, which has a leached 
or washed appearance, and extends to a depth beyond three 
feet. In places, the subsoil is stained by iron oxide and bluish 
mottling is not uncommon. The depth of the surface soil varies, 
but in other particulars the type is uniform. 
Topography and drainage .—The surface of the soil is always 
low and generally level. It is very little higher than the level 
of the marshes and slightly lower than the bordering sands of 
light color. On account of its low position and the nearness 
of the water table to the surface, the natural drainage is poor, 
and as a result the type is too wet for ordinary farm crops, ex¬ 
cept during the dry portion of the summer. 
_ ' 
This type of soil is an extensive one in connection with the 
sand and marsh country of the east half of the county. Agricul¬ 
turally it is not important as the soil is generally too wet to 
raise crops, and very little of it is under cultivation. 
Origin .—The Potsdam sandstone is the parent rock from which 
the Dunning sand was derived. It has been reworked, trans- 
