GROUP OF POORLY DRAINED SOILS. 
63 
Topography and drainage. —The surface of this type is level, 
it is all low lying and the natural drainage is very deficient. 
Much of the type is subject to overflow and portions of it are 
under water for a time each year. 
Origin. —That portion of the type adjacent to streams is 
largely alluvial in origin, while that more distant from streams 
is largely glacial, occurring in old lake or pond beds. The par¬ 
ent material came in part from crystalline rock regions, and in 
part from sandstone formations. In most cases the material is 
acid. 
Native vegetation. —The native vegetation consisted of elm, 
willows, ash, soft maple, some poplar, and coarse marsh grasses. 
Many areas are treeless and support only coarse grasses. 
Present agricultural development. —The chief use made of 
this soil is for hay and pasture but much of it is too wet most 
of the year even for such use. In a few instances better 
drained parts of the type have been placed under cultivation, 
and during seasons of limited rainfall good crops are produced. 
Chemical composition and fertility. —This soil is well supplied 
with nitrogen and organic matter, but is usually deficient in 
the mineral plant foods phosphorus and potassium. The great¬ 
est deficiency, however, is in drainage, and before cultivated 
crops can be grown successfully a thorough system of drains 
must be provided. Open ditches as now installed are not suffi¬ 
cient in themselves, and must be supplemented either by open 
laterals, or tile drains, or both. When drainage has been pro¬ 
vided it will be found that the most economical and profitable 
crop production can be secured by the use of mineral fertilizers 
containing phosphorus and potassium. Such crops as alsike 
clover and timothy, buckwheat, and corn may be expected to 
give best results on this kind of land under good management. 
POYGAN CLAY LOAM 
The surface soil to a depth of 8 to 10 inches consists of a dark 
brown to black silty clay loam to silty clay. This is underlain 
by a light brown, drab, or bluish silty clay often mottled with 
brown and yellow. At from 14 to 20 inches the material 
changes to a plastic clay streaked or spotted with pinkish-red 
and bluish-gray. With increasing depth the reddish color be¬ 
comes more pronounced until at from 20-24 inches the mate¬ 
rial becomes a dense, pinkish red clay similar to the subsoil of 
the Superior soils. 
