GROUP OF POORLY DRAINED SOILS. 
67 
With thorough drainage these soils will be adapted to a wide 
range of general farm crops. Special crops such as cabbage and 
sugar beets are well suited to these lands when drained. 
PEAT 
The material mapped as Peat consists of decaying vegetable 
matter in varying stages of decomposition with which there has 
been incorporated a small amount of mineral matter. Where 
raw and fibrous, and only slightly decomposed, the Peat has a 
brown color, but where more completely decayed it becomes 
darker and is sometimes black. It is light in weight as com¬ 
pared with other soils, and is loose and rather spongy. The 
surface material is often of a lighter brown color than that 
found at a depth of 2 feet or more. This is usually true of the 
timbered marshes. In some instances the more thoroughly de¬ 
composed material occurs at the surface and the raw fibrous 
peat is found at lower depths. This appears to be the case most 
frequently where marshes were originally treeless. 
The material mapped as Peat ranges in depth from 18 inches 
to over 3 feet. Where less than 18 inches it has been classed 
as shallow peat and mapped separately. In some instances the 
peat is known to be over 10 feet deep. The material found be¬ 
neath the peat is variable. Where the marshes are surrounded 
by sandy soils the peat is usually underlain by sand, and where 
the upland bordering the marsh is heavy the material under the 
marsh is usually also'heavy. 
Peat is an extensive soil in Waupaca county and is found in 
practically all parts of the county. The tracts vary in size 
from a few acres to several square miles. Of the most extensive 
areas may be mentioned one found 5 to 6 miles southwest from 
Clintonville, one 7 to 8 miles east of Manawa and another im¬ 
mediately northeast from White Lake. East of Embarrass 
there are also several smaller tracts. Many less important areas 
are scattered throughout the county. The line between the Ken- 
nan and Superior soils is frequently marked by areas of Peat. 
The surface of all peat areas is low, level, water soaked, and 
naturally very poorly drained. Before farming operations can 
be carried on the Peat must be reclaimed by some system of 
drainage. A small proportion of the marsh land inWaupaca 
County has been drained more or less thoroughly by open 
ditches, which in some cases have been supplemented by tile 
drains. 
