Issued February 10, 1914. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BUREAU OF SOILS— MILTON WHITNEY, Chief. SOIL SURVEY OF THE HOOD RIVER- WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA, OREGON WASHINGTON. BY A. T. STRAHORN and E. B. WATSON, J.IACY H. TjAPHAM, Inspector in Charge Western Division. [Advance Sheets— Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils, 1912.] UCLA SEL/Geology Collection UAN 2 0 2005 WASHINGTON: GOVKRNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1914. BUREAU OF SOILS. Milton Whitney, Chief of Bureau. Albert G. Rice, Chief Clerk. SOIL SURVEY. Curtis F. Marbut. In Charge. G. W. Baumann, Executive Assistant. COMiMITTEE ON THE CORRELATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF SOILS. Curtis F. Marbut, Chairman. Hugh H. Bennett, Inspector, Southern Division. J. E. Lapham, In.spector, Northern Division. Macy H. Lapham, Inspector, Western Division. J. W. McKerichbr, Secretary. Issued February 10, 1914. U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BUREAU OF SOILS— MILTON WHITNEY, Chief. SOIL SURVEY OF THE HOOD RIVER- WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA, OREGON-WASHLNGTON. BT A. T. STRAHORX and E. B. WATSOX. MACY H. LAPHAM, Inspector in Charge Western Division. [Advance Sheets — Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils, 1912.] WASHINGTON: GOVEKNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 1914. LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. U. S. Department or Agriculture, Bureau of Soils, Washington, D. C, May 29, 1913. Sir: One of the })rojects undertaken by the bureau during the field season of 1912 was the survey of the Hood River- White Salmon River area, Oregon-Washington. Tliis survey was requested by many prominent citizens of the area. I have the honor to transmit herewitli tlie manuscript report and map covermg this area and to recommend their pubhcation as advance sheets of Field Operations of the Bureau of Soils for 1912, as provided by law. Respectfully, Milton Whitney, CJiiej oj Bureau. 'Hon. D. F. Houston, Secretary oj Aijriculture . 2 CONTENTS, Geol. Lib. Page. Soil Survey of the Hood River-White Salmon River Area, Oregon- Washington. By A. T. Strahorn and E. B. Watson 5 Description of the area 5 Climate 10 Agriculture 12 Soils 20 Underwood loam 24 Underwood stony loam 26 Rough stony land 27 Rockford stony clay loam 27 Rockford clay 29 Parkdale loam 30 Hood silt loam. . .• 32 Wind River stony loam 34 Wind River gravelly sandy loam 35 Wind River sandy loam 36 Wind River fine sandy loam 37 Wind River loam 39 Winans gravelly sandy loam 40 Winans loam 41 Columbia fine sandy loam 42 Riverwash 43 Summary 43 3 ILLUSTRATIONS, PLATES . Page. Plate I. Gorge of the Hood River, south of Dee, showing forest growth on the soils of the Underwood series 8 II. View in the Upper Hood River Valley about 2 miles west of Parkdale, Oreg. , showing topography and forest growth on Parkdale loam . . 8 III. Strawberries on the Wind River sandy loam, about 2 miles south of the town of Hood River 16 IV. West Fork of the Hood River at the head of the Devils Punch Bowl, 1 mile west of Winans 24 V. Young apple orchard on soils of the Wind River series. Hood River Valley 24 FIGURE. Fig. 1. Sketch map showing location of the Hood River- White Salmon River area, Oregon- Washington 5 MAP. Soil map, Hood River- White Salmon River sheet, Oregon- Washington. 4 SOIL SURVEY OF THE HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA, OREGON-WASHINGTON. By A. T. STRAHORN and E. B. WATSON. DESCRIPTION OF THE AEEA. The Hood River- White Salmon River area covers about 226 square miles, or 144,640 acres, of mountain, valley, and river-bottom land in or adjoining the Hood River and White Salmon River Valleys, in the States of Oregon and Washington. The Hood River Valley is a depression of irregular outline lying in Hood River County in the central part of Oregon. It is just west of the principal axis of the Cascade Range, and is bordered on the east by a low spur of that range. Mount Hood, with an elevation of 11,226 feet above sea level, marks the extreme upper or southern end of the valley, and its permanent Fig. 1.— Sketch map showing location of the Hood River- 'SMiite Salmon River area, Oregon-Washington. mantle of snow and ice contributes not only to the flow in Hood River and its numerous tributaries, but also to that of a number of streams lying west of the Cascades. Hood River is a perennial stream, flowing over rocks and bowlders, and because of its rocky, timbered gorge is considered one of the 5 6 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912. most picturesque streams iii the Northwest. For about 18 miles above its confluence with the Cokmibia it follows a single channel carved deep in the country rock. Above this pomt several branches flow into the river from the Cascade Range, from the northern and eastern slopes of Mount Hood, draining a region covered with dense virgm forest. (PL I.) The so-called Hood River Valley is a basui, the surface of which is a series of plateaulike flats, lying at elevations of 100 to 500 feet above the beds of the streams and hiclosed by the steeply slopmg sides of the adjacent mountains and hills. It is divided mto three more or less distmct and conspicuous topographic divisions, kno\\^l as the Upper, Middle, and Lower Valleys. The land surface of the extreme southern part of the valley, or Upper Valley, is that of a dissected plain, having a pronounced northward slope. It extends northward to the conflu- ence of the drainage courses or to a prominent ridge occurring in the central part of T. 1 N. This elevation, a short distance from Mount Hood post office, forms the boundary between the Upper and Middle Valleys. The Middle Valley consists of but a few hundred acres of gently sloping land, the drainage of which is northward through Neal Creek Canyon into Hood River. A somewhat precipitous mountam, east of Hood River, havmg an elevation of about 3,000 feet and extendmg eastward from near Bloucher and Trout Creek on the Mount Plood Railroad, with a low ridge between it and the mountains along the eastern margin of the area, forms the boundary between the Middle and Lower Valleys. Along the northern slope of this ridge there is a small plateau, known as Willow Flat, extending from Odell Creek eastward to Neal Creek. This plateau is bounded on the north by a steep slope, which is nearly coincident with the boundary between the Underwood loam and the lower lymg Hood silt loam, just south of Odell. (See soil map.) From this northern boundary of Willow Flat and the spur of mountain near Bloucher and extendmg northward to the Columbia River lies what is known as the Lower Valley. With the exception of the deep, tortuous channels of the streams and a few mmor elevations, such as Van Horn Butte and Lentz Butte, the land surface slopes quite uni- formly to the northward, and the larger part of it is without any marked irregularities. The elevation of this part of the valley is from 500 to 1,200 feet above sea level. The Hood River Valley is bounded on the north by the intrenched valley and gorge of the Columbia River. The level portion of the vaUey is separated from this gorge by precipitous walls of basalt and by steep rocky slopes followmg an ii-regular Ime one-half mile to a HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 7 mile from and roughly parallel to the course of the stream. Al- though a part of these slopes is not too steep for cultivation, other conditions are seldom favorable. Between the steep and precipitous slopes and cliffs and the Columbia River there is a long, narrow area of land, lying but little above the usual level of the water in the stream. The surface of this strip is more or less gullied as a result of annual overflows, and in the lower places marsh}- conditions exist for a greater part of the year. On the western side of the valley the mountains rise abruptly from the valley floor to elevations of 4,000 feet or more above sea level. The lower slopes are included within this survey. • From Bloucher southward along the main channel of Hood River to the mouth of the West Fork of that stream and along the latter fork the mountains rise almost precipitously from the stream and vertical cliffs of colum- nar basalt are frequently exposed. The low range of mountains which forms the eastern boundary of the Hood River Valley represents a spur of the Cascade Range, branch- ing out near the base of Mount Hood and terminating in rocky bluffs or to nearly vertical cliffs along the Columbia River. The western slopes of this range, some of which are included within the survey, are mainly too steep for cultivation, are generally rocky, and are less heavily timbered than the mountains on the western side of the area. That portion of the area including the White Salmon River Valley in the State of Washington lies directly across the Columbia River from the Hood River Valley in Oregon. A few square miles in the southwestern part of this section of the area lies in Skamania Coimty and the remainder is in Klickitat County. The term Wliite Salmon Valley, as generally used, refers to the drainage basin of the WTiite Salmon River. There is but little land included within the present valley of the White Salmon River in tliis portion of the area, and this consists of a narrow, irregular strip on each side of the river. The balance of tliis portion of the area consists of rolling or undulating land, intrenched by the present stream valley and surrounded by hills and mountains with moderate to steep slopes. At the extreme northern end of the valley is Mount Adams, with an elevation of 12,470 feet above sea level, whose upper slopes are covered with perpetual snow and glaciers. The \Vhite Salmon River receives the drainage from its southern and southwestern slopes, and following a southerly course enters the Columbia River at a point nearly opposite the mou> § .a la 2" si 1899 ° F. 49.2 51.3 49.9 50.0 52.6 51.6 53.0 51.1 48.6 .50.4 49. 5 0 p^ 98 98 103 98 99 102 95 106 103 101 101 101 106 "> F. - 6 Inches. 44.18 Inches. 7.72 Inch . T. Days. Days. Days. Days. 142 Inches. 79 w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. w. 1900 Apr. 27 Apr. 24 Apr. 13 Apr. 19 Apr. 23 Apr. U Apr. 12 Apr. 30 Apr. 28 May 9 Apr. 15 May 11 Sept. 2 Nov. 2 Sept. 29 Oct. 15 Oct. 20 Oct. 19 Oct. 20 Nov. 3 Aug. 31 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 14 - 3 13 19 2 14 - 5 36.88 41.99 30. 22 35.23 25.02 35.71 33.43 7.81 10.56 8.94 8.96 4.81 10.54 8.60 4.47 11.75 7.70 4.20 T. 0.01 .07 .13 .05 .00 .10 .05 T. .00 .00 146 1.33 143 129 147 134 170 127 108 119 124 114 95 65 92 124 94 110 104 136 130 119 142 106 130 120 122 111 47.5 64.6 34.6 62.1 43 34 78 1909 1910 1911 -IS 1 10 28.48 21.47 18.61 173 198 210 64 42 35 126 125 120 74 71 55 99.1 27 36 Oct. 15 Oct. 25 Oct. 27 The figures given in the following table are compiled from Weather Bureau records covering a number of years and show the average monthly temperature and precipitation at Hood River: Normal monthly and annual temperature and precipitation, Hood River, Oreg. Month. January. February March . . . April May June July Temper- ature. 'F. 33.9 36.2 42.4 50.0 56.3 60.9 67.2 Precipi- tation. Inches. 6.39 4.92 3.68 2ei3 1.25 1.02 .18 Month. August September October... November. December . Year Temper- ature. 'F. 66.7 59.3 51.6 42.2 35.9 50. 2 Precipi- tation. Incites. .24 1.53 2.61 5.66 7.42 37.03 Winter temperatures are not ordinarily severe and, although the night temperature is usually below 32° F., it seldom falls below zero. The summer season is marked by relatively cool days and nights. The thermometer may rise above 90, possibly to 100° F., but such extremes seldom persist for more than a few days, and are succeeded by periods of cooler weather when the maximum daily temperature will rarely go above 80° F. The usual spring conditions are such that there is but little danger of injury to the apple crop from late spring frosts, as a number of consecutive days with temperatures high enough to start the tree 12 FIELD OPEKATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912, growth seldom occur before the usual date of the last killmg frost. Certam other fruits, such as peaches and grapes, may be forced into bloom by a few warm days early in the spring, and these may suffer severely with a subsequent lowering of temperatures. The dates of killing frosts in the spring are extremely variable in different portions of the valley, owdng to differences in elevation and the conditions of air drainage. For tliis reason the data given in the table are applica- ble only to a small part of the valley immediately adjoining the upper part of the town of Hood River. The prevailing winds are from the west, as the gorge of the Colum- bia River plays the part of a gigantic flue and affords a passage for the wind from the cool coast country^ eastward toward the heated interior. The velocity of the wind is least during the winter season, when the temperatures on the coast and in the interior are more nearly equal, and greatest in the spring and enrlj summer, when the temperature in the plains section east of the mountams is much higher than that along the coast. The usual drift of the wind from the coast toward the interior is the prmcipal factor in maintaining the low temperature of the summer season and in preventing excessively low temperatures during the -winter. It is onl}" when the normal conditions are disturbed that there is any noticeable movement of air from the interior toward the coast, and whenever this occurs the extremes of temperature for the season follow. In the summer season the winds from the heated plains to the east cause the ther- mometer to rise above 90°, and this heat will persist for one to three or four days. With the Avinds from the interior during the winter season the tem])erature drops, but in a few days the \\TJid swings into the west and the severe temperature is replaced by a noticeably warmer period. The average climatic conditions which exist in these valleys are such that the production of berries, deciduous fruits, and forage crops that are adapted to a cool, temperate climate will be profit- able, providing, of course, that suitable locations are chosen. AGRICULTURE. The first settlers in these valleys occupied the comparatively level, elevated floors of the valleys and also the narrow bodies of alluvial soil along the Columbia River. The absence of accessible markets limited the activities chiefly to stock raising. In the districts men- tioned grain could be growm for hay, and the stock were ranged over the adjacent lands of the valley and on the mountain and hill slopes, where, when the forest was not too thick, a good growth of grass afforded grazing during the greater part of the year. A few trails and wagon roads led from the settlements to distant points in the valleys, but access to outside markets was available only by steamers on the Columbia River. The town of Hood River and HOOD RIVEB-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 13 the old town of Wliite Salmon originated as small settlements near the steamer landings where freight was received and shipped, and became the social and commercial centers of these two valleys. For years there was scarcely any increase in the size of these villages, and but little increase in the rural population, and when the railroad was constructed down the south bank of the Columbia River, Hood River was a %dllage with a population of less than 300, In the Hood River Valley the first attempts at producing what might be called a cash crop were made in the early eighties, when strawbeiTies were grown on the west side of the valley and irrigated by a canal constructed by the farmers. This was practically the only agricultural product sliipped from the valley for many years, and the early growers, realizing the need for cooperation and systematic mar- keting, organized what was known as the Fruit Growers' Union, and, although the crops of the valley have increased and varied in charac- ter from time to time, some form of sliipping association has existed from that time to the present. Different kinds of deciduous fruits were planted by the early settlers for home use, but it was not until late in the eighties that commercial orchards were established. About this time one orchard was set out on the west side of the valley and two on the east side, though many at that time doubted the feasi- bility of growmg fruits on an extensive scale. In the White Salmon Valley, the earUest settlement was well up the White Salmon River, toward Trout Lake, where stock raising was made the principal industry. Owing to the elevation, the grow- ing of grasses and alfalfa to be fed to stock and dairy cattle is still the leading type of agriculture. Besides the isolation of these valleys, which was one of the principal features in retardmg their development, the fact that practically the entire area of cultivable land was covered with a dense forest hindered progress. The early farmuig was confined to areas where there was little or no timber. The earliest clearings were around the site of the settlers' cabins. As there was no special need for the cultivation of large fields, the clearing of these small tracts was the only work done for many years toward removing the forest. As the population increased and markets became available, the timber was rapidly removed from the more level lands in both valleys, until, m the Hood River VaUey at least, the area of forested land in the valley flat is at present very small. As the demand for land increased, the high prices asked for the valley land forced newcomers to the slopes of the mountains and mto the upper Hood River Valley, and the clearing of these lands is still in progress. In the Wliite Salmon River Valley, owing to the lack of adequate transportation, the settlement and development has proceeded very slowly. From the first settlement, in the vicinity of Trout Lake, the 14 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912. development has extended southward along the White Salmon River, where the lands, although heavily timbered, were fairly moist and could be made to produce heavy yields of the common forage crops. As fruit growing increased in the Hood River Valley and proved to be highly profitable, residents and newcomers in the White Salmon River Valley followed the example of their neighbors across the river, and this led to the clearing of areas on the timbered slopes and the crests of the lower ridges. Aside from the change from stock raising to the growing of fruits, there has been no great variation in the type of agriculture in these sections. The different fruits have, as a rule, given regular j-ields, and, as a result, the principal development of agriculture in these valleys has been toward the production of fruit. So pronounced has been this tendency that at present much of the farm produce used in these valleys is shipped into the area. With minor exceptions no attention has been paid to the adapta- tion of crops to the various types of soil, and only when the conditions were absolutely prohibitive of tree growth has there been any hesi- tation about the planting of some variety of deciduous fruit. Under such a system crop rotation is absolutely out of the question, except- ing such changes as may be made from time to time in the crops grown between the rows of fruit trees. The labor problem is a matter of concern to the growers only during the picking season, as the plantmg, cultivating, and spraying calls for but few men and the demand is easily met by the usual itinerant workers. In occasional years, when the climatic conditions are such that strawberries ripen suddenly, it is sometimes difficult to secure pickers to save the crop, but in the fall the apple-picking season lasts thi-ough several weeks and the supply of help is usually ample. The wage of an ordinary farm hand, m this section, is from $35 to $40 a month and board, or $50 a month without board. Berry pickers are paid by the box, and a day's pay will run from $2 to $4, depending upon the efforts of the laborer. During the apple- picking season the pickers receive $2.50 a day and board. Land holdings in this area vary from tracts of 5 acres to several hundred acres, the latter commonly being held by individuals or companies engaged in the development of large orchard tracts. In the developed sections of the valley 40 acres constitute a large farm, and the greater number of the orchards are in 10 to 40 acre tracts. In the undeveloped portions of the area a greater number of the holdings were origmally quarter section homesteads, and a large proportion of the original entrymen have disposed of theii' holdings either to lumbermen or to real estate operators and develop- HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 15 ment companies, and there are now a number of such, holdings which are 1,000 acres or more in extent. Experience in this and in other sections has fully demonstrated that the best and most satisfactory results are obtained from small orchards operated by the owners, and the tendency here is to reduce the holdings to tracts not exceeding 20 or 40 acres in extent, and the preference is for the smaller size. Unimproved land is, generally speaking, held at a rather excessive figure. It may occasionally happen that unimproved land, always in this area covered with forest or brush, may be sold at $100 an acre, but the land is usually held for $150 to $300 an acre, and in some cases the latter figure has been obtained for favorably located tracts. When everything is considered — expense of clearing, cost of the trees and of planting, pruning, and spraying until the trees come into bearing, taxes, and interest on the investment — the cost of a bearing apple orchard would be almost too great to justify the price asked for this land. Throughout these valleys the general appearance of the farm- houses and outbuildings and the neatness of the surroundings is a matter of favorable comment by all who visit the developed sections. It is the exception to find an unpainted or poorly kept house in the orchard section, and a considerable number of the houses are large and modern in every respect. Here and there, particularly in the outlying sections where the original homesteads still remain, log houses and indifferently kept frame houses may be found, but these are rapidly being displaced by modern structures. At present the agricultural output of these two valleys is prac- tically limited to apples and strawberries. A few head of stock are occasionally shipped to Portland, and there is a small and un- important shipment of pears, peaches, and plums. In driving through the Hood River Valley one passes mUe after mile of orchards in all stages of development, with here and there small acreages of strawberries, planted either separately or in rows between the smaller fruit trees. In the outlying sections, which include the mountain slopes and portions of the upper valley, there are large areas of forested and logged-off land, but these are rapidly being cleared and givmg place to young orchards. In the White Salmon River Valley the extent of the orchard planting is much smaller than in the Hood River Valley, but this is largely due to the retarded develop- ment of this section, caused by the longer deferred building of rail- roads. The lands that were first cleared and devoted to the pro- duction of grain and hay are being rapidly planted to orchards. This development is being carried on in all parts of the area, and eventually all lands not too steep to permit cultivation, or with soil 16 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912. SO shallow as not to be adapted to tilled crops, wall doubtless be put in orchards. In order to give an idea of the extent of orchard area and the relative acreage of the different crops in the Hood River Valley, and to determine, if possible, the relation between the plantings and the type of the soil, a plat was made of all of the plantings in that valley. The acreage devoted to the various crops was determined, but the plat showed that there is, as has already been mentioned, scarcely any relation between the plantings and the soil types as recognized in tlie survey. 0^\ang to the less extensive development in the White Salmon River Valley, no attempt was made to determine the crop acreage in that section. The following figures have been taken from the plat and are appli- cable only to that part of the Hood River Valley covered by the present survey. Acreage devoted to the several crops produced in Hood River Valley. Acres. Forest, logged-off , and slashed land 52, 250 Cleared and fallow land 610 Apple trees 16, 425 Strawberries 766 Forage crops of all kinds 2, 186 The acreage of forage crops includes only those areas where the land was entkely given over to these crops. The larger part of the orchard acreage is sown to some variety of cover crop each fall, which is com- monly used for the feeding of farm stock, and as the larger part is plowed under in the spring, it was impracticable to determhie the acreage. The production of strawberries is practically confined to one variety, the Clark Seedling. The single-row system of planting is followed almost exclusively, and the plants are commonly allowed to bear for three years before being removed. In setting the plants the rows are generally made to follow the contour of the land, and irrigation is thus facilitated. (PL III.) Most of the strawberries are grown between the rows of fruit trees, and the revenue from the sale of berries is a material aid in meeting the running expenses of the orchard. The yields vary wdth the care and attention given the vines and wdth the seasonal conditions. The yields range from 100 to 300 crates per acre. The selling price of the berries is governed by the competition they meet in distant markets, by their quality and size, and by the dates at wliich they are marketed. The price is usually liighest at the opening of the season and gradually declines toward the close. The larger acreage of berries is on the west side of the Hood River Valley, largely because the yields are. better on the soils in that section, while in the White Salmon River Valley the cultivation of this fruit Report of Bureau of Soils, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 191 2. Plate III. HOOD EIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 17 is confined almost exclusively to the Underwood loam. In the former valley irrigation is practiced wherever berries are produced, as this assures a heavier yield and a longer beaiing period. In the White Salmon River Valley water is seldom available for irrigation, and the yields, consequently, average less than those on the opposite side of the river. In the Hood River Valley the acreage devoted to berries shows a slight decrease from year to year. Most of the plantings are made between the young fruit trees, and as these come into bearing the growing of other crops is discontinued and the soil is given clean cultivation. Eventually the growing of strawberries may decline to a point where it will be of little importance, but in Adew of the fact that new blocks of trees will be planted for some years to come there is no immediate danger of this. Moreover, there are some soils in the valley that are particularly adapted to this fruit, and a certain pro- portion of these soils will doubtless be devoted to tliis crop for many years. As development progresses in the White Salmon River Valley the acreage of strawberries will continue to increase and the growdng of this fruit will be one of the important industries of this part of the area. Prior to the development of the commercial aj)ple orchards in either of these valleys apples had been grown in a large number of small family orchards for several years, and the growth and productiveness of these trees gave some idea of what might be expected from com- mercial planting in suitable locations. In the early days of tree planting it was observed that the trees oh the west side of the Hood River Valley were not as thrifty as those grown on the east side, and, for some reason, it was supposed that apples could not be profitably grown under irrigation. As a conse- quence the development of the commercial orchards began on the Hood silt loam, east of the Hood River, and for many years no serious attempts were made to extend the orchard planting west of the river. Later a number of small orchards were planted on the west side of the valley, in spite of j)redictions of failure, and although there was noth- ing to guide the planters in handling trees on these soils, their efforts were successful, and the j^lantings increased raj^idly, until at present the larger part of the valley lands west of the Hood River is devoted to the production of apples under imgation. The returns from bear- ing orchards gave an impetus to land values, and in the last few years the high prices asked for the lands in the lower valley have forced the development of the upper, or southern, part of the valley and the extension of the jjlanted areas over the slopes of the mountains sur- rounding the lower lands. In the White Salmon River Valley the earhest orchard development was on the Hood silt loam, where there 96828°— 14 ^3 18 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912. had been considerable farming for a number of years. From this section of the valley the planting of trees has been carried to the more level slopes of the Underwood loam, and it is in these sections that the most extensive development is now being carried. The setting out of commercial orchards began less than 10 years ago, and at the present time not more than 5 per cent of the trees are in bearing. In planting, the trees are set in the square, triangular, or hexagonal systems. Following the square system they are commonly set 26 feet apart. Budded one or two year old stock is invariably used, and the trees are secured either from local nurserymen or from firms or individuals conducting nurseries in the Northwest. Pruning is done each year at any time after the wood is completely dormant, and during the first years of the tree's growth the cuttmg is such that the tree is held within narrow bounds, in order to facilitate future cul- tural and picking operations and to build up a sturdy frame that will carry a heavy load of fruit with minimum damage to the branches. Summer pruning is seldom practiced. In the past there has been a great diversity in the methods of handling the orchards, but although a considerable variation still exists, the growers are generally beginning to use similar methods which experience has shown to be well adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of the region, and to the varieties of fruit most largely grown. With many of the growers the spring treatment of the orchards formerly was to run over the ground with a disk harrow, and to follow this with a harrow or drag. While a few still use this method, the larger number now give the orchard a thorough spring plowing and follow this with successive harrowings until the surface mulch is fine, loose, and deep. In a veiy large number of the younger orchards, and in some of the older ones, some crop is grown between the rows of the trees during some part of the year. Crops are seldom grown in the older orchards, but it is the common practice to grow a gram or forage crop during the whiter. In nearly all cases this is turned under in the spring plowing. In the younger orchards the same practice is frequently followed, but in addition some forage or tilled crop is grown between the trees durmg the summer season. In the first case the crop is plowed under in the spring, and in the second the returns from the crops go toward meeting the expense of running the orchards. When done judiciously the growing of these crops does not impair the growth of the trees. The danger lies in the temp- tation to grow these crops after the time when the entire area of the orchard should be used solely for the benefit of the trees. Considerable differences of opinion have existed in the past regard- ing the use of winter cover crops. Although various ideas concerning the best crop for this purpose and the methods of planting and handling it, and although there is stiU much to be learned along these lines, it is HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 19 generally conceded that the soils are m need of a greater amount of organic matter, which is most economically supplied by plowing under green crops, and a constantly increasing acreage of orchard land is being seeded down each fall. Oats, wheat, rye, and vetch, sown alone or in various combinations, are commonly used. Spraying is practiced at various times of the year to combat the pests common to the various fruits. The control of all tree pests and diseases is demanded by the State law, which is enforced by a resident officer, and the fruit in this valley is being grown with as little infesta- tion as in any section of the northwest. The principal varieties of apples grown are the Spitzenburg, New- town Pippin, Jonathan, Ortley, Arkansas Black, Gravenstein, and Red Cheek Pippin. A careful canvas of the varieties of apples showed that there were 86 varieties of trees in the valley that were producmg fruit. About a dozen of these are important, and the remainder are simply remnants from the early plantings when there was no knowledge of the varieties best adapted to these valleys. A number of years of profitable orcharding has shown the growers what varieties may be expected to give the best returns, and as time goes on there will be a steady removal of undesirable trees. Alfalfa, clover, timothy, and native grasses are practically the only crops grown for hay in the Hood River Valley. With the exception of an area of rather moist soil in the vicinity of Odell, where there are 100 or more acres in native grasses, the above forage crops are nearly always grown in tracts of 10 acres or less in the vicinity of the numer- ous farmhouses. These crops seldom produce more than sufficient hay to meet the needs of the individual growers, and a large part of the forage used in the Hood River Valley is shipped in from outside points. Irrigation is more or less commonly practiced in the Hood River Valley, particularly over the soils on the floor of the valley, but in the White Salmon River Valley the only irrigation is on the Wind River fine sandy loam, as the topography of the other soils is so mieven as to make the construction of canals and distribution of water exceedingly difficult and expensive. In the Hood River VaUey strawberries are always hrigated, and a larger part of area in intertilled crops receives one or more applications during the growing season. Apples are not commonly irrigated during the ffi-st few years of their growth, but with the exception of some of the older orchards on the Hood silt loam practically all of the bearing trees are hrigated at regular inter- vals. The water for irrigation is obtained from both the east and west forks of Hood River. The water from this stream is of excellent quality and is more than sufficient for the needs of the valley. 20 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912. SOILS. The most important rock formation in this part of the Northwest is known as the Columbia lava, a vast sheet covering neariy 250,000 square miles and varying in thickness from 300 or 400 to over 4,000 feet. This mass of rock was not formed by a single flow or volcanic eruption, but by a series of disturbances, often with a considerable period of time intervening, and the line of separation between the flows is commonly marked either by a change in the structure of the rock or by intervening strata of sands, clays, or gravel. The larger part of these lavas cooled slowly, and wherever vertical sec- tions of the rock are ^dsible a columnar structure nearly always exists. Thi'oughout the gorge of the Columbia River, in this area and to the westward, and along the courses of the Hood and Wliite Salmon Rivers the vertical walls are often 500 feet or more in height. These bold columnar cliffs form a prominent feature of much of the wUd, rugged scenery along these streams. (PL IV.) The broad features of the Hood River Valley are structural. It occupies a shallow downward fold or syncline of the basalt beds. Since its formation, however, it has been modified in detail by erosion, both by rumiing water and by glaciers. The work of the latter, however, has been mainly deposition, while the former has done very little beyond the cutting of the narrow valley in which the river flows. Later a considerable part of the glacial deposits were apparently removed, either by streams from the retreating glacier or by others, the forerunnei-s of the present rivers. In some instances the lava was swejjt clean of its stony mantle and veneered with a deposit of finer sedimentary material, but commonly sections along the gorges of the streams show remnants of the glacial deposits lying between the rock and the later surface soil. Some of the present soil material was probably deposited as glacial outwash, being made up of fine glacial material transported to its present location by streams from the melting ice. In the White Salmon River Valley it seems doubtful whether glacial ice occupied any considerable part of the depression. So far as has been determined, tlic present surface of the valley may be solely the result of erosion and deposition by streams, some of which may have been of glacial origin. In addition to the effects of glacial and alluvial agencies, the lavas have been subject to the slow but certain action of weathering and the decomposition of this rock, where not obscured by deposits resulting from other agencies, has resulted in a mantle of residual soils which cover the crests and slopes of the hills and mountains in the area. The latest development in the formation of the soils has been the deposition of recent alluvial soil in irregular, narrow areas along HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 21 the stream courses. In the White Salmon River Valley there is but little alluvial soil of recent formation, but along the Columbia and Hood Rivers and the tributaries of the latter recent water-laid soils occur in more or less extensive bodies. Overflow along the Hood River and its tributaries is rare and the soil conditions are stable and well defined, but a large part of the recent soils along the Columbia River are overflowed annually and consequently are sub- ject to more or less alteration from year to year. The soUs of the area surveyed thus fall into a number of more or less distinct groups, according to their topographic position and mode of formation. Each group is represented by one or more soil series and each soil series consists of a number of soil types. The latter, within each series, are similar in general characteristics of color, character of subsoil or other underlying material, topog- raphy, origin, and mode of formation, but differ in texture as deter- mined by the relative proportions of the different grades of soil material. A complete series consists of a number of associated and closely related soil types ranging in texture from coarse in the sandy members to fine in the silty and clay types. Some of the soU series recognized in this area, however, are represented by but a single soil type. The soil type is the unit of classification and each type encountered is indicated in color on the soil map accompanying this report. The residual soils of the area, derived by weathering in place of the underlying rock, are represented by three types — the loam and stony loam members of the Underwood series and Rough stony land. The Underwood soils occur on all of the hill and mountain slopes in the area, and are by far the most extensively distributed soils in the area. The surface soil of the loam type carries noticeable quantities of small, reddish-brown pellets, formed by the cementing of the soil particles by iron salts or by spherical weathering of fragments of basaltic rock. These are locally known as red shot. The stony loam contains large quantities of angular rock fragments in both the soil and subsoil. The color of these soils is commonly a light brown or light reddish brown, with occasional areas of grayish brown, par- ticularly in the bodies adjacent to the White Salmon River Valley. The larger part of the area occupied by these soils supports a heavy growth of fir and pine, but in sections of restricted rainfall and of steep slope and where the drainage is excessive or the soil somewhat shallow these trees give way to scanty growths of oak, brush, and grass. Rough stony land, a nonagricultural type, includes areas in which the quantity of fragmental rock in the soil or of rock outcrop is too great to allow cultivation. The soU is generally thin, the topography is quite steep, much of it precipitous, and the forest growth is usually a scattering stand of pine. 22 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912. The soils of the area which are recognized as derived wholly or in part from ice-laid material are those of the Rockford and the Parkdale series. The Rockford series is represented by two types, viz, the Rockford stony clay loam and the Rockford clay. The former includes an eroded phase. The typical soil occurs only in the Hood River Valley, though a small body of the eroded ])hase borders the Columbia River on the Washington side. The type occupies gently undulating or sloping areas slightly elevated above the adjacent soils of the valley floor and carries an abun- dance of glacial bowlders. The Rockford clay covers only an inextensive area on the western side of the Hood River Valley between the Rockford stony clay loam and the higher lying residual soils of the Underwood series occupying the mountain slopes. Some undifferentiated colluvial and alluvial foot-slope material from the higher mountam soils is included with this type. Rock or gravel is not abundant in the soil, but glacial bowlders occur in small quantities, and are commonly visible along the courses of the minor stream ways. The soils of the Rockford series are of reddish-brown color and are underlain by reddish-brown to yellowish subsoils, overlying deep, compact deposits of glacial till. The Parkdale series is represented by a single type, the Parkdale loam. This occurs only in the southern part of the area as a dissected plain with a very noticeable slope to the south. The deeper subsoil and substratum is a rocky glacial till, but this is covered by a mantle of finer material. The area occupied by this t}^e resembles in topographic features a glacial outwash plain, and the finer supei'ficial soil material may consist predominantly of stream-laid glacial outwash material of fine sandy and silty texture or of thoroughly weathered material derived from the underlying drift. Streams traversing the plain have cut narrow, rocky gorges into this material and often deeper into the underlying bedrock. The soil is of brown or light-brown color, often with a reddish tint, and usually contains a noticeable quantity of fine pellets. The subsoil is a light-brown to mottled gray and brown silt loam in which the percentage of pellets is generally less than in the soil material. Of the water-laid sedimentary soils of the area, the most extensive and important is the Hood silt loam, winch, like the Parkdale loam, is the only representative of its series recognized in the survey. The origin of this type is not definitely known, but from the depth, uniformity, and fineness of the material it appears to be a deposit laid down in bodies of quiet water, and has probably been derived from fuie glacial material. This type is one of the most important soils in the area, and upon it are found the larger number of the productive orchards in these two valleys. This soil is light gray or HOOD EIVEK-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 23 light grayish brown in color and entirely free from either rock or gravel. The stream-laid or alluvial soils of the area are represented by the Wind River, Columbia, and Winans series, and by a nonagricultural type mapped as Riverwash. The soils and subsoils of the Wind River series are light brown or light reddish brown. The series occupies Jiigh terraces, sometimes several hundred feet above the present valley bottoms, and is underlain by a stratum of gravels or of basaltic rock, although this is not generally encountered within the depth of 6 feet. Of tliis series the stony loam, gravelly sandy loam, sandy loam, loam, and fine sandy loam members have been recognized. These soils are of considerable importance, and occur in both the Hood River and "WTiite Salmon River Valleys. (PI. V.) In one or two instances glacial till deposits occur as a substratum beneath some of the types and a part of the stratified gravels and sands found sometimes in the subsoils may be glacial outwash deposits. The soils of the Columbia and Winans series and Riverwash are confined to the stream bottoms, and are of recent alluvial origin. The Columbia series is represented only by the Columbia fine sandy loam. This is a light grayish brown or buff-colored soil underlain by stratified alluvial deposits which vary in texture. The parent material is derived from a ^\^de variety of quartz-bearing and quartz- free rocks, and most of it has probably been transported long dis- tances. The type occupies the present flood plain, and much of it is subject to overflow, but where sufficiently elevated above the level of the stream it is cultivated. The Winans series occupies narrow areas of low terrace and bottom lands in the Hood and White Salmon River Valleys. The soils and subsoils are typically light brown or grayish brown in color and underlain by a substratum of stream-laid gravels. The series is represented by two types, a gravelly sandy loam and a loam. As mapped, however, these two soils include some undifferentiated mate- rial which in a more detailed survey, or if occurring in more exten- sive bodies, would be recognized as distinct soil types. The parent material is derived predominantly from basaltic rocks and much of it has been transported but a short distance. The gravelly sandy loam is confined to narrow, irregular bodies along the Hood River, and usually occupies areas of low terraces above the present level of the stream channel. This type is very graveUy, the gravel consisting both of glacial and water-worn rock. The formation of the soil is largely due to the reworking by alluvial agencies of bodies of glacial till. The surface is moderately sloping, except immediately along the river, where the land surface often drops abruptly to the level of the stream. The type is traversed by 24 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912. a few intermittent drainage courses from the higher lands and sup- ports a scant growth of fir, pine, and oak. The Winans loam is a type of minor importance, confined where typically developed to the Hood River Valley, and occurring as long, narrow bodies of bottom land along the courses of the smaller streams. The texture is extremely variable. The soil is the result of the depo- sition of material from th(i flood waters of the bordering streams, and a portion of the type is still subject to alteration bv occasional floods. Riverwash is of no present agricultural importance, and consists of sand and gravel deposits of the Columbia and Hood Rivers. The type is submerged during periods of high water. The names and extent of the various soils mapped in the area are given below: Areas of different soils. Soil. Underwood loam Hood silt loam Rough stony land Underwood stony loam Rockford stony clay loam Eroded phase Wind River loam Wind River fine sandy loam Riverwash Wind River sandy loam Light phase Acres. 102,080 14,400 4,352 4,032 1,920 1,472 3,328 2,240 1,984 1,728 128 Per cent. 1.3 Parkdale loam Wind River gravelly sandy loam Columbia fine sandy loam Winans loam Wmd River stony loam Winans gravelly sandy loam Rockford clay Total Acres. ,472 ,152 ,088 960 832 768 704 144, 640 Per cent. 1.0 UNDERWOOD LOAM. The soil of the Underwood loam consists of a loam 8 or 10 inches deep and containing a large number of pellets about the size of buck- shot. The soil material is generally of fine, smooth, silty texture. The color ranges from grayish brown to reddish brown, and the term ''red-shot land" which is locaUy applied to this soil is not derived from the color of the soil, but from the color of the pellets or concre- tions. These pellets are usually soft and readily crushed in the fingers when moist. The subsoil may be either a loam or a clay loam of high silt content, extending to a depth of 6 feet or more. Where the clay loam occurs the surface loam is rarely over a foot in depth. The pellets may be present in the subsoil, but always in smaller quantities than in the surface soil. The soil is quite granular, and the presence of the pel- lets makes even the hea\aer phases easy to cultivate. This soil is one of the main types in both the Oregon and the Wash- ington portions of the area. In the Hood River section it occurs on the slopes of all the mountains in and bordering the valley, and, with Report of Bureau of Soils, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1912. Plate IV. Report of Bureau of Soils, U S. Dept- of Agriculture, 1912. Plate V. HOOD EIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 25 the exception of an irregular area of the Underwood stony loam on the summit of the mountains and hills along the eastern boundary of the area, it extends over the summits of all of the ridges in this part of the area. In the White Salmon section the type is even more extensive than on the opposite side of the river, and is found on the hills and mountain crests, and on all of the slopes lying above the floor of the valley proper. The topogi'aphy varies considerably. From the soils of the floor of the valley the surface of this type rises with either long, gentle slopes or with slopes too abrupt to permit cultivation, while on the tops of the surrounding mountains there usually are areas where the sur- face is but slightly rolling, and often nearly level. Rock outcrop is rarely encountered. The presence of rock in the subsoil is usually indicated by a change in the native vegetation from heavily forested slopes to those which are covered with a scanty growth of brush and grass. The drainage is good and in many places excessive. The Underwood loam is a residual soil derived from the weathering of the underlving basalt. It includes a number of small areas of undifferentiated soils along the base of the steeper slopes, where the material is predominantly colluvial. Such areas are irregular, rela- tively unimportant, and no attempt was made to indicate them sepa- rately in the soil map. In color, texture, and adaptation to crops these bodies do not differ materially from the adjacent soil. Small and unimportant areas of undifferentiated red residual soils derived from the basaltic rocks are also included. In a more detailed survey these might w^arrant recognition as distinct soils. The native vegetation varies with the topography and exposure. Over the more level parts of the type a dense stand of Douglas fir is common. On easy slopes there is a mixed forest of fir and pine, and as the slope becomes steeper and the elevation greater the pine and fir give way to oak and brush. On the steepest mountain sides, particularly on southwest exposures, there is only a growth of grasses and weeds. With the exception of the steeper and rougher slopes, this type is well adapted to the fruits commonly grown in this section. It is utilized principally for the production of apples and strawberries. IntertiQed crops are often grown m the younger orchards, and the profit from these often enables the owner of the orchard to meet running expenses until the trees come into bearing. The value of this soil for agricultural purposes varies greatly, depending largely upon the topography. The steep grass-covered slopes have no value except for the scanty spring grazing they afford, as much of this soil is relatively shallow and the surface is in many places too steep to allow of cultivation. On the other hand, there are areas from 1,000 to 2,000 feet in elevation where the surface is 26 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912. only slightly rolling and the soil commonly 30 feet or more in depth, and these locations are among the choicest of the type. Between these two extremes there are all grades of soil, and the intermediate phases, which constitute the greater part of this type, are found on hill slopes both above and below the more level areas, on the slopes of the ravines in which the lesser water courses run, and on the slopes of the hills which border the Columbia and its main tributaries. The following table gives the average results of mechanical analyses of the soil and subsoil of this type: Mechanical analyses of Underwood loam. Number. Description. Fine gravel. Coarse sand. Medium sand. Fine sand. Very fine sand. Silt. Clay. 560619, .560633 Soil Per cent. 0.5 .2 Per cent. 4.1 3.4 Per cent. 7.5 6.3 Per cent. 11.8 10.5 Per cent. 10.5 10.5 Per cent. 47.6 45.7 Per cent. 18.0 560620,560634 Subsoil 23.2 UNDERWOOD STONY LOAM. The Underwood stony loam to a depth of a few inches to 6 feet or more is a light-brown or reddish-brown loam, containing a large cjuantity of angular rock fragments varying from an inch in diameter to large bowlders. Within 6 inches of the surface the soil usually carries slightly more organic matter than below, and for that reason it is slightly darker in color than the underlying material. Rock out- crop commonly occurs on the crests of the elevations, and the bed- rock is often encountered at depths of 6 feet or less in places where erosion has removed mucli of the soil. This soil is associated with the Underwood loam and always occu- pies the crests and steep slopes of the mountains, usually at a greater elevation than that type. The principal occurrence is in the elevated mountainous region along the central-eastern margin of the area, principally adjoining the Hood River Valley. Other smaller areas occur in the vicinity of Dee, and one bod}' is located near the town of White Salmon. The topography is in general steep and the drainage excessive. This type has the same origin as the Underwood loam, being a residual soil derived fi'om basaltic lava. It differs from the loam type in the higher proportion of rock fragments and in the generally shallower soil and subsoil. The forest growth on areas of lower elevation is either oak or oak and pine, while the higher areas have either scrubby oak or are bare with the exception of a scanty covering of grasses. Owing to elevation and character of surface the type is generally nonii'rigable. In the area near the town of Wliite Salmon the topog- raphy generally favors the use of the land for farming, but with this HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 27 exception the type can hardly be termed desirable agricultural soil and is best adapted to grazing. ROUGH STONY LAND. This type includes all areas where rock is present in such quan- tities as to render the soil nonagricultural, except that portions of the type may be utilized to some extent for grazmg. It mcludes lava gorges through which several of the streams m the area have their courses, areas of rock outcrop on the crests and steeper slopes of the mountains, and recent lava flows. The largest single body of this type is m the southwestern part of the area about 1^ miles west of Parkdale, where one of the last flows of lava from Mount Hood lies as a high, broad, steep -sided ridge 100 to 400 feet above the surrounding country. This ridge rises abruptly from the lower sods and is made up of innumerable angular blocks of lava of varying sizes, which are unweathered and apparently as fresh as though but recently cooled. A few scattermg pines are found on the ridge, but these are growing m small pockets where the soil has apparently been lodged by the wind rather than derived from the breakmg down of the lava. The remamder of this type, excepting the recent talus slopes at the base of some of the steeper areas, is covered with a scattering stand of fir and pine. ROCKFORD STONY CLAY LOAM. The typical Rockford stony clay loam is a clay loam of rather light texture and of light-brown to reddish-brown color, except in localities of deficient drainage, m which the color of the surface is darker. The soil is usually underlain at a depth of about 12 inches by a reddish-brown to yellowish-brown, compact clay loam, in turn resting on a stratum of compact glacial tUl. Fragmental rock consistmg of glacial bowlders is present in all of this type in such quantities that its removal is necessary before the soil can be cultivated. In a few places the quantity of rock is so large that it is doubtful whether it would be profitable to clear the land. The rock fragments vary m size from pieces only a few inches m diameter to bowlders several feet m diameter. Typical bodies of this soil are moderately rolling and differentiated from the bordermg types by beiag slightly elevated. The surface drainage is generally good, but subdrainage is somewhat imperfect, owing to the compact subsoil, and in a few places the lack of drainage is indicated by a dift'erence in the color of the soil. The Rockford stony clay loam occurs tyj^ically over the sloping floor of the valley west and southwest of the town of Hood River. One small body occupies a terrace or elevation above Hood River near Dee. 28 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912. The Rockford stony clay loam is f. The soil and subsoil material of the Wind River fine sandy loam is a friable, brown or light-brown fine sandy loam, containing a relatively large proportion of coarse and medium sand. The material is not marked by any decided change in color or texture, though the shade of brown becomes somewhat lighter with depth. Basalt rock underlies the type and seems to have an extremely kregular surface, so that the depth of the soil is subject to sudden variations. In many places the soil is but a few inches in depth, and rock outcrop is common, while within a short distance it may be 10 or 12 feet deep. Some fine, waterworn gravel, derived from higher lying masses of volcanic rock, is present in places, but seldom in sufficient quantities 38 FIELD OPERATIONS OF TUE BUREAU OF SOILS, Htl2. to be of auy importance. The pellets conspicuous in most of the other members of the Wind Kivor series are wantintion of the body where the dramage conditions are not well established, all of tliis soil is well adajjted to the i)roductiou of large and small fruits. In the moister areas forage crops j-ield well. It is utihzed mauily for the ]>roductiou of apples, strawberries, and graui and hay crops. The follo^ving table gives the average results of mechanical analyses of the soil and of a single analysis of the subsoil of tliis tj-j^e: Mechanical analyses of Wind River loam. Number. Description. Fine gravel. Coarse sand. Medium sand. Fine sand. Very flue saiid. Silt. Clay. 560621, 560647. . .. Soil Per cent. 1-f Per cent. 5.9 4.7 Per cent. 7. 7 8.1 Per cent. 12.3 12.5 Percent. 11.2 12.1 Per cent. 45.9 39.5 Per cent. 15.4 560622 Subsoil 22.3 WINANS GRAVELLY SANDY LOAM. The soil of the Winans gravelly sandy loam varies widely in texture, but it is typically' a light-textured, light-bro^\^l or grayish-brown sandy loam containing a large quantity of subangular to well- rounded cobbles, bowlders, and graA'el. The subsoil is similar in color, texture, and structure to the soil and generally extends to a depth of 6 feet or more. It is underlain by a stratum of waterworn gravel, cobbles, and sand, sometimes at a depth of less than 6 feet. This is one of the less important types of the area, bemg found hi only a few small bodies along the Hood River. It occupies bottom lands in recent narrow stream vallej^^s, but is generally elevated several feet above the stream channel and is not subject to overflow. The type varies from small areas of soil of fahly uniform surface to long, narrow areas where the surface slopes sharply toward the stream. The areas are commonh' marked by former stream channels. The Winans gravelly sandy loam is a rather recent alluvial soil, composed of material ])robably derived mauily from near-by areas of stony glacial till. The agricultural value of this type is dependent upon the quantity of fragment al rock in the soil, the character of the forest, and the regularity of the surface. It is not an important agricultural soil but is utilized to some extent for the production of apples, straw- berries, and hay crops. The larger part of the type is rather porous, and excessively drainetl, and without ii-rigation is not well adapted to the production of orchard or forage crops. HOOD RIVEE-WHTTE SALMON RIVER AREA. 41 The following table gives the results of a meclianical analysis of a sample of the soil of this type: Mechanical analysis of Winans gravelly sai^dy loam. Number. Description. Fine gravel. Coarse sand. Medium sand. Fine sand. Very fine sand. Silt. riay. 560603 Soil Ptr ccnl. R.9 Per cinl. 20.7 /V r cent. 15.5 Per cent. 22.1 Per cent. 9.3 Per cent. 16.7 Per cent. 6 S WINANS LOAM. The texture of the soil of this type shows a wide variation, not only between the different bodies but also wdtliin narrow Ihiiits in each body, and the type as mapped includes small areas of sandy loam and of light clay loam texture. The prevaUhig soil, however, Ls a fine, smooth, slightly sticky loam. The color of the soil and subsoil is also subject to considerable variation, but is typically grayish brown to reddish brown. Waterworn basaltic gravel may or may not be present m the type, and where encountered it is most abundant m the subsoU. The subsoil is general!}^ similar in texture and structure to the surface soil and of shghtly lighter color. It is underlam by a stratum of waterworn, stream-deposited gravels. The surface of this type is smooth, slopmg, and broken only by the present streams and by a few swales that indicate the courses of former drainage ways. In general the type is lower than the surrounding soils, from which it is usually separated by an abrupt terrace, 10 feet or more in height. On account of the low position of the larger bodies of this soil, di-amage is commonly deficient. Small areas of the soil are occasionally overflowed. The principal areas of the Winans loam are long, narrow stri])s occupymg the bottoms along Neal, Odell, and Phelps Creeks and the East Fork of Hood River in the Hood River Valley. One small body occupies stream terraces in the vicinity of Ilusum in the Wliitc Salmon River Valley. A part of this area forms a somewhat higher terrace than do the typical areas, and the soil has a dark-brown color and a much heavier" texture. The soil is alluvial and of rather recent origin, having been deposited by the earlier activities of the present streams. The material com- posing it has been derived from the mountain slopes, where the Underwood loam is the prevailing type of soil. The native vegetation, which included hi', pine, cedar, and decid- uous trees and brush, has been largely removed and the land devoted to forage and orchard crops. The pear has been most generally planted on this soil. Although this fruit will withstand rather adverse conditions, the high moisture content" of this soil and the 42 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 1912. greater likeliliood of late spring frosts, owing to low dovation, make it a poor fruit soil and not well adapted to commercial orchards. This soil is well suited to clover and alfalfa, and it should be devoted chiefly to these or similar crops. COLUMBI.\ FINE SANDY I.OAM. The soil of the Columbia Ime sandy loam is ])redommantly a porous, friable fine sandy loam of light grayish brown to buff color. The sub- soil is generally similar m color, texture, and structure to the soil material, and is underlain at varying depths by stratified stream-laid sands ami by basaltic bedrock. The soil is alluvial and has been formed by deposition of material from overflow waters of the Columbia River. Owmg to the varying nature of the materials carrietl by the stream, and the irregularity with which they have been laid dowTi, the structure and texture of the type is subject to considerable variation, even within small areas. Near Bmgen the prevailing soil is a moderately fuie sandy loam, m which small amounts of fine waterworn gravel sometunes occur. On the south bank of the Columbia River, from the mouth of Hood River eastward to the boundary of the areas, the soil is usually a very fuie sandy loam, free from gravel or rock. West of the mouth of Hood River it is a heavy fine sandy loam, and in small areas almost a silt loam. In some small areas this type is uniform to a considerable depth, but in general the soil is made up of a number of thin strata of material varymg from fine sands to silt loams. Gravel and bowlders are decidedly rare in this soil, being encountered only in the body of the type near Bmgen, and even here the amount of the coarser mate- rial is too small to be of any importance. The Columbia fine sandy loam type is confuied to the flood plain of the Columbia River, and occurs on both sides of that stream. On the Washington side of the river there is but a single area near Bingen, while on the Oregon side areas are numerous, though only small areas occur east of the mouth of the Hood River. None of this type is more than a few feet above the usual level of the streams. The land rises from the water's edge with a gentle slope, broken only by occasional sloughs. The drainage of the type is good to deficient, depending upon the elevation of the surface above the general level of the water. Some of the lower lying areas are subject to overflow durmg periods of high water. The type is made up of sediments carried by the stream during flood periods. Some of the material has probably been transported great distances and is derived from a variety of quartz-bearing and quartz-free rocks. Mmgled with this is some basaltic material derived from regions adjacent to the survey. HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 43 Originally all the type was covered with a dense growth of cotton- wood, willow, alder, and underbrush, and over most of its area this growth still remains. Occasional areas of the soil are devoted to grain or various tilled crops. The ease with which it may be cultivated and the abundance of moisture make it a valuable soil for truck and forage crops. The followmg table gives the results of mechanical analyses of the soil and subsoil of this type: Mechanical ayialyses of Columbia fine sandy loam. Number. Description. Fine gravel. Coarse sand. Medium sand. Fine sand. Very fine sand. Silt. Clay. 560G27 Soil Per cent. 0.2 Per cent. 0.7 Per cent. 0.7 .1 Per cent. 19.0 15.4 Per cent. 52.1 42.2 Per cent. 24.0 34.3 Per cent. 3.4 560628 Subsoil .0 .0 7.8 RIVERWASH. Riverwash includes the sand and gravel beds in the Columbia and Hood River flood plains. At the mouth of Hood River, and in various places along its course, this type often consists merely of beds of waterworn cobbles, gravel, and sand, but along the south bank of the Columbia River it includes extensive deposits of a grayish to yellowish fine sand. The areas lie but little above the usual level of the water in the streams, and in the spring practically all of them are under water. Owing to the danger of overflow and the usual light, gravelly nature of this type, it has no agricultural value. SUMMARY. The Hood River-White Salmon River area comprises about 226 square miles, or 144,640 acres, in and adjoining the Hood River Valley in the State of Oregon and the Wliite Salmon River Valley in the State of Washington. The former part of the area lies in Hood River County in the north- central part of Oregon. The limits of the agricultural part of the valley are marked by the character or degree of slope and by the ele- vation of the surrounding mountains. All of this part of the area lies within the drainage basin of the Hood River and its tributaries. The larger part of the Hood River Valley is made up of elevated stream terraces and plateaulike areas, the surface of which varies from smooth and sloping to slightly rolling. The hill and mountain soils rise directly from the floor of the valley and have a surface varying from moderately to steeply sloping. 44 FIELD OPERATIONS OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS, 11)12. All of the Hood River Valley section of the area was originally covered with a heavy growth of fir and pine. Although the larger part of the hill and mountain slopes remain in forest, the comparatively level soils of the valley have been largely cleared and the land devoted to cultivated crops. The "\Miite Salmon River Valley lies in the southern part of the State of Washington, in both Klickitat and Skamania Counties, and is separated from the Hood River Valley section by the Columbia River. This part of the area is drained by the Wliito Salmon River and tribu- tary streams. The larger part of this section of the area is made up of the mountain slopes. The suitableness of the land for cultivation is governed by the degree of slope and the depth of soil. An irregular belt of soil along the White Salmon River, lying at varying eleva- tions above the level of the stream, supports the oldest and most extensive agricultural development in this part of the area. Hood River is the largest town in the Hood River Valley section, and Wliite Salmon is the prmcipal town of that part of the area lying north of the Columbia. Transportation is furnished by lines of railroads along both banks of the Columbia River, and by a number of steamers which ])ly betw^een The Dalles and Portland. The clmiate is characterized by moderately cool summers and mild \\Tnters. The annual rainfall averages about 40 inches. The average velocity of the wind is high, but destructive wdnds are vinknown. The first settlers were interested largely hi stock grazing, but as the j)opulation increased the land was cleared and devoted to a number of cultivated crops. The success which attended the grow- ing of fruits has led to a steady development of that branch of agri- culture, and at the present time practically the only agricultural export consists of apples and strawberries. The development has been most rapid in the Hood River Valley, as transportation facil- ities m that part of the area have been adequate for many years. . Irrigation is practiced over a large part of the soils in the Hood River Valley, the waters being diverted from the forks of the Hood River. In the White Salmon Valley only a small part of the land in the extreme northern part of the area is irrigated, and, owing to the difficulties of obtaining water for the larger part of this valley, it is doubtful whether any considerable area will ever be irrigated. Land values in both vaUeys are rather high. The soils hi these valleys are either residual, glacial, or idhivial. Sixteen types have been recognized and mapjjed. In the residual group three types are recognized — the loam and stony loam members of the Underwood series and Rough stony land. The Underwood soils are by far the most extensive m the area and HOOD RIVER-WHITE SALMON RIVER AREA. 45 occupy the hill and mountain slopes. The larger part of their area is forested. The Rough stony land is a nonagricultural type. The glacial group includes the Rockford and Parkdale series. The Rockford series is represented by two tyj^es — a stony clay loam, includmg an eroded phase, and a clay. The loam is the only soil of the Parkdale series in this area. The Hood sOt loam is the only representative of its series, and consists of a water-laid sedimentary soil derived from fine glacial material. It is one of the most important soils of the area. The alluvial soils comprise three series — the Wind River, Columbia , and Winans — and the miscellaneous type, Riverwash. Of the Wind River series, the stony loam, gravelly sandy loam, sandy loam, loam, and fine sandy loam members are mapped. These soils are of con- siderable importance. The Columbia series is represented only by the Columbia fine sandy loam and the Winans series by the grav- elly sandy loam and the loam, neither of which are extensive. Riverwash is an unimportant type, consistuig of sand and gravel deposits. o mi n]!i n3i mif si a; if^ tl EDfi m?! if C3 rD: UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY [Public Resolution — No. 9.] JOINT RESOLUTION Amending public resolution numbered eight, Fifty-sLxth Congress, second session, approved February twenty-third, nineteen hundred and one, "providing for the printing annually of the report on field operations of the Division of Soils, Department of Agriculture." Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That public resolution numbered eight, Fifty-sixth Congress, second session, approved February twenty- third , nineteen hundred and one, be amended by striking out all after the resolving clause and inserting in lieu thereof the following: That there shall be printed ten thousand five hundred copies of the report on field operations of the Division of Soils, Department of Agriculture, of which one thousand live hundred copies shall be for the use of the Senate, three thousand copies for the use of the House of Representatives, and six thousand copies for the use of the Depart- ment of Agriculture: Provided, That in addition to the number of copies above pro- .\'ided for there shall be printed as soon as the manuscript can be prepared, with the necessary maps and illustrations to accompany it, a report on each area surveyed, in the form of advance sheets, bound in paper covers, of which five hundred copies shall be for the use of each Senator from the State, two thousand copies for the use of each Representative for the congressional district or districts in which the survey is made, and one thousand copies for the use of the Department of Agriculture. Approved, March 14, 1904. JOu July 1, 1901, the Division of Soils was reorganized as the Bureau of Soils.]