52 
SOIL SURVEY OF JACKSON COUNTY 
Much of this type has poor drainage and a good deal of it is 
subject to one or more overflows each year, and consequently 
cannot be depended upon for cultivation. 
This soil is mostly of alluvial origin. The dark color is due 
to accumulations of organic matter from decaying vegetation, 
the growth of which was favored by moist conditions. Where 
there is a covering of light-colored material over the dark soil, 
this covering is often colluvial in origin, having been washed 
down from the adjoining slopes. 
This soil is used almost exclusively for pasture and hay land 
for which it is especially valuable. Occasionally a fairly well 
drained patch is cropped, corn doing especially well on it, yields 
of 75 to 90 bushels per acre being reported. Hay will yield 
from two to three tons per acre. Owing to the narrowness of 
most of the areas and the low position of the land, it is doubtful 
if much of this type could be successfully drained. Some of 
the broader expanses where there is sufficient slope could be 
much improved by installing tile drains. 
