54 
SOIL SURVEY OF WAUPACA COUNTY. 
eastern part there is a larger proportion of quartz grains. 
There is no calcareous material present and both soil and sub¬ 
soil show varying degrees of acidity. 
Native vegetation. —The original timber growth consisted of 
scrub oak, jack pine, and white pine with hazel brush and sweet 
fern quite abundant. Most of the type has been cleared and 
placed under cultivation, but because of its low productiveness 
and droughty condition, some farms have been abandoned. It 
is not uncommon for fields to remain idle for several years at a 
time. 
Present agricultural development* —Probably 75% of this 
type is under cultivation more or less regularly and while there 
are some highly improved prosperous farms located upon it, 
there are more farms that are in a depleted state. The chief 
crops grown are potatoes, rye, corn and hay. Clover does not 
do well unless special attention is given to it. Rye does better 
than other small grains but average yields are low. 
Potatoes are the chief cash crop, and a considerable acreage is 
grown on nearly every farm each year. Some dairying is car¬ 
ried on, and this is a good system for building up the soil, but 
the difficulty of securing good yields of forage crops gives this 
soil a handicap in the dairy industry. 
VILAS SAND 
Extent and distribution. —The Vilas sand is found most ex¬ 
tensively in the southwest quarter of Waupaca County. The 
most extensive areas are found in Dayton Township and in the 
southern part of Farrington Township. Smaller areas occur in 
the northwestern portion of the county, chiefly in the vicinity 
south of Big Falls. Smaller and less Important areas are found 
throughout the western half of the county. 
Description. —The surface soil of the Vilas sand to an average 
depth of about 8 inches consists of a brown or grayish-brown 
sand or slightly loamy sand of medium texture. In structure 
the material is usually loose and open. In some small areas the 
texture approaches a fine sand, while in others the soil is some¬ 
what loamy, but these variations are not of sufficient extent to 
be mapped separately. In jilaces the virgin soil is slightly 
darker than usual in the surface 1 or 2 inches because of the ac- 
* See page 56 for chemical composition and improvement. 
