GROUP OF POORLY DRAINED SOILS. 
47 
areas occur in Bovina township, one west and the other north¬ 
east of Shiocton. Other small, isolated areas are found scat¬ 
tered about in the northwestern part of the county. 
Description. —The surface soil of the Whitman loam to a depth 
of about seven inches is a dark brown to black, mellow, friable 
loam rich in organic matter. It carries considerable silt, and 
sometimes considerable very fine sand. It is free from stones 
and gravel. The subsoil rapidly becomes lighter in color and 
coarser in texture, until at about fifteen inches it is a yellowish 
brown to pale yellow very fine sand. This continues to well 
over three feet. 
In places the subsoil will carry a little sandy clay which is a 
mottled drab, yellow and brown color, but such areas are very 
small. 
Topography and drainage. —The topography is level, which 
» 
with the low position of the type, makes the. natural drainage 
poor. The water table is usually within a few feet of the surface 
and during the spring the soil is almost completely saturated. 
At times, portions of the type are several inches under water. 
In places open ditches have been constructed. 
Present agricultural development. —Where properly drained, 
the general farm crops common to the region are grown and ex¬ 
cellent yields obtained. About half of the type is under culti¬ 
vation. Of the special crops, cabbage, beets, and onions do well, 
and some celery has been successfully grown. The chief require¬ 
ment of the land is good drainage. The undeveloped portion of 
the type is valuable only for the pasture it affords, and the 
marsh hay which may be cut. 
Chemical composition and fertility. —The Whitman loam is 
quite similar to the Clyde loam of southeastern Wisconsin, dif¬ 
fering chiefly by being acid, while the Clyde soils are not acid. 
It also carries a larger proportion of very fine sand than does 
the Clyde loam. From the standpoint of the plant food ele¬ 
ments which it contains, this may be considered a well-balanced 
soil. 
The Whitman loam contains from three to five times as much 
nitrogen and organic matter as does the average light-colored 
upland soil of this region. It contains from 1,500 to 2,000 
pounds of phosphorus in the surface eight inches an acre, and 
from 40,000 to 45,000 pounds of potassium. 
